Symptom Worsening in Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (Goldberg et al., 2026)
Pooling data from nine trials and 1,258 adults, researchers found no sign that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy raised the odds of depressive symptoms getting worse.
Opinion
Beyond the Cushion: Does Self-Compassion Shape How We See Other People?
Mindfulness is usually taught as a private skill. A new study asks whether kindness toward ourselves is also tied to empathy and to our beliefs about equality.
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Inside Contemplative Research: The ISCR Podcast
Conversations at the edge of meditation, mind and science, made in collaboration with the International Society for Contemplative Research.
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Interview with Dr. Linda Carlson
Dr. Linda Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, is Full Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the…
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Interview with Dr. Helen Weng
Helen Weng, PhD, studies how contemplative practices can improve communication within and between individuals, and in turn psychological and physical health.
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Plain-language summaries of new peer-reviewed studies on mindfulness, meditation and self-compassion.
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Conversations with the scientists, clinicians and teachers shaping the field.
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Perspectives, critiques and essays on the science and practice of mindfulness.
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Guides to mindfulness-based programs and the key ideas in the field.
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Conversations with leading scientists, scholars and clinicians on how meditation and contemplative practice shape the mind, brain and body. The official podcast of the International Society for Contemplative Research, hosted by Michael Juberg.
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Self-Compassion and Mindfulness Apps for Japanese Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Kurosawa et al., 2026)
In a trial of 300 workers in Japan, a four-week self-guided meditation app was well used, but neither self-compassion nor mindfulness practice clearly beat a waitlist.
Loving-Kindness Meditation, Pain and Social Well-Being: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Young et al., 2026)
A four-week online trial of 75 adults found that loving-kindness meditation did not ease pain or boost social connection more than progressive muscle relaxation.
Mindfulness Group Medical Visits for Chronic Low Back Pain (Morone et al., 2026)
A randomized trial of 451 adults found that an eight-week mindfulness group visit program in primary care eased back pain more than usual care, though the gain was modest.
The Functional Neuroimaging of Meditation: A Meta-Analysis (Baten et al., 2026)
A preregistered meta-analysis of 34 brain imaging studies finds that different meditation styles share a common set of active regions, along with patterns that set each practice apart.
Compassion Training in Adolescents: A Cluster-Randomized Trial with 12-Month Follow-Up (Sun, 2026)
In a cluster-randomized trial of 876 students in China, eight weeks of compassion training outperformed relaxation training on emotion regulation and prosocial moral development, and the edge was still present a year later.
Interviews with experts
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Interview with Dr. Linda Carlson
Dr. Linda Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, is Full Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the University…
Interview with Dr. Sahib Khalsa
Dr. Khalsa graduated from the Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of Iowa, receiving M.D. and Ph.D. (neuroscience) degrees. He is currently the Director of Clinical Operations at…
Interview with Dr. Christopher Germer
Christopher Germer, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program with Dr. Kristin Neff in…
Opinions
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Beyond the Cushion: Does Self-Compassion Shape How We See Other People?
We tend to picture mindfulness as a private act. A new exploratory study asks whether kindness toward ourselves is also tied to how we regard other people and to our beliefs about equality in society.
Cultural Appropriation of Mindfulness
“Appropriation is derived from the Latin word appropriare, or to make one's own, which is from the Latin root proprius, to own property, and cultural appropriation highlights the borrowing of ideas…
African American Mindfulness Researchers Make Vital Contributions
Biggers, A., Spears, C. A., Sanders, K., Ong, J., Sharp, L. K., & Gerber, B. S. (2020). Promoting mindfulness in African American communities. Mindfulness, 11, 2274-2282. Campbell, J., & Moyers, B.…
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