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

100%

Data Collection

100%

Data Analysis

100%

Manuscript(s) Preparation

100%

Publication

100%

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.

Outcomes

Empirical Papers
Theory Papers
Talks
Press
Posters

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. OSF Preprint.

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. [PDF]

2024

Reggente, N., Kothe, C., Brandmeyer, T., Hanada, G., Simonian, N., Mullen, S., Mullen, T. (2024) Decoding Depth of Meditation: EEG Insights from Expert Vipassana Practitioners. Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, 5(1), 100402. [PDF]
Ganesan, S., Tsuchiyagaito, A., Siegle, G. J., Goldin, P. R., Eyler, L. T., Treves, I., . . . King, A. P. (2024). ENIGMA-Meditation: Worldwide consortium for neuroscientific investigations of meditation practices. OSF Preprint.

2024

Brandmeyer, T., & Nicco Reggente. (2024). Navigating the “Zen Zeitgeist”: The Potential of Personalized Neurofeedback for Meditation. OSF Preprint.

2023

Reggente, N. (2023). VR for Cognition and Memory. Curr Top Behav Neurosci.[PDF]

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

2025

Spirit Tech Collective and Edward Vaisberg. (2023, July 24). Spirit tech 3.0: Can we meet the moment? Substack.
Cody Rall MD with Techforpsych. (2025, May 31). A New Way to Measure Meditation Depth with Muse (It’s Not What You Think [Video]. YouTube.
Inner Sense – Know Your Inner World. (2025). Decoding the Depths of Meditation with Dr. Nicco Reggente [Video]. YouTube.

2024

Ubiquity University. (2024). Humanity Rising Day 936: IACS IV: Qualia Compass & Neuromodulatory Induction of Meditative States [YouTube].

2025

Nath, M., Becattini, V.,Laukkonen, R.E., Ganesan, S., Hanley, A., Holecek, A., Simonian, N., Lifshitz, M., Schoeller, F., Cahn, B.R., Khalsa, S.,Sacchet, M.D., & Reggente, N. (2025). Heartbeat-Evoked Potentials Track Depth of Meditation. International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) 2025, North Carolina, United States. [Poster]
Nath, M., Bedows, A., & Reggente, N. (2025). Identifying gradations of the meditative experience using heartbeat-evoked potentials. TBD Summit 2025, Santa Monica, CA, United States. [Poster]

2024

Reggente, N., Kothe, C., Nath, M., Brandmeyer, T., Hanada, G., Simonian, N., Mullen, S., & Mullen, T. (2024). Decoding Subtle Gradations in Phenomenology: EEG Predicts Meditative Depth Across Multiple Site Visits in Vipassana Experts. Association for the Scientific Studies of Consciousness, Tokyo, Japan. [Poster]
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]