Outstanding Challenges in Scientific Research on Mindfulness and Meditation

Abstract

Van Dam et al. raise a number of critical issues in contemporary research on mindfulness and meditation and offer a prescriptive agenda for future work in this area. While we agree with all of the key points made in their article, there are a number of important issues omitted that are central to a comprehensive agenda for future research in this area. This commentary highlights five key points: (a) Many of the key methodological issues the article raises are not specific to research on mindfulness; (b) contemplative practices are varied, and the landscape of modern scientific research has evolved to focus almost exclusively on one or two types of practice to the exclusion of other forms of practice that are potentially highly impactful;

The Role of Five Facets of Mindfulness in a Mindfulness-Based Psychoeducation Intervention for People With Recent-Onset Psychosis on Mental and Psychosocial Health Outcomes

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“…Even though attention and executive control processes could be influenced by yoga and other mindfulness practices (Jha et al, 2007;Teper and Inzlicht, 2013), the mechanism through which such practices enhance attention and executive control remains unknown. Scholars have pointed out several limitations of studies examining the cognitive enhancement of yoga and mindfulness practices, namely, a lack of specificity in defining the construct underlying the practice, lack of precision with measuring the construct, and failure to establish a link between the construct and the cognitive function presumably enhanced (Davidson and Dahl, 2018;Van Dam et al, 2018). The practice of yoga comprises postures (asanas) and breathing (pranayama) (Woodyard, 2011;Sengupta, 2012).…”

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