Interoceptive awareness in experienced meditators
- PMID: 18503485
- PMCID: PMC2637372
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2008.00666.x
Interoceptive awareness in experienced meditators
Abstract
Attention to internal body sensations is practiced in most meditation traditions. Many traditions state that this practice results in increased awareness of internal body sensations, but scientific studies evaluating this claim are lacking. We predicted that experienced meditators would display performance superior to that of nonmeditators on heartbeat detection, a standard noninvasive measure of resting interoceptive awareness. We compared two groups of meditators (Tibetan Buddhist and Kundalini) to an age- and body mass index-matched group of nonmeditators. Contrary to our prediction, we found no evidence that meditators were superior to nonmeditators in the heartbeat detection task, across several sessions and respiratory modulation conditions. Compared to nonmeditators, however, meditators consistently rated their interoceptive performance as superior and the difficulty of the task as easier. These results provide evidence against the notion that practicing attention to internal body sensations, a core feature of meditation, enhances the ability to sense the heartbeat at rest.
Figures
References
-
- Arambula P, Peper E, Kawakami M, Gibney KH. The physiological correlates of Kundalini Yoga meditation: A study of a yoga master. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. 2001;26:147–153. - PubMed
-
- Arias AJ, Steinberg K, Banga A, Trestman RL. Systematic review of the efficacy of meditation techniques as treatments for medical illness. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2006;12:817–832. - PubMed
-
- Astin JA, Shapiro SL, Eisenberg DM, Forys KL. Mind-body medicine: State of the science, implications for practice. Journal of the American Board of Family Practice. 2003;16:131–147. - PubMed
-
- Barnes PM, Powell-Griner E, McFann K, Nahin RL. Advance data from vital and health statistics. Vol. 343. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics; 2004. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults: United States, 2002. - PubMed
-
- Bhajan Y, Khalsa GS. Breathwalk: Breathing your way to a revitalized body, mind and spirit. New York: Broadway Books; 2000.
Publication types
MeSH terms
Grants and funding
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
