scholarly journals Experimental Phenomenology in Mindfulness Research

Mindfulness ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 493-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lars-Gunnar Lundh

AbstractThe present paper argues that experimental phenomenology has an important role to play in research on mindfulness. Experimental phenomenology is defined as a subcategory of phenomenology (defined as the science of our subjective experience of being in the world), which explores the effects of intentional variations of subjective experiencing (direction of attention and choice of attitude) on subsequent experience. To count as experimental phenomenology, both the independent and dependent variable have to be phenomenological. Because mindfulness involves paying attention to present experience with a specific attitude, it is well suited for experimental-phenomenological research. What makes experimental phenomenology into a scientific endeavor is the intersubjective nature of this kind of study: potential effects described by one person can be subjected to replication both by the same person, and by other persons. Also, conclusions drawn on the basis of this kind of study are hypothetical and provisional, and may be modified or specified on the basis of further study. In this paper, the principles of experimental phenomenology are illustrated by (a) variations of a given mindfulness practice (the body scan), and (b) the construction of a personalized mindfulness practice (mindful driving). Finally, three varieties of experimental phenomenology in research on mindfulness are discussed: (1) the use of qualitative methods to analyze mindfulness practices and their potential effects, (2) idiographic research with the use of single-subject designs and experience sampling, and (3) randomized controlled studies of the effects of mindfulness practices on present experience.

2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stella North

This article undertakes a philosophical exploration of the act we know, or think we know, as ‘dressing’. Inhabiting, in thought, the moment in which we dress, I examine some of its constituent mechanisms, attending to the impulses by which dressing is generated out of subjective experience.  When those impulses are temporally marked, as they are in the case of retro dress, this generation is a two-pronged process, in which the holding of the body in time, and the holding of time in the body, recalibrate one another. The process of ‘dressing,’ in this understanding, has a reflexivity which is double; it entails the turning of the body, with dress as medium, towards itself, and the turning of present experience towards some felt notion of the past. Reflexively dressing, we are always becoming ourselves, and becoming other than ourselves, at once; a movement of circuitous internalisation and externalisation by which the ambiguation inherent in material experience is realised.  


Autism ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 136236132098795
Author(s):  
Eleanor R Palser ◽  
Alejandro Galvez-Pol ◽  
Clare E Palmer ◽  
Ricci Hannah ◽  
Aikaterini Fotopoulou ◽  
...  

Differences in understanding emotion in autism are well-documented, although far more research has considered how being autistic impacts an understanding of other people’s emotions, compared to their own. In neurotypical adults and children, many emotions are associated with distinct bodily maps of experienced sensation, and the ability to report these maps is significantly related to the awareness of interoceptive signals. Here, in 100 children who either carry a clinical diagnosis of autism ( n = 45) or who have no history of autism ( n = 55), we investigated potential differences in differentiation across autistic children’s bodily maps of emotion, as well as how such differentiation relates to the processing of interoceptive signals. As such, we measured objective interoceptive performance using the heartbeat-counting task, and participants’ subjective experience of interoceptive signals using the child version of the Body Perception Questionnaire. We found less differentiation in the bodily maps of emotion in autistic children, but no association with either objective or subjective interoceptive processing. These findings suggest that, in addition to previously reported differences in detecting others’ emotional states, autistic children have a less differentiated bodily experience of emotion. This does not, however, relate to differences in interoceptive perception as measured here. Lay abstract More research has been conducted on how autistic people understand and interpret other people’s emotions, than on how autistic people experience their own emotions. The experience of emotion is important however, because it can relate to difficulties like anxiety and depression, which are common in autism. In neurotypical adults and children, different emotions have been associated with unique maps of activity patterns in the body. Whether these maps of emotion are comparable in autism is currently unknown. Here, we asked 100 children and adolescents, 45 of whom were autistic, to color in outlines of the body to indicate how they experienced seven emotions. Autistic adults and children sometimes report differences in how they experience their internal bodily states, termed interoception, and so we also investigated how this related to the bodily maps of emotion. In this study, the autistic children and adolescents had comparable interoception to the non-autistic children and adolescents, but there was less variability in their maps of emotion. In other words, they showed more similar patterns of activity across the different emotions. This was not related to interoception, however. This work suggests that there are differences in how autistic people experience emotion that are not explained by differences in interoception. In neurotypical people, less variability in emotional experiences is linked to anxiety and depression, and future work should seek to understand if this is a contributing factor to the increased prevalence of these difficulties in autism.


