Identifying Gradations of The Meditative Experience

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May 2021

Received funding for project.

May 2022

Began running participants.

36

Expected total number of participants.

Study Status

  • Protocol Design

  • Data Collection

  • Data Analysis

  • Manuscript(s) Preparation

  • Publication

About
Protocol 002

Identifying Gradations of The Meditation Experience

With funding from the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation, The Institute for Advanced Consciousness Studies will be conducting a series of basic research studies aimed at modeling the neurocognitive underpinnings supporting gradations in the meditative experience (i.e. different neural representations for deep vs. shallow periods of meditation). As a first step, we are conducting this pilot study to determine the feasibility of capturing these states as determined by a subject’s self-reported phenomenology.

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Outcomes

2025

  • Nath, M., Becattini, V., Laukkonen, R. E., Ganesan, S., Hanley, A., Holecek, A., Simonian, N., Schoeller, F., Khalsa, S., Sacchet, M., & Reggente, N. (2025). Heartbeat-Evoked Potentials as a Neural Marker of Meditative Depth. Preprint. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/hpcgd_v1

    • Zuniga-Hertz, J. P., Simpson, S., Chitetti, R., Hsu, C. F., Huang, H.-P., Jinich-Diamant, A., Chernov, A. V., Onton, J. A., Cuomo, R., Dispenza, J., Davis, D., Christov-Moore, L., Reggente, N., Gu, W., Kong, M., Bonds, J. A., Maree, J., Simonson, T. S., Ahn, A. C., Poirier, M. A., Moeller-Bertram, T., & Patel, H. H. (2025). Multidimensional analysis of twin sets during an intensive week-long meditation retreat: A pilot study. Mindfulness. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-025-02584-x [PDF]

2024

2024

2023

2024

  • Reggente, N., Brandmeyer, T., Simonian, N., Kothe, C. (2024). Decoding Depth of Meditation: Neurophysiological Insights from Expert Vipassana Practitioners. To be presented at Organization for Human Brain Mapping, South Korea

2024

2024

  • Nath, M., & Reggente, N. (November 2024). Heartbeat evoked potentials increase with meditative depth: Implications for personalized, multimodal neurofeedback. Real-time Functional Imaging Neurofeedback (rtFIN). Heidelberg, Germany. [Poster]
  • Reggente, N., Kothe, C., Nath, M., Brandmeyer, T., Hanada, G., Simonian, N., Mullen, S., Mullen, T. (June 2024). Decoding Depth of Meditation: Neurophysiological Insights from Expert Vipassana Practitioners. Organization for Human Brain Mapping, South Korea. [Poster]
Contributors

Project Contributors

Daisuke Narita

Research Consultant

Valeria Becattini

Research Consultant

Avery Bedows

Research Consultant

Mihir Nath

Research Consultant

A.V. – Amir Vala Tavakoli

Junior Research Scientist

Tracy Brandmeyer, Ph.D.

Research Consultant

Pollyanna Esaghoolian

Research Assistant

Ninette Simonian

Lab Manager; Junior Research Scientist

Geena Wang

Research Assistant

Nicco Reggente IACS headshot

Nicco Reggente, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Caitlin Lynch

Junior Research Scientist

Funded By

Funded By

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