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Singer B, Meling D, Hirsch-Hoffmann M, Michels L, Kometer M, Smigielski L, Dornbierer D, Seifritz E, Vollenweider FX, Scheidegger M. Psilocybin enhances insightfulness in meditation: a perspective on the global topology of brain imaging during meditation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:7211. [PMID: 38531905 PMCID: PMC10966054 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55726-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024] Open
Abstract
In this study, for the first time, we explored a dataset of functional magnetic resonance images collected during focused attention and open monitoring meditation before and after a five-day psilocybin-assisted meditation retreat using a recently established approach, based on the Mapper algorithm from topological data analysis. After generating subject-specific maps for two groups (psilocybin vs. placebo, 18 subjects/group) of experienced meditators, organizational principles were uncovered using graph topological tools, including the optimal transport (OT) distance, a geometrically rich measure of similarity between brain activity patterns. This revealed characteristics of the topology (i.e. shape) in space (i.e. abstract space of voxels) and time dimension of whole-brain activity patterns during different styles of meditation and psilocybin-induced alterations. Most interestingly, we found that (psilocybin-induced) positive derealization, which fosters insightfulness specifically when accompanied by enhanced open-monitoring meditation, was linked to the OT distance between open-monitoring and resting state. Our findings suggest that enhanced meta-awareness through meditation practice in experienced meditators combined with potential psilocybin-induced positive alterations in perception mediate insightfulness. Together, these findings provide a novel perspective on meditation and psychedelics that may reveal potential novel brain markers for positive synergistic effects between mindfulness practices and psilocybin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berit Singer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Daniel Meling
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Matthias Hirsch-Hoffmann
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lars Michels
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Kometer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lukasz Smigielski
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dario Dornbierer
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erich Seifritz
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Franz X Vollenweider
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Milan Scheidegger
- Department of Adult Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Psychiatric University Clinic Zurich and University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Neuroradiology, University Hospital Zurich, Neuroscience Center Zurich (ZNZ), University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Tidwell TL. Life in Suspension with Death: Biocultural Ontologies, Perceptual Cues, and Biomarkers for the Tibetan Tukdam Postmortem Meditative State. Cult Med Psychiatry 2024:10.1007/s11013-023-09844-2. [PMID: 38393648 DOI: 10.1007/s11013-023-09844-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
This article presents two cases from a collaborative study among Tibetan monastic populations in India on the postdeath meditative state called tukdam (thugs dam). Entered by advanced Tibetan Buddhist practitioners through a variety of different practices, this state provides an ontological frame that is investigated by two distinct intellectual traditions-the Tibetan Buddhist and medical tradition on one hand and the Euroamerican biomedical and scientific tradition on the other-using their respective means of inquiry. Through the investigation, the traditions enact two paradigms of the body at the time of death alongside attendant conceptualizations of what constitutes life itself. This work examines when epistemologies of these two traditions might converge, under what ontological contexts, and through which correlated indicators of evidence. In doing so, this work explores how these two intellectual traditions might answer how the time course and characteristics of physiological changes during the postmortem period might exhibit variation across individuals. Centrally, this piece presents an epistemological inquiry delineating the types of valid evidence that constitute exceptional processes post-clinical death and their potential ontological implications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tawni L Tidwell
- Center for Healthy Minds, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 625 W. Washington Ave., Madison, WI, 53703, USA.
