International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2023
Fabio Giommi, Prisca R Bauer, Aviva Berkovich-Ohana et al.
70 citations
Rigidity, or inflexibility, is a core feature of transdiagnostic processes underlying many mental health disorders. The pattern theory of self (PTS) defines the self as a dynamic, nonlinear pattern of multiple interacting processes. Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) can reduce rigid, habitual self-patterns, thereby improving mental health. MBIs alter psychological and behavioral aspects of the self-pattern and can shift the entire self-pattern as a gestalt. Neuroscientific evidence shows that the phenomenology of the self is reflected in cortical networks, and meditation alters these networks. Combining PTS and neuroscientific findings may deepen understanding of psychopathology and improve diagnosis and treatment.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2023
John R Kelly, Gerard Clarke, Andrew Harkin et al.
33 citations
A systems psychiatry approach recognizes complex interactions across biological levels and requires integrated treatment strategies. Serotonergic psychedelics primarily target cortical 5-HT2A receptors, but their therapeutic mechanisms span molecular, cellular, and network levels, influenced by biofeedback from the periphery and environment. The gut microbiome, through the gut-brain axis, regulates host neurophysiology via unconscious parallel processing systems. Although psychedelic and microbial signaling operate on different timescales, the microbiota-gut-brain axis may contribute to the preparatory, acute, and integration phases of psychedelic therapy. This review examines the gut microbiome and mycobiome, pathways of the MGB axis, and potential interactions with psychedelic therapy, discussing implications for precision medicine.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2024
Yanjuan Li, Mengyao He, Zhenzhen Wang et al.
18 citations
Across two randomized controlled trials, a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) improved mindfulness, distress tolerance, anxiety, and depression more than control conditions. In Study 1, 374 adults with moderate emotional distress were assigned to MBI or a waitlist; in Study 2, 170 adults with emotional disorders were assigned to MBI or a control group. Changes in distress tolerance explained the intervention's effects on anxiety and depression. Distress tolerance also preceded improvements in depression over time, but not in anxiety. Distress tolerance appears to be a mechanism through which MBIs reduce emotional distress, suggesting that boosting distress tolerance could strengthen these interventions.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2025
Shuqin Jiang, Yaoyao Sun, Lixiang Yu et al.
9 citations
Cognitive impairment is common among cancer survivors and harms quality of life. A systematic review and meta-analysis of 23 randomized and 7 non-randomized controlled trials found that mindfulness interventions significantly improved patients' subjective cognitive function immediately after the intervention (between-group standardized mean difference 0.81, 95% CI 0.58 to 1.03; within-group 1.12, 95% CI 0.71 to 1.52) and at follow-up (between-group 0.39, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.68; within-group 0.59, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.82). Larger effects appeared in developing versus developed countries and for interventions without additional home practice in within-group comparisons. No significant effects were found on objective cognitive function.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2024
Chengjin Hong, Cody Ding, Yiwen Chen et al.
6 citations
A randomized controlled trial with 42 participants found that combining mindfulness-based cognitive therapy with loving-kindness meditation altered brain activity in people with subclinical depression. During a task involving negative emotional faces, the meditation group showed greater activation in visual processing areas. At rest, they had increased connectivity between brain regions linked to attention and emotion regulation. Activity in cognitive control regions decreased while sensorimotor regions increased. These neural changes suggest the therapy may alleviate depression by improving executive function when processing negative stimuli.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2023
Judith Koppehele-Gossel, Lena-Marie Weinmann, Ansgar Klimke et al.
5 citations
During the COVID-19 pandemic, pandemic-related themes were incorporated into dreams, but such incorporation was rare. Psychiatric outpatients and healthy controls did not differ in how often their dreams included pandemic content, and incorporation was unrelated to psychiatric symptoms or loneliness. Loneliness was, however, linked to threat-related dream content, suggesting it is a risk factor for bad dreams but not for crisis-specific incorporation. Lucid dreaming core dimensions—insight, control, and dissociation—were similar between outpatients and controls during lockdowns. Compared to a pre-pandemic sample, scores for control and dissociation were lower, while insight was not. The authors propose that REM sleep intensified during lockdowns for emotional consolidation, making the mental state less hybrid and thus less lucid.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2024
Charlotte Martial, Pauline Fritz, Héléna Cassol et al.
3 citations
One year after a prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stay, survivors who reported a near-death experience (NDE) retained vivid, stable memories with many phenomenological details such as visual features and emotions. Among 126 adult ICU survivors, 19 (15%) reported an NDE as identified by the Greyson scale. The most common NDE features were altered time perception, heightened senses, and life review; Greyson scores did not change over the year. One year later, 18% of the NDE group and 24% of the non-NDE group were less afraid of death. The findings suggest that clinicians should interview all ICU patients about their memories.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2026
Donagh Seaver O'Leary, Pat Mulvaney, Laura Moore et al.
A virtual reality simulation of auditory hallucinations (VR-sAH) based on real experiences of people with psychosis was tested in 68 non-clinical participants. The simulation produced a believable and emotionally salient analogue of hallucinatory experiences. Significant reductions in heart rate variability confirmed participants' embodied immersion. Semi-structured interviews with 29 participants and quantitative measures showed the VR-sAH was an acceptable research tool, though with important caveats for including people with psychosis and ensuring researcher integrity. While not replicating full clinical hallucinations, VR-sAH offers an ethically manageable and experimentally controllable analogue for studying perceptual and cognitive processes relevant to psychosis, especially in early-stage non-clinical research.
International journal of clinical and health psychology : IJCHP
January 1, 2026
Julia Maruani, Nathan Martins, Emmanuelle Clerici et al.
Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) is associated with greater reductions in nightmare severity, depressive symptoms, anxiety, and suicidal ideation compared to sleep education therapy in adults with both major depressive episodes and nightmare disorder. In a non-randomized controlled study of 53 adults, those receiving four weekly group-based IRT sessions showed significantly larger improvements across nightmare frequency, emotional and diurnal impacts, and nocturnal disturbances than those who received a single sleep education session followed by a waitlist. IRT was also linked to decreased depressive and anxiety symptoms and reduced suicidal ideation. Treatment-resistant depression predicted greater emotional improvement from nightmares, while higher nightmare frequency predicted less benefit. The findings suggest IRT should be integrated into treatment plans for this high-risk population.