App-delivered breathwork for anxiety among BIPOC college students

Despite its promise in alleviating the adverse impacts of stress and anxiety, breathwork–deliberate, voluntary regulation of one’s breath through intentional breathing exercises–remains under-investigated, especially within digitally delivered interventions and for BIPOC young adults. Using a mixed-methods approach combining intensive longitudinal design and qualitative interviews, this study will assess the feasibility and acceptability of a smartphone …

Investigating the practices, benefits and neural correlates of Tibetan Dream Yoga

The proposed research combines the thorough behavioral investigation of Tibetan dreaming practices with a neuroscience perspective. Buddhist traditions have cultivated techniques to induce, enhance, and refine lucid dreaming—the ability to understand that one is dreaming amid a dream. Building on the ability to experience a lucid dream, one can then volitionally engage is specific practices …

Mindfulness-based practices for healing intergenerational trauma among Vietnamese Americans

Intergenerational trauma occurs when the traumas that occurred to one generation have an impact on the health and wellbeing of future descendants. Despite its prevalence among Vietnamese Americans, no research has been done to explore interventions which could promote healing from intergenerational trauma and building resilience in this community. Ample evidence supports that intergenerational trauma …

Can applying the science of habit formation to contemplative practice improve outcomes? A randomized controlled trial of a self-touch micropractice for building self-compassion habits

Think about when you make a mistake or experience a failure—do you shame yourself, or feel like you’re the only person this could’ve happened to? For many, these reactions are habitual. However, research shows that self-compassion—relating to yourself as a caring friend would—in these moments can promote several positive benefits, like improved mental health and …

Remote mindfulness training for health following early life adversity

Early life adversity (ELA) confers lifelong health risk in the 25% of youth who are exposed to trauma in childhood. ELA is thought to program biological adaptations to stress that contribute to inflammatory disease risk. Interventions to reduce this health risk are lacking. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been effective for reducing stress and improving markers …

Mindfulness-based interventions targeting first-generation college student retention in rural environments

This project will explore mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) as a potential tool for increasing rural, first-generation college student retention. Rural, first-generation college students face increased risks for dropping out of college compared to their counterparts. This is a significant gap because when rural, first-generation students struggle to graduate, it perpetuates generational systems of class divide as …

Teacher equanimity for improving behavior management

Teachers’ interactions with their students have a significant impact on children’s well-being and development in schools. Unfortunately, teachers often enter the profession unprepared to manage challenging student behavior. As a result, they experience stress that undermines how they interact with students and contributes to exhaustion and burnout. Teacher education programs offer curriculum and training, but …

Reexamining mechanisms of mind-wandering in mindfulness-based interventions

While mind-wandering (MW) and perseverative negative thinking (PNT) are considered problematic, recent work has unpacked both positive and negative aspects of MW. While mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) reduce MW in general, it is unclear how MBIs affect specific kinds of MW, and how those changes impact well-being. We propose to examine the mechanisms of MW changes …

Cultivating early adults’ flourishing with mindfulness training & technology-assisted skill transfer: A pilot comparative effectiveness trial

As students prepare to leave high school and transition from adolescence to early adulthood, they face many challenges. The current study seeks to support students’ use of mindfulness practices as one method for navigating discomfort during this period of change, specifically during the transition to college. Early adulthood is optimal for introducing mindfulness practice given …

Exploring experiences and features of mindfulness and contemplative practices for autistic adults

A small number of research studies have found that mindfulness helps to reduce symptoms of depression, anxiety, and rumination in people who are autistic. However, there has been little qualitative research about the experience of autistic adults who practice mindfulness and other contemplative practices. In addition, we don’t yet know if the questionnaires that are …