What types of meditation are there? How do I start trying to meditate? Join me this week as I discuss the various ways to meditate, share tips on how to start meditating, and offer a guided meditation to help you get started (see the bonus content for this episode).

Music featured in this episode: "Sour Grapes," by Larissa Seay Dashjian (under the moniker The 8th House).

Purchase music from the podcast here: https://www.musicglue.com/the8thhouse/shop

Reference

Galante, J., Galante, I., Bekkers, M. J., & Gallacher, J. (2014). Effect of kindness-based meditation on health and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 82(6), 1101.

What are some of the commonly-believed myths about meditation? What are the benefits and risks? Join me as I discuss meditation: the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Check out the Youtube Channel for a few meditation resources (will be expanding!): 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO5n25rkQY4iSPBysUo0N2w/featured

References

Afonso, R. F., Kraft, I., Aratanha, M. A., & Kozasa, E. H. (2020). Neural correlates of meditation: a review of structural and functional MRI studies. Frontiers in Bioscience (Scholars Edition), 12, 92-115.

Anderson, T., Suresh, M., & Farb, N. A. (2019). Meditation benefits and drawbacks: empirical codebook and implications for teaching. Journal of Cognitive Enhancement, 3(2), 207-220.

Baer, R. A., Lykins, E. L., & Peters, J. R. (2012). Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3), 230-238.

Farias, M., Maraldi, E., Wallenkampf, K. C., & Lucchetti, G. (2020). Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation‐based therapies: A systematic review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 142(5), 374-393.

Galante, J., Galante, I., Bekkers, M. J., & Gallacher, J. (2014). Effect of kindness-based meditation on health and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 82(6), 1101.

Goldberg, S. B., Tucker, R. P., Greene, P. A., Davidson, R. J., Wampold, B. E., Kearney, D. J., & Simpson, T. L. (2018). Mindfulness-based interventions for psychiatric disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 59, 52-60.

Hilton, L., Hempel, S., Ewing, B. A., Apaydin, E., Xenakis, L., Newberry, S., ... & Maglione, M. A. (2017). Mindfulness meditation for chronic pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 51(2), 199-213.

Kiken, L. G., & Shook, N. J. (2011). Looking up: Mindfulness increases positive judgments and reduces negativity bias. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 2(4), 425-431.

Koncz, A., Demetrovics, Z., & Takacs, Z. K. (2021). Meditation interventions efficiently reduce cortisol levels of at-risk samples: A meta-analysis. Health psychology review, 15(1), 56-84.

Luberto, C. M., Shinday, N., Song, R., Philpotts, L. L., Park, E. R., Fricchione, G. L., & Yeh, G. Y. (2018). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of meditation on empathy, compassion, and prosocial behaviors. Mindfulness, 9(3), 708-724.

Rusch, H. L., Rosario, M., Levison, L. M., Olivera, A., Livingston, W. S., Wu, T., & Gill, J. M. (2019). The effect of mindfulness meditation on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1445(1), 5-16.

Shi, L., Zhang, D., Wang, L., Zhuang, J., Cook, R., & Chen, L. (2017). Meditation and blood pressure: A meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Journal of hypertension, 