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The September 2023 article, published in Current Psychology, investigated the use of connected conscious breathing to induce non-ordinary states of consciousness. This breathing technique, which combines deep breathing with acoustic stimulation, has been shown to have positive effects on mood and state of consciousness, helping to reduce tension and depression. The research highlighted how such practices can reveal repressed memories and break down psychophysiological defenses, approaching the psychedelic experience through the subjective changes they produce in consciousness.

This recent study from November 2023 compared mindfulness meditation and psychedelic-induced experiences, revealing that both practices share similar changes in brain connectivity. Both methods were associated with increased compassion, empathy, and psychological flexibility. Both meditation and the use of psychedelics appear to facilitate the deconstruction of the self and enhance emotional regulation, fostering a more open and non-judgmental attitude towards internal experiences.

It is with particular pleasure that we report on this study conducted, with Bruno Neri as the lead author, who is the academic and scientific contact for MindScience Academy and an author. The study was published in Frontiers on May 2, 2024, and includes Richard J. Davidson among the reviewers.
The positive effects of meditation on human well-being are undeniable, ranging from improved emotional regulation to stress reduction and enhanced present-moment awareness. Changes in brain activity regulate and support these phenomena. However, the heterogeneity of meditative practices and their cultural backgrounds, as well as their limited categorization, constrain the generalization of results to all types of meditation. In this instance, we collaborated with the unique and invaluable community of Monks and Geshe from the Tibetan University of Sera-Jey in India to study the neural correlates of the two main types of meditation recognized in Tibetan Buddhism: concentrative and analytical meditation. Twenty-three meditators with varying levels of experience were subjected to EEG recordings within the monastery, which included a session of "their best" analytical and/or concentrative meditation along with an initial 5-minute baseline. Time-varying spectral density estimates of power for each session were compared with the baseline (i.e., within the session) and between conditions (i.e., analytical vs. concentrative). The results revealed that concentrative meditation induced more numerous and pronounced changes in EEG power compared to analytical meditation, primarily in the form of increased theta, alpha, and beta frequency bands. Moreover, full immersion in the monastery life allowed for sharing the results and discussing interpretations with leading scholars from the Monastic University, ensuring the identification of the most experienced meditators and better highlighting the differences between the various types of meditation practiced by each.

In this 2022 research, further evidence is found regarding the link between meditation and happiness, or at least an improved state of well-being.
The pursuit of happiness is the ultimate purpose of human life in modern civilization. Happiness is defined in Indian culture as a mood or quality that occurs at birth in a person and distinguishes it from other species. Meditation, as the phrase from the Ashtavakra Gita suggests, is a spiritual instrument for increasing happiness in life. Meditation is a term that refers to a set of techniques that are often used to relieve stress and increase overall well-being. These days, HRV (heart rate variability) appears to be on each person mind, at least among those who want to track their own or their customers’ sleep, recuperation, performance, or inclusive mental health. The findings of this study are both inspiring and useful, as the current analysis clearly reveals that meditation has a considerable impact on heart rate dynamics. The results of heart rate variability metrics provide a quantifiable measurement of this. It plainly states that meditation improves one’s health, which leads to happiness as the ultimate objective. In this research article the ECG based health analysis and happiness measurement demonstrated which help oneself to get a maximum amount of happiness through the use of of yoga and natural resources.

This research, although not very recent (2017), is truly fundamental regarding mindfulness meditation and metta (loving-kindness) meditation. It is particularly significant to present it in conjunction with the main topic concerning happiness: this research correlates positive emotions with meditation practice.
The purpose of this study was to uncover the day-to-day emotional profiles and dose-response relations, both within-persons and between-persons, associated with initiating one of two meditation practices, either mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation. Data were pooled across two studies of midlife adults (N = 339) who were randomized to learn either mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation in a six-week workshop. The duration and frequency of meditation practice was measured daily for nine weeks, commencing with the first workshop session. Likewise, positive and negative emotions were also measured daily, using the modified Differential Emotions Scale (Fredrickson, 2013). Analysis of daily emotion reports over the targeted nine-week period showed significant gains in positive emotions and no change in negative emotions, regardless of meditation type. Multilevel models also revealed significant dose-response relations between duration of meditation practice and positive emotions, both within-persons and between-persons. Moreover, the within-person dose-response relation was stronger for loving-kindness meditation than for mindfulness meditation. Similar dose-response relations were observed for the frequency of meditation practice. In the context of prior research on the mental and physical health benefits produced by subtle increases in day-to-day experiences of positive emotions, the present research points to evidence-based practices - both mindfulness meditation and loving-kindness meditation - that can improve emotional wellbeing.

This March 2024 research aligns perfectly with the April Focus On theme on epistemology. Starting from attentional control and the ability to direct attention towards different objects, which is typically perceived as a fundamental indicator of attentional freedom, it addresses the control and maintenance of attention, inevitably leading to the theme of mind-wandering. In their discussion, the authors expand on those authors, philosophers, and scientists mentioned in our last two analyses, becoming the natural completion of this overview. The researchers question whether it is possible to experience the source of attention, namely the subject exercising freedom through attention, inevitably delving into the realm of introspection and contemplation.

In this very recent work (February 2024), we delve into understanding the added value of determining whether mind wandering (MW) is based on automatic or controlled processes. From an applied perspective, clarifying the nature of cognitive processing during MW would largely demystify this phenomenon and help understand its significance (e.g., daily life management) and its limitations (e.g., unsuitability for complex learning), as well as the limitations of goal-directed thought (e.g., dependence on subconscious cost–benefit computations), in everyday contexts.

This very recent study, published on January 20, 2024, shows that a single brief session of VR mindfulness can produce short-term beneficial effects in people at high risk of stress, greater than those achieved through colouring and audio mindfulness. This suggests promising direct implications for university mental health services, although future research is needed to explore long-term benefits as well as the relative efficacy of longer interventions.

Synchrony is a most fundamental and basic feature in the biological world and thus in nature holding across different species. The study explores the question of whether this also applies to our perception of self. The conclusion is that our self and our degree of synchrony with the body, others and the environment is the psychological component more threatened by an adverse external event (like the COVID-19 pandemic) and, at the same time, the factor more associated with resiliency and coping during such times. The Authors demonstrate the key role of an internal-external synchrony in our perception of self – this aligns the self with the biological world and nature where synchrony is a most basic fundamental feature holding across different species.

Extant research has demonstrated the positive intrapersonal efects of mindfulness training. However, the cognitive mechanisms underlying the efects of mindfulness training on interpersonal processes are less clear.