Clarifying and measuring the characteristics of experiences that involve a loss of self or a dissolution of its boundaries.

Mystical experience, non-dual awareness, selflessness, self-transcendent experience, and ego-dissolution have become increasingly prominent constructs in meditation and psychedelic research. However, these constructs and their measures tend to be highly overlapping, imprecise, and poorly integrated with similar pathological experiences. The present study seeks to clarify the common factors involved in the characteristics of these experiences using precise distinctions across an array of experience contexts (including meditation, psychedelics, and psychopathology). Participants (N = 386) completed an online survey about an experience that involved either a dissolution of self-boundaries or a loss of selfhood. Confirmatory factor analyses resulted in 16 experience characteristics, including multiple types of changes in sense of self, co-occurring phenomenology, and cognitive and affective responses. Qualitative thematic analysis provided rich descriptions of experience characteristics. Taken together, results lead to a more specific measurement model and descriptive account of experiences involving a loss of self or self-boundary.

From Self-Esteem to Selflessness: An Evidence (Gap) Map of Self-Related Processes as Mechanisms of Mindfulness-Based Interventions.

Self-related processes (SRPs) have been theorized as key mechanisms of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), but the evidence supporting these theories is currently unclear. This evidence map introduces a comprehensive framework for different types of SRPs, and how they are theorized to function as mechanisms of MBIs (target identification). The evidence map then assesses SRP target engagement by mindfulness training and the relationship between target engagement and outcomes (target validation). Discussion of the measurement of SRPs is also included. The most common SRPs measured and engaged by standard MBIs represented valenced evaluations of self-concept, including rumination, self-compassion, self-efficacy, and self-esteem. Rumination showed the strongest evidence as a mechanism for depression, with other physical and mental health outcomes also supported. Self-compassion showed consistent target engagement but was inconsistently related to improved outcomes. Decentering and interoception are emerging potential mechanisms, but their construct validity and different subcomponents are still in development. While some embodied self-specifying processes are being measured in cross-sectional and meditation induction studies, very few have been assessed in MBIs. The SRPs with the strongest mechanistic support represent positive and negative evaluations of self-concept. In sum, few SRPs have been measured in MBIs, and additional research using well-validated measures is needed to clarify their role as mechanisms.

Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs.

BACKGROUND: Research on the adverse effects of mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) has been sparse and hindered by methodological imprecision. METHODS: The 44-item Meditation Experiences Interview (MedEx-I) was used by an independent assessor to measure meditation-related side effects (MRSE) following three variants of an 8-week program of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (n = 96). Each item was queried for occurrence, causal link to mindfulness meditation practice, duration, valence, and impact on functioning. RESULTS: Eighty-three percent of the MBP sample reported at least one MRSE. Meditation-related adverse effects (MRAEs) with negative valences or negative impacts on functioning occurred in 58% and 37% of the sample, respectively. Lasting bad effects occurred in 6-14% of the sample and were associated with signs of dysregulated arousal (hyperarousal and dissociation). CONCLUSION: Meditation practice in MBPs is associated with transient distress and negative impacts at similar rates to other psychological treatments.

Predictors of Out-of-Class Mindfulness Practice Adherence During and After a Mindfulness-Based Intervention.

OBJECTIVE: Out-of-class mindfulness meditation practice is a health behavior that is considered to be a crucial ingredient in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), yet participant adherence to practice recommendations is often inconsistent. Furthermore, MBIs may enhance factors that lead to greater adherence to medical regimens in other contexts. This study examined baseline factors previously found to relate to adherence to medical regimen, MBI-related changes in these baseline factors, and treatment-related factors as predictors of meditation adherence in an 8-week MBI. METHODS: Baseline traits (personality, depressive symptoms, and executive function) were entered into regression models (n = 96) to predict intervention and postintervention out-of-class meditation adherence. Trait changes and treatment-related factors were entered into models to predict postintervention meditation adherence. RESULTS: Baseline conscientiousness (ß = 0.33, p = .002), openness (ß = 0.23, p = .019), and depressive symptoms (ß = 0.19, p = .042) predicted intervention meditation adherence, whereas conscientiousness (ß = 0.21, p = .044) and depressive symptoms (ß = 0.22, p = .020) predicted postintervention meditation adherence. Although all trait variables except for agreeableness changed significantly pre-to-post intervention, these changes did not predict postintervention meditation adherence. Retreat attendance (ß = 0.38, p = .029) and instructor/group-related therapeutic factors collectively predicted postintervention meditation adherence (R2 = 0.21, p = .019). CONCLUSIONS: The identified baseline trait factors could be used to increase adherence in these interventions as a method of increasing their effectiveness. An emphasis on the MBI retreat and social factors during the intervention may be important for participant out-of-class practice postintervention.Trial Registration:ClinicalTrials.govNCT01831362.

The Contribution of Common and Specific Therapeutic Factors to Mindfulness-Based Intervention Outcomes.

While Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) have been shown to be effective for a range of patient populations and outcomes, a question remains as to the role of common therapeutic factors, as opposed to the specific effects of mindfulness practice, in contributing to patient improvements. This project used a mixed-method design to investigate the contribution of specific (mindfulness practice-related) and common (instructor and group related) therapeutic factors to client improvements within an MBI. Participants with mild-severe depression (N = 104; 73% female, M age = 40.28) participated in an 8-week MBI. Specific therapeutic factors (formal out-of-class meditation minutes and informal mindfulness practice frequency) and social common factors (instructor and group ratings) were entered into multilevel growth curve models to predict changes in depression, anxiety, stress, and mindfulness at six timepoints from baseline to 3-month follow-up. Qualitative interviews with participants provided rich descriptions of how instructor and group related factors played a role in therapeutic trajectories. Findings indicated that instructor ratings predicted changes in depression and stress, group ratings predicted changes in stress and self-reported mindfulness, and formal meditation predicted changes in anxiety and stress, while informal mindfulness practice did not predict client improvements. Social common factors were stronger predictors of improvements in depression, stress, and self-reported mindfulness than specific mindfulness practice-related factors. Qualitative data supported the importance of relationships with instructor and group members, involving bonding, expressing feelings, and instilling hope. Our findings dispel the myth that MBI outcomes are exclusively the result of mindfulness meditation practice, and suggest that social common factors may account for much of the effects of these interventions. Further research on meditation should take into consideration the effects of social context and other common therapeutic factors.