This collection organizes research papers into thematic categories that represent key areas of investigation in contemplative neuroscience. While research papers are often categorized by methodology or specific results, these themes help highlight broader questions and areas of inquiry that span multiple studies and approaches.

Each theme represents a significant aspect of how contemplative practices interact with brain function, cognition, or health. By grouping papers this way, we hope to facilitate deeper understanding of the patterns and consistencies emerging across different research efforts.

Available Themes

Adverse Effects of Meditation

While meditation is often portrayed as universally beneficial, a growing body of research acknowledges that contemplative practices can sometimes lead to challenging or adverse effects in certain individuals or contexts. These range from transient psychological discomfort to more severe and lasting difficulties. This theme examines research on meditation-related challenges, including experiences like meditation-induced anxiety, depersonalization/derealization unrelated to progress, exacerbation of trauma symptoms, and other potentially difficult outcomes that practitioners may encounter. Understanding these effects is crucial for developing safer implementation of contemplative practices across clinical and non-clinical settings.

2 papers

Biological and Health-Related Correlates

Beyond the mind, meditation can leave measurable traces in the body. This theme gathers research on how contemplative practices affect immune markers, inflammation, telomerase activity, and sleep. Together, they suggest that the health benefits of meditation may be rooted not just in psychology, but in physiology.

5 papers

Mind Wandering and Executive Control

Meditation is often praised for improving focus, but what exactly changes in the mind? This theme explores how contemplative practice influences attention regulation, reduces mind-wandering, and strengthens executive control. These studies illuminate the cognitive mechanisms behind staying present—and the costs of failing to do so.

5 papers

Neurological Correlates of Meditative States

What happens in the brain during meditation? This theme collects studies that use neuroimaging and electrophysiological techniques to map how contemplative states modulate neural activity. From changes in activation during pain, to shifts in attention-related networks and salience processing, these findings highlight the diverse ways meditation reshapes brain function. Importantly, the observed changes are often specific to the kind of meditative practice used—whether focused attention, open presence, or compassion training—suggesting that different intentions may sculpt the brain in different ways. This research offers a window into the elusive terrain of inner experience by grounding it in measurable neural signatures.

3 papers

Note: Papers may appear in multiple themes if they address several key areas of research.