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Saketkoo LA, Russell AM, Patterson KC, Obi ON, Drent M. Sarcoidosis and frailty: recognizing factors that foster holistic resilience. Curr Opin Pulm Med 2023:00063198-990000000-00099. [PMID: 37522560 DOI: 10.1097/mcp.0000000000000990] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Sarcoidosis is a multiorgan system disease exerting significant impact on biophysical, social, psychological and emotional well-being. Mortality and disability correlate to accessible, timely, expert care for sarcoidosis and its related complications. Across health conditions, positive healthcare interactions and interventions can rehabilitate unfavourable factors tied to concepts of 'frailty'. Here, we set out to introduce concepts related to frailty and their impact in the context of sarcoidosis. RECENT FINDINGS Studies examining frailty across other multiorgan and single organ-based diseases that mirror organ involvement in sarcoidosis demonstrate findings that bear relevance in sarcoidosis. Namely, factors predisposing a person to frailty are a multifactorial phenomenon which are also reflected in the lived experience of sarcoidosis; and that early diagnosis, intervention and prevention may alter a course towards more favourable health outcomes. SUMMARY Factors predisposing to frailty in other health conditions may also signal a risk in sarcoidosis. In turn, proactive health preservation - regardless of age - may lead to improved biopsychosocial reserve and health-related quality of life. Fortifying holistic resilience in sarcoidosis is anticipated to reduce risk of the occurrence and prolongation of health-related complications, and facilitate swifter recovery from biophysical complications as well as from psychosocial and emotional stressors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lesley Ann Saketkoo
- New Orleans Scleroderma and Sarcoidosis Patient Care and Research Center
- University Medical Center - Comprehensive Pulmonary Hypertension Center and Interstitial Lung Disease Clinic Programs
- Louisiana State University School of Medicine, Section of Pulmonary Medicine
- Tulane University School of Medicine, Undergraduate Honors Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
| | - Anne-Marie Russell
- Exeter Respiratory Innovations Center, University of Exeter, Exeter
- Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, Devon
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London
| | - Karen C Patterson
- Brighton & Sussex Medical School, Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine, Falmer, UK
| | - Ogugua Ndili Obi
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Marjolein Drent
- Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILD) Center of Excellence, Department of Pulmonology, St. Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht
- ILD CARE Foundation Research Team, Ede, The Netherlands
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Juul L, Bonde EH, Fjorback LO. Altered self-reported resting state mediates the effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on mental health: a longitudinal path model analysis within a community-based randomized trial with 6-months follow-up. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1154277. [PMID: 37408978 PMCID: PMC10318305 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1154277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background A large body of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) has shown that mindfulness-based interventions are effective for improving mental health, but research is lacking in regards to the mechanisms of change. We aimed to investigate the mediating effects of self-reported altered resting state of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on mental health, when provided as a universal intervention in a real-life context. Methods Autoregressive path models with three time points of measurement, and contemporaneous and constant b paths were used in an RCT. The RCT took place in all five geographical regions of Denmark and included 110 schools and 191 schoolteachers. The schools were randomized 1:1 in each geographical region to intervention or a wait-list control group. The intervention was the standardized MBSR. Data were collected at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. The outcomes were perceived stress, measured by Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), symptoms of anxiety and depression, measured by Hopkins Symptom Check List-5 (SCL-5), and well-being measured by WHO-5 Well-being Index (WHO-5). The mediator was resting state measured by the Amsterdam Resting State Questionnaire (ARSQ). Results Statistically significant mediated effects of altered ARSQ-subscales scores for Discontinuity of Mind, Planning, and Comfort were found for the MBSR effect on all outcomes; PSS, SCL-5 and WHO-5. Furthermore, statistically significant mediated effects of altered sleepiness subscale score of the effects on PSS and SCL-5 of MBSR were found. No statistically significant mediating effects of the subscales Theory of Mind, Self and Somatic Awareness for the MBSR intervention effect were found. Conclusion The results support that the MBSR program can alter self-reported resting state, towards less mind wandering and more comfort, measured by the ARSQ, and that this may explain some of the mechanisms regarding the effectiveness of MBSR on mental health at 6 months, when provided as a universal intervention. The study provides insight into an active ingredient of how MBSR may improve mental health and well-being. It supports the suggestions that mindfulness meditation may be a sustainable way of training the mental health.Clinical trial registration:ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT03886363.
