Actively Recruiting

Phase Not Applicable
Age: 18Years - 60Years
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers
ID06136676

From the Heart Multi-Centre Study: Comparing the Effects of Spiritual and Secular Meditation on Psychophysiology, Cognition, Mental Health, and Social Functioning in Healthy Adults

Led by Coventry University · Updated on 2024-08-22

288

Participants Needed

2

Research Sites

39 weeks

Total Duration

On this page

Sponsors

C

Coventry University

Lead Sponsor

D

Donders Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging

Collaborating Sponsor

AI-Summary

What this Trial Is About

This research aims to compare the effects of Christian and Islamic heart-centred spiritual meditation with mindfulness meditation and a waitlist control in healthy adults. The study focuses on how these different meditation practices impact psychophysiology, cognition, mental health, and social functioning. It also explores related factors such as perspective-taking, affect, religiosity, spiritual experiences, and feelings of closeness to God or others. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Christian or Islamic spiritual meditation based on their religious affiliation, mindfulness meditation, or a waitlist control group. The intervention includes an 8-week app-based program with daily audio-guided meditation sessions lasting about 20 minutes. Those in the waitlist group will receive access to the Christian or Islamic meditation program after the study. Participants undergo assessments before the intervention, immediately after, and at a 3-month follow-up. These assessments include measures of interpersonal functioning like prosocial behavior, forgiveness, empathy, and perspective taking. Additional evaluations cover physiology (pain tolerance, stress reactivity), attention, and mental health (stress, depression, anxiety, well-being, and mood). The study aims to gather comprehensive data on the effects of different meditation types over time.

CONDITIONS

Brief Title

From the Heart: Comparing the Effects of Spiritual and Secular Meditation on Psychophysiology, Cognition, Mental Health, and Social Functioning in Healthy Adults

Who Can Participate

Age: 18Years - 60Years
All Genders
Healthy Volunteers

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible

You may qualify if you...

  • Aged between 18 and 60 years
  • Able to read, speak, and understand English
  • Willing to be randomly assigned to any study condition
  • Identify as Christian or Muslim and pray at least weekly
Not Eligible

You will not qualify if you...

  • Currently have any mental health conditions or use medication for mental health
  • Have serious long-term physical medical problems such as liver, brain, kidney, or other life-threatening chronic diseases
  • History of heart condition, high blood pressure, Raynaud syndrome, diabetes, or musculoskeletal condition
  • Currently use anxiolytics or mood stabilizers

AI-Screening

AI-Powered Screening

Complete this quick 3-step screening to check your eligibility

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Your Study Journey

Screening

Duration - 2 to 4 weeks

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial.

1 visit (in-person or remote) for eligibility assessment

Outpatient Treatment

Duration - 8 weeks

Participants receive an 8-week app-based meditation program with daily 20-minute audio-guided instructions in either heart-centred Christian or Islamic spiritual meditation, mindfulness meditation, or are assigned to a waitlist control without intervention during this period.

Daily audio-guided meditation sessions via app

Follow-up

Duration - 3 months

Participants undergo assessments of mental health, cognition, psychophysiology, and social functioning up to 3 months after the intervention to evaluate lasting effects of the meditation practices.

1 to 2 follow-up visits after intervention completion

Trial Site Locations

Total: 2 locations

1

Little Flower Institute of Social Sciences and Health (LISSAH) college

Calicut, Kerala, India, 673586

Not Yet Recruiting

2

Kuriakose Elias College Mannanam

Kottayam, Kerala, India, 686561

Actively Recruiting

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Research Team

C

Chung Fei Ng

How is the study designed?

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Masking

SINGLE

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Model

PARALLEL

Primary Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Number of Arms

3

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Published Research Related To This Trial

The effect of focused attention and open monitoring meditation on attention network function in healthy volunteers.

Ben Ainsworth, Rachael Eddershaw, Daniel Meron...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24135553

Frequency of Self-reported Unpleasant Events and Harm in a Mindfulness-Based Program in Two General Population Samples.

Ruth Baer, Catherine Crane, Jesus Montero-Marin...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33747251

Elevated resting heart rate as a predictor of posttraumatic stress disorder after severe traumatic brain injury.

Richard A Bryant, Jeno E Marosszeky, Jenelle Crooks...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15385703

What Is the Molecular Signature of Mind-Body Interventions? A Systematic Review of Gene Expression Changes Induced by Meditation and Related Practices.

Ivana Buric, Miguel Farias, Jonathan Jong...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28670311

Brief mindfulness meditation training alters psychological and neuroendocrine responses to social evaluative stress.

J David Creswell, Laura E Pacilio, Emily K Lindsay...

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24767614