The Effects of Well-being Interventions on Affect, Attention, Sleep, Social Stress and Pain Regulation

The Effects of Well-being Interventions on Affect, Attention, Sleep, Social Stress and Pain Regulation

This study is focused on the brain mechanisms and peripheral biological correlates of two different forms of meditation--mindfulness-based and compassion/loving-kindness. Project 1 is focused on the impact of compassion/loving-kindness meditation on emotional reactivity and emotion regulation. Project 2 is focused on the neural and behavioral correlates of mindfulness meditation and attention and pain regulation. In addition, Project 2 will examine the relations between changes in oscillatory rhythms during meditation and attention and pain processing. Project 3 will examine the impact of meditation on spontaneous brain activity during sleep. This project will also examine the impact of intensive meditation on regional changes in slow wave activity during subsequent sleep. Each of these projects will be conducted on the same participants so that interrelations among the various measures collected in the different projects can be examined. We believe that this study will dramatically advance the understanding of the mechanisms by which meditation produces changes in behavioral and biological processes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• MRI safe

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not available for scheduled visits or applicable interventions
• Current medical conditions that may affect outcome measures, including chronic inflammatory diseases, asthma, serious mental health diagnoses, chronic pain conditions, a personal history of seizures
• Regularly taking medications that may affect outcome measures, including pain medications, corticosteroids, immuno-suppressants, prescription sleep medications, psychotropic medications
• Alcohol or non-prescription drug problems
• Night-shift worker
• Diagnosed sleep disorder or habits, such as late bedtime, that would prevent enough sleep in the laboratory
• Previous training related to one of the two active interventions for meditation naive participants
• Unwillingness or inability to engage in intervention activities as determined by participant or their primary care physician
• Currently pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant in the next year
• Currently nursing
• Current IUD