The DOI matches its Crossref record; 128 of the 128 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The psychological and neurophysiological concomitants of mindfulness forms of meditation
Abstract
Objective: To provide a comprehensive review and evaluation of the psychological and neurophysiological literature pertaining to mindfulness meditation. Methods: A search for papers in English was undertaken using PsycINFO (from 1804 onward), MedLine (from 1966 onward) and the Cochrane Library with the following search terms: Vipassana, Mindfulness, Meditation, Zen, Insight, EEG, ERP, fMRI, neuroimaging and intervention. In addition, retrieved papers and reports known to the authors were also reviewed for additional relevant literature. Results: Mindfulness-based therapeutic interventions appear to be effective in the treatment of depression, anxiety, psychosis, borderline personality disorder and suicidal/self-harm behaviour. Mindfulness meditation per se is effective in reducing substance use and recidivism rates in incarcerated populations but has not been specifically investigated in populations with psychiatric disorders. Electroencephalography research suggests increased alpha, theta and beta activity in frontal and posterior regions, some gamma band effects, with theta activity strongly related to level of experience of meditation; however, these findings have not been consistent. The few neuroimaging studies that have been conducted suggest volumetric and functional change in key brain regions. Conclusions: Preliminary findings from treatment outcome studies provide support for the application of mindfulness-based interventions in the treatment of affective, anxiety and personality disorders. However, direct evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation per se in the treatment of psychiatric disorders is needed. Current neurophysiological and imaging research findings have identified neural changes in association with meditation and provide a potentially promising avenue for future research.
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In the citing paper
“Importantly, the attainment of a relaxation response during meditation has been confirmed by many subsequent studies and consistently reported in the scientific literature (e.g., [10–13]).”
From The Influence of Buddhist Meditation Traditions on the Autonomic System and Attention (2015) · cites this paper as [13]
In the citing paper
“Most of these studies investigated Mindfulness meditation, although there have been studies on Zen concentration and Vipassana as well (e.g., [10–13]).”
From The Influence of Buddhist Meditation Traditions on the Autonomic System and Attention (2015) · cites this paper as [13]
In the citing paper
“Several studies have reported the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (including ACT) in treating depression, self-injury, and suicidal behaviors (8, 25-30).”
From The Effectiveness of Acceptance-Commitment Therapy on Anxiety and Depression among Patients on Methadone Treatment: A Pilot Study (2015) · cites this paper as [25]
In the citing paper
“A plausible reason for this is that many modern and Buddhist meditations largely focus on awareness of breath and body, and much less on the senses and the mind (Brown, Ryan, and Creswell 2007; Ivanovski and Malhi 2007; Mikulas 2011).”
From Awareness Versus Un-Clinging: Which Matters in Mindfulness? (2017) · cites this paper as Ivanovski and Malhi 2007
Citations
Cites
Cognitive Therapy for Depression
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Mindfulness-based interventions in context: Past, present, and future
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“Within the therapeutic context, mindfulness is defined as the awareness that emerges through paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally to the unfolding of experience moment by moment’ [Kabat-Zinn (16), p.”
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Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review.
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
Tang, Y.-Y., Hölzel, B. K., & Posner, M. I. (2015) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn3916 · Cited by 2,889
Mindful emotion regulation: an integrative review
Chambers, R., Gullone, E., & Allen, N. B. (2009) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.06.005 · Cited by 1,360
Chiesa, A., Calati, R., & Serretti, A. (2011) · Clinical Psychology Review · doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2010.11.003 · Cited by 1,295
Recent Developments in Alcoholism
Galanter, M. S. (1987) · Recent developments in alcoholism · doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-1684-6 · Cited by 1,041
Fox, K. C. R., Nijeboer, S., Dixon, M. L., Floman, J. L., Ellamil, M., Rumak, S. P., Sedlmeier, P., & Christoff, K. (2014) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.03.016 · Cited by 804
Metadata
- Authors
- Ivanovski, B., & Malhi, G. S.
- Affiliations
- Black Dog Institute (AU)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Ivanovski, Belinda
- ORCID
- Malhi, Gin S.
- Venue
- Acta Neuropsychiatrica
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press (CUP)
- Published
- 2007-04
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 76-91
- ISSN
- 0924-2708 (ISSN-L)
- 1601-5215
- OpenAlex
- W1970538880
- Cited by
- 284
- References
- 127
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 25 · 2014: 19 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 17.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Acta Neuropsychiatrica (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Religious studies › Indian and Buddhist Studies
- Keywords
- mindfulness meditation, mindfulness-based interventions, vipassana, Zen meditation, insight meditation, depression, anxiety, psychosis, borderline personality disorder, suicidal behavior, substance use, EEG, event-related potentials, functional MRI, brain volumetric changes, neural correlates of meditation, mental illness
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