Sharma Kirti, Wernicke A Gabriella, Rahman Husneara, Potters Louis, Sharma Gopesh, Parashar Bhupesh
College of Humanities and Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University, Gainesville, USA.
Department of Radiation Medicine, Zucker School of Medicine/Northwell Health, Lake Success, USA.
Cureus. 2022 Mar 28;14(3):e23589. doi: 10.7759/cureus.23589. eCollection 2022 Mar.
Objective The goal of this study is to compare the effectiveness of three different meditation techniques (two internal focus techniques and one external focus technique) using a low-cost portable electroencephalography (EEG) device, namely, MUSE, for an objective comparison. Methods This is an IRB-approved retrospective study. All participants in the study were healthy adults. Each study participant (n = 34) was instructed to participate in three meditation sessions: mantra (internal), breath (internal), and external point. The MUSE brain-sensing headband (EEG) was used to document the "total time spent in the calm state" and the "total time spent in the calm or neutral state" (outcomes) in each three-minute session to conduct separate analyses for the meditation type. Separate generalized linear models (GLM) with unstructured covariance structures were used to examine the association between each outcome and the explanatory variable (meditation type). For all models, if there was a significant association between the outcome and the explanatory variable, pairwise comparisons were carried out using the Tukey-Kramer correction. Results The median time (in seconds) spent in the calm state while practicing mantra meditation was 131.5 (IQR: 94-168), while practicing breath meditation was 150 (IQR: 113-164), and while practicing external-point meditation was 100 (IQR: 62-126). Upon analysis, there was a significant association between the meditation type and the time spent in the calm state (p-value = 0.0006). Conclusion This is the first study comparing "internal" versus "external" meditation techniques using an objective measure. Our study shows the breath and mantra technique as superior to the external-point technique as regards time spent in the calm state. Additional research is needed using a combination of "EEG" and patient-reported surveys to compare various meditative practices. The findings from this study can help incorporate specific meditation practices in future mindfulness-based studies that are focused on healthcare settings and on impacting clinical outcomes, such as survival or disease outcomes.
目的 本研究的目的是使用低成本便携式脑电图（EEG）设备MUSE，比较三种不同冥想技巧（两种内聚焦技巧和一种外聚焦技巧）的效果，以进行客观比较。方法 这是一项经机构审查委员会批准的回顾性研究。研究中的所有参与者均为健康成年人。每位研究参与者（n = 34）被指示参加三次冥想课程：念咒（内聚焦）、呼吸（内聚焦）和外聚焦点。使用MUSE脑传感头带（EEG）记录每个三分钟课程中“处于平静状态的总时间”和“处于平静或中性状态的总时间”（结果），以便对冥想类型进行单独分析。使用具有非结构化协方差结构的单独广义线性模型（GLM）来检验每个结果与解释变量（冥想类型）之间的关联。对于所有模型，如果结果与解释变量之间存在显著关联，则使用Tukey-Kramer校正进行成对比较。结果 在进行念咒冥想时处于平静状态的中位时间（以秒为单位）为131.5（四分位距：94 - 168），进行呼吸冥想时为150（四分位距：113 - 164），进行外聚焦点冥想时为100（四分位距：62 - 126）。经分析，冥想类型与处于平静状态的时间之间存在显著关联（p值 = 0.0006）。结论 这是第一项使用客观测量方法比较“内聚焦”与“外聚焦”冥想技巧的研究。我们的研究表明，在处于平静状态的时间方面，呼吸和念咒技巧优于外聚焦点技巧。需要使用“EEG”和患者报告调查相结合的方法进行更多研究，以比较各种冥想练习。本研究的结果有助于在未来基于正念的研究中纳入特定的冥想练习，这些研究专注于医疗保健环境并影响临床结果，如生存或疾病结果。
