Frontier mental health research: psychedelics & drug studies
Each month our editorial team sifts through hundreds of papers and curates notable findings—for practitioners and informed readers who want to stay current with the evidence. Subscribe to the monthly Research Digest for expert analysis and concise summaries of key papers.
A Meta-analysis of Mindfulness-Based Interventions in Adults with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Impact on ADHD Symptoms, Depression, and Executive Functioning
This study combined results from 14 research papers to see whether mindfulness programs help adults with ADHD. The pooled data covered 834 adults and came from searches of PsycINFO, PubMed, SCOPUS, and ERIC up to July 2019. Overall, the meta-analysis found that mindfulness-based interventions reduced ADHD symptoms, lowered depression, and…
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and the Adult ADHD Brain: A Neuropsychotherapeutic Perspective
This paper reviews evidence and ideas about using mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) as a non-drug way to help adults with ADHD. It explains that ADHD is linked to abnormal activity in specific brain circuits and that the usual drug treatment, methylphenidate, helps some people but has limits. The authors argue…
Effect of long-term yoga training on autonomic function among the healthy adults
This small cross-sectional study compared 33 regular yoga practitioners with 35 non‑practitioners aged 17–30. The yoga group had a lower resting heart rate (about 69 vs 81 bpm) and a smaller blood‑pressure response on the sustained handgrip test (about 10.2 vs 16.3), differences the authors report as statistically significant. Other…
Esketamine combined with a mindfulness-based intervention for individuals with alcohol problems
This small, double-blind pilot trial gave 28 people with alcohol problems either a sublingual esketamine film (115.1 mg) or a vitamin C placebo while they did two weeks of daily mindfulness practice. Compared with placebo, esketamine increased people’s psychological engagement with the meditation, produced stronger mystical and dissociative experiences, and…
Residential Meditation Retreats: A Promise of Sustainable Well-Being?
Residential meditation retreats are live-in programs of intensive meditation, mindfulness, and intentional rest. Reviews and studies report reduced stress, anxiety, and depression and some physical changes (for example, lower inflammatory markers and a 3% average weight drop in one study). Some benefits lasted weeks after the retreat, but the evidence…
The role of a mindful movement-based program (Movimento Biologico) in health promotion: results of a pre-post intervention study
Researchers ran an 8-week mindful movement program (Movimento Biologico) with 38 university students (mean age 21.2 years; 60.5% male). Participants completed four questionnaires before and after the program. After the program, several measures of interoceptive awareness and positive mental health improved significantly, while overall psychological well-being and sense of coherence…
Assessing willingness and preference for body scan practices in ADHD: a survey study
An online survey of 157 adults with ADHD asked about willingness and preferences for body scan meditation. Most people were not currently doing mindfulness but said they would be willing and thought it was feasible to try body scans. Symptom severity and whether people had space to practice helped predict…
Stress and Burnout: Current Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Interventions from the Perspective of Transdiagnostic Approaches
This chapter explains how stress and burnout are defined and how Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can treat them using a transdiagnostic approach. It says stress has four phases (alarm, resistance, near exhaustion, exhaustion) and that work-related stress can lead to burnout. The chapter notes burnout often involves emotional exhaustion, depersonalization,…
