Mindfulness meditation can reduce guilt, leading to unintended negative social consequences, study finds

Mindfulness meditation is a stress-management practice with ancient lineage that cultivates nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment, often by directing attention to the physical sensations of breathing. But there may be an unanticipated downside to secular mindfulness meditation practices, according to new research.

Mindfulness therapy reduces opioid misuse and chronic pain in primary care, according to new research

Results from a new clinical trial demonstrate that an eight-week mindfulness-based therapy decreased opioid use and misuse while reducing chronic pain symptoms, with effects lasting as long as nine months.

Small measures can be a big help for children of mothers with depression

Several new studies among Syrian refugee families in Turkey and families with infants in Sweden and Bhutan show that children of mothers in poor mental health risk falling behind in their cognitive development. However, very small changes can suffice to break this correlation and enable the children to return to their normal developmental level. Having plenty of people around them and an available community are two of the most important factors for helping children, in all three countries.

Mindfulness can get wandering thoughts back on track

Mindfulness -- the ability to intentionally focus attention on the present moment -- can be effective for reducing mind wandering, though results do differ depending on the research methodology.

Despite understanding the concept of mindfulness, people are applying it incorrectly, research finds

Mindful awareness is about both accepting and engaging with life's challenges, and that's what popularized concepts of mindfulness tend to miss, new research has found.

Psychologists create body-maps of hallucinations

Psychologists have created body-maps of the sensations which arise during hallucinations in people experiencing psychosis.

Which types of brain activity support conscious experiences?

Our subjective experience appears to us in a continuous stream of integrated information, and researchers now explore the question: Which characteristics should brain activity have to support this type of conscious experiences? The group searched for integrated structures that encompass most of the brain but change configuration from time to time. Their hypothesis was these structures should vanish during states of deep unconsciousness, such as deep sleep or while under general anesthetics.