Studies

Looking for meditation research? Well, the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) has just published an online Meditation Bibliography with over 6000 citations of published meditation studies around the world. Research at IONS focuses primarily on consciousness and healing, worldview transformation and extended human capacities. IONS views meditation through consciousness perspectives and believes meditation is integral in positively transforming consciousness.

Among the many types of contemplative practices, some are cognition-focused, while others are emotion-focused (for a visual representation of the many types of contemplative practice, see the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society). For example, concentrative (or breath-focused) meditation is designed to strengthen attention, enabling the practitioner to remain focused on a particular object of attention.

With the 10-year anniversary of the publication of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression nearly upon us, it is a good time to perhaps stop and reflect on where the field stands at this juncture.

Do you often lie in bed unable to fall asleep? Do you regularly wake up in the middle of the night or too early in the morning? If so, you are not alone. About 1 out of every 10 adults has chronic insomnia. Insomnia causes daytime problems like feeling fatigued or being unable to concentrate. Insomnia is associated with accidents, low productivity and serious health problems.  It is also an important risk factor for depression. The most common treatment for chronic insomnia is sleeping pills.

A new study published in this month's edition of Mindfulness highlights the potential utility of mindfulness for coping with cigarette cravings among smokers.  This study compared the effectiveness of urge surfing, a brief mindfulness-based strategy developed by Alan Marlatt, to an alternate suppression-based strategy for coping with cigarette cravings.