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This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a contemplative practice called Feeding Your Demons (FYD), based on a secular adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism, in improving psychological well-being, body image, body acceptance, compassion, and self-deconstruction in adult women. Participants will be randomly assigned to either FYD or an active control group practicing mindfulness meditation. Psychological variables will be assessed before and after the intervention, and at a six-month follow-up. Additionally, a qualitative exploration will be conducted through interviews with a subgroup of participants.
Feeding Your Demons (FYD) is a secular contemplative practice inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, integrating elements of mindfulness, compassion, and symbolic visualization. The practice offers a guided process through which individuals face internal difficulties-referred to as "demons"-and transform them through acceptance and self-compassion.
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of FYD compared to a mindfulness meditation intervention. It is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel groups. A total of 122 adult women will participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the FYD group or the control group. Both interventions will be delivered online over eight weeks.
Variables assessed include psychological well-being, body image, body acceptance, mindfulness, compassion, and self-deconstruction. Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention, and at a six-month follow-up.
Statistical analyses will include intra- and intergroup comparisons using repeated measures analysis of variance. Parametric or non-parametric tests will be applied depending on the assumptions met. Relationships between variables will also be analyzed through correlations. Effect sizes will be calculated to estimate the magnitude of observed changes. The significance level will be set at p < .05, with a 95% confidence interval.
This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative assessments with qualitative interviews conducted with a subgroup of participants. Although the data are collected complementarily, their analysis and dissemination may be conducted separately or integratively, depending on the specific goals of each research phase.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feeding Your Demons practice | Experimental | The experimental group will engage in a "Feeding Your Demons" contemplative practice involving repeated sessions (30-60 minutes each). The practice follows this structured protocol across sessions: Preparation: Preparation: Comfortable sitting posture in a chair, with an empty chair in front. Theme/Visualization: Identify a challenge (e.g., self-criticism, body dissatisfaction), observe bodily sensations, personify as a "demon" (note traits). Dialogue: Shift chairs, embody the demon, answer: What do you want? Need? How will you feel when fulfilled? Transformation: Return, dissolve demon into "nectar" (embodying its need), feed until it becomes an ally. Ally Engagement: Note ally's traits, ask: How will you help/protect? What promise? How to access you? Briefly embody ally. Closure: Ally dissolves into participant; and both dissolves and rest in present-moment awareness. |
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| Mindfulness Meditation condition | Active Comparator | The control group will engage in a mindfulness meditation intervention involving repeated sessions (30-60 minutes each). The practice follows this structured protocol across sessions: Preparation and Posture: Participants adopt a comfortable seated position with an upright spinal alignment. Breath Awareness: Sustained attention is directed toward natural respiratory rhythms without deliberate modulation. Body Scan: Systematic observation of somatic states (e.g., tension or relaxation) across distinct anatomical regions. Observation of Thoughts and Emotions: Transient cognitive and affective phenomena are acknowledged with non-judgmental detachment, avoiding engagement. Closure: Each session concludes with a return to breath-centered focus and gradual reorientation to the external environment. |
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| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feeding your demons practice | Behavioral | The Feeding Your Demons (FYD) is a contemplative practice based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, adapted in a secular form. The intervention is online and lasts a total of 8 weeks. During this period, participants will engage in weekly home practice of the FYD method using guided audio. The intervention includes 3 expert-facilitated sessions: an initial individual session, a group session at week 4, and a final group session at week 8. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Delusion of Me Index (DoM) | The primary outcome will be the change in self-related perception from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This includes changes in acceptance, decentering, and non-attachment. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up. | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment (NADA) | The primary outcome will be the change in self-related perception from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This outcome includes changes in nondual awareness. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up. | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) | The second primary outcome will be the change in body image from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This includes improvements in positive body image, specifically body appreciation. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up. | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Body Shape Questionnaire-10 (BSQ-10) | The second primary outcome will be the change in body image from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This includes reductions in negative body image, specifically body dissatisfaction. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up. | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI) | Change in Psychological Well- Being | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| SOCS-S Sussex-Oxford Self- Compassion Scale | Change in Self - Compassion |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Participant Age | Age of participants, measured in years. | At baseline |
| Place of Residence | The place of residence (e.g., community or city) of participants will be recorded at baseline. |
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Only individuals who were assigned female at birth and who currently self-identify as women are eligible to participate in the study. This criterion ensures alignment with the study's focus on female embodiment, body image, and self-related perception in adult women.
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| Name | Role | Phone | Extension | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Javier Garcia Campayo | Contact | 976 50 65 78 | investigaprimaria@gmail.com |
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| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Psychiatry. Miguel Servet University Hospital | Not yet recruiting | Zaragoza | Zaragoza | 50009 | Spain |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D000092862 | Psychological Well-Being |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D010549 | Personal Satisfaction |
| D001519 | Behavior |
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| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D064866 | Mindfulness |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D015928 | Cognitive Behavioral Therapy |
| D001521 | Behavior Therapy |
| D011613 | Psychotherapy |
| D004191 | Behavioral Disciplines and Activities |
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| Mindfulness practice | Behavioral | The control group will undergo an online mindfulness meditation intervention, lasting a total of 8 weeks. It includes 3 expert-facilitated sessions: an initial individual session, a group session at week 4, and a final group session at week 8. Participants will engage in weekly home practice of mindfulness meditation using guided audio. |
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| From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ). | Change in Mindfulness | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Body Image Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (BI-AAQ-5). | Change in Body Acceptance | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Sussex- Oxford Compassion Scale (SOCS - O) | Change in Compassion (for others) | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA) | Change in Interoceptive Awareness | From baseline to 6-month follow-up |
| At baseline |
| Education Level | Participants will report their highest completed education level at baseline. | At baseline |
| Employment Status | Employment status (e.g., employed, unemployed, student) will be collected at baseline. | At baseline |
| Prior Meditation Experience | Participants will report whether they have prior meditation experience (yes/no) and, if applicable, the number of months or years of practice.Additionally, they will indicate the type of meditation practice previously performed (e.g., mindfulness, compassion, other). | At baseline |
| Number of Meditation Session | Participants will indicate the sequential number of each formal meditation session completed during the 8-week intervention (e.g., Session 1, Session 2, Session 3). | During the 8-week intervention |
| Perceived Quality of Meditation Practice | After each formal meditation session, participants will rate the perceived quality of their practice on a scale from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent). | During the 8-week intervention |
| Self-reported Affective State after Practice | Participants will rate their affective state immediately after each formal meditation session on a scale from 0 (very negative) to 10 (very positive). | During the 8-week intervention |
| Qualitative phenomenological exploration | Semi-structured micro-phenomenological interviews will be conducted at baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention to explore participants' lived experience related to self-perception, embodiment, and contemplative transformation. These data are exploratory and will not be included in inferential statistical analyses. | From baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks after baseline) |
| University of Zaragoza | Recruiting | Zaragoza | Zaragoza | 50009 | Spain |
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