Body awareness and a physical anchor for meditation
Recent coverage revisits a study of meditation, chest vibration and body awareness among trauma-exposed adults.
An October 23 PsyPost report draws attention to a study published online in May in Neuropsychopharmacology. It examined 116 trauma-exposed adults with elevated dissociation who completed eight mindfulness sessions; 60 also received gentle vibration at the sternum and 56 did not.
What the comparison can tell us
The vibration group showed greater improvement in body awareness and differences in an MRI measure of white-matter microstructure. Both groups reported similar reductions in dissociation. This interim analysis does not establish lasting benefit or show that an ordinary yoga class would produce the same effects. Brain-imaging associations also leave questions about mechanism and clinical meaning.
Sources
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