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Rich T, Chrisinger BW, Kaimal R, Winter SJ, Hedlin H, Min Y, Zhao X, Zhu S, You SL, Sun CA, Lin JT, Hsing AW, Heaney C. Contemplative Practices Behavior Is Positively Associated with Well-Being in Three Global Multi-Regional Stanford WELL for Life Cohorts. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2022; 19:13485. [PMID: 36294068 PMCID: PMC9603492 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192013485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 10/02/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Positive associations between well-being and a single contemplative practice (e.g., mindfulness meditation) are well documented, yet prior work may have underestimated the strength of the association by omitting consideration of multiple and/or alternative contemplative practices. Moreover, little is known about how contemplative practice behavior (CPB) impacts different dimensions of well-being. This study investigates the relationship of CPB, consisting of four discrete practices (embodied somatic-observing, non-reactive mindfulness, self-compassion, and compassion for others), with multiple dimensions of well-being. As with other canonical lifestyle behaviors, multiple contemplative practices can be integrated into one's daily routine. Thus, it is critical to holistically consider these behaviors, extending them beyond a simple uni-dimensional measure (e.g., daily mindfulness meditation practice). We developed an integrative measure of four types of contemplative practice and found it to be significantly associated with a multi-dimensional measure of well-being. Importantly, our findings were from three large global multi-regional cohorts and compared against better-understood lifestyle behaviors (physical activity). Data were drawn from California/San Francisco Bay Area, (n = 6442), Hangzhou City (n = 10,268), and New Taipei City (n = 3033). In all three cohorts, we found statistically significant (p < 0.05) positive associations between CPB and well-being, both overall and with all of the constituent domains of well-being, comparable to or stronger than the relationship with physical activity across most well-being outcomes. These findings provide robust and cross-cultural evidence for a positive association between CPB and well-being, illuminate dimensions of well-being that could be most influenced by CPB, and suggest CPB may be useful to include as part of fundamental lifestyle recommendations for health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tia Rich
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
| | | | | | - Sandra J. Winter
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
| | - Haley Hedlin
- Quantitative Sciences Unit, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
| | - Yan Min
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Xueyin Zhao
- Chronic Disease Research Institute, The Children’s Hospital, and National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Shankuan Zhu
- Chronic Disease Research Institute, The Children’s Hospital, and National Clinical Research Center for Child Health, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Department of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - San-Lin You
- School of Medicine, Data Science Center, College of Medicine Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
| | - Chien-An Sun
- School of Medicine, Data Science Center, College of Medicine Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City 24205, Taiwan
| | - Jaw-Town Lin
- Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, E-Da Hospital, Kaohsiung City 82445, Taiwan
| | - Ann W. Hsing
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
| | - Catherine Heaney
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, Stanford School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94035, USA
- Department of Psychology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Vella-Brodrick DA, Gill A, Patrick K. Seeing Is Believing: Making Wellbeing More Tangible. Front Psychol 2022; 13:809108. [PMID: 35360571 PMCID: PMC8963910 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.809108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Positive Psychology has been instrumental in promoting wellbeing science in the modern era. However, there are still ways in which positive psychology interventions and positive education programmes can be improved to achieve more robust and sustained effects. One suggested method is to make wellbeing more salient and tangible through the use of objective tools that assess the relationship between psychological and physiological wellbeing, and enable wellbeing status and change to be seen. With the addition of an interdisciplinary team, as well as technology-enabled and pedagogically sound learning tools and approaches, the potential for positive outcomes and impact increases exponentially. Monitoring wellbeing progress in this way can provide evidence, motivation and belief in positive psychology and wellbeing interventions. This can lead to engaged learning, sustained benefits and systemic impact. Positive psychology needs to strategically extend on the emerging work in this field to help everyone, including policy makers, notice and value wellbeing.
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Physical Activity, Natural Environment, Present Moment Awareness, and Its Consideration: A Qualitative Review. SUSTAINABILITY 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/su13158436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Longstanding research suggests a plausible relation between physical activity, the natural environment, and overall health. However, when investigating this relationship, most studies focused on the absence of disease or frailty as health indicators. The relation between physical activity (PA), subjective well-being (SWB), natural environment, and present moment awareness (PMA) remains unexplored. The presented qualitative review offers a perspective model of the relationship between physical activity, natural environment, and awareness of the present moment that helps us explore its underlying, relating pathways. Our review concludes that present moment awareness can be worthy of attention to detect the impact of physical activity, subjective well-being and staying in a natural environment on selected samples, as well as its influence on maximizing related benefits for health and well-being. The challenge after that is to consider how to monitor the complex interactions that will occur within the multiple levels of influence. Essentially, a unified model of research and practice which incorporates physiological and psychological theories is undoubtedly needed. If that happens, we can understand the role of the diverse regulators upon behavior and proceed to convey this evidence into future health-promoting interventions.
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