2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 819-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Eshkevari ◽  
E. Rieger ◽  
M. R. Longo ◽  
P. Haggard ◽  
J. Treasure

BackgroundThe rubber hand illusion (RHI) has been widely used to investigate the bodily self in healthy individuals. The aim of the present study was to extend the use of the RHI to examine the bodily self in eating disorders (EDs).MethodThe RHI and self-report measures of ED psychopathology [the Eating Disorder Inventory – 3 (EDI-3) subscales of Drive for Thinness, Bulimia, Body Dissatisfaction, Interoceptive Deficits, and Emotional Dysregulation; the 21-item Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21); and the Self-Objectification Questionnaire (SOQ)] were administered to 78 individuals with an ED and 61 healthy controls.ResultsIndividuals with an ED experienced the RHI significantly more strongly than healthy controls on both perceptual (i.e. proprioceptive drift) and subjective (i.e. self-report questionnaire) measures. Furthermore, both the subjective experience of the RHI and associated proprioceptive biases were correlated with ED psychopathology. Approximately 23% of the variance for embodiment of the fake hand was accounted for by ED psychopathology, with interoceptive deficits and self-objectification significant predictors of embodiment.ConclusionsThese results indicate that the bodily self is more plastic in people with an ED. These findings may shed light on both aetiological and maintenance factors involved in EDs, particularly visual processing of the body, interoceptive deficits, and self-objectification.


2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Greeson

Objective: To briefly review the effects of mindfulness on the mind, the brain, the body, and behavior. Methods: Selective review of MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases (2003—2008) using the terms ``mindfulness,'' ``meditation,'' ``mental health,'' ``physical health,'' ``quality of life,'' and ``stress reduction.'' A total of 52 exemplars of empirical and theoretical work were selected for review. Results: Both basic and clinical research indicate that cultivating a more mindful way of being is associated with less emotional distress, more positive states of mind, and better quality of life. In addition, mindfulness practice can influence the brain, the autonomic nervous system, stress hormones, the immune system, and health behaviors, including eating, sleeping, and substance use, in salutary ways. Conclusion: The application of cutting-edge technology toward understanding mindfulness— an ``inner technology''—is elucidating new ways in which attention, awareness, acceptance, and compassion may promote optimal health—in mind, body, relationships, and spirit.


Author(s):  
Karen M. Koner ◽  
Abigayle Weaver

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of mindfulness practices on high school band students. This action research project took place in spring 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic stay-at-home orders. Four students enrolled in the high school band participated in five weeks of mindfulness practice interventions over the virtual format alongside their instrumental music director. Mindfulness practices included diaphragmatic breathing, relaxation imagery, cued relaxation, and stretching. Throughout the five weeks, student participants discussed improved focus, improvement of stress management, and increased frequency of mindfulness practice. However, four months after data collection was complete, three of the four student participants continued to practice mindfulness techniques on their own time to assist with nervousness, anxiety, and stress.


2008 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn L Tate ◽  
Skye Mcdonald ◽  
Michael Perdices ◽  
Leanne Togher ◽  
Regina Schultz ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Olha P. Shevchuk ◽  
Natalia P. Yaroshchuk

The relevance of the study lies in covering the potential of meditative practices in the educational process. The purpose of the study is to carry out a theoretical analysis and outline the probable forms of integration of mindfulness practices into the educational process on the example of teachers, as well as to create a theoretical model of the influence of mindfulness practices on the teacher’s personality with professional destruction. The study highlights the main theoretical models of understanding mindfulness practices. The most effective and most frequently used techniques of awareness practice are analysed. The main educational centres of mindfulness in Ukraine are highlighted. Theoretical analysis of empirical research of foreign colleagues in the field of positive influence of mindfulness practices on the personality is carried out. The causes of professional destruction of teachers are analysed. The expediency and efficiency of this integration are argued. Among the positive changes due to the use of awareness practices by teachers are: improving the level of concentration and recollection; increasing attention to the needs and emotional states of students; creating emotional balance and preventing burnout; increasing the level of stress resistance; improving the quality of relationships at work and at home; increasing productivity and as a result of academic success; forming openness and readiness for selfdevelopment; development of the level of reflection and skills to regulate one’s emotions; improving the psychological climate in the classroom and maintaining overall psychological well-being; improving the quality of life and increasing the subjective feeling of happiness. The scientific novelty lies in the creation and operationalisation of a theoretical model of the influence of mindfulness practices on the teacher’s personality with professional destruction through the lens of cognitive, emotional, physiological, and behavioural levels. It is established that the practice of awareness is the main skill of presence in everything that happens to us, around and inside, in the body, feelings and thoughts


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirghani HO

Background: Post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis (PEP) is a serious disease. The role of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the prevention of PEP is conflicting. Objectives: This review aimed to assess the preventive role of NSAIDs in PEP with special emphasis on the dose and route of administration. Methods: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar for relevant observational studies published in English during the period from January 2010 to January 2020. The terms post-ERCP pancreatitis, diclofenac sodium, indomethacin, NSAIDs, dose, route of administration were used. Results: Of the 179 identified, 19 full texts were screened and included in the review. Ten studies were from Europe, seven from Asia and two were published in the USA, the studies showed that NSAIDs were effective in preventing PEP when used rectally or intramuscularly, higher doses are more efficacious and the combination with stents was not superior, careful patients selection is needed in particular regarding the body mass index. Conclusion: NSAIDs were effective in PEP prevention; however, the evidence is weak due to the observational nature and the different methods used in the included studies. Randomized controlled studies are needed to solve the issue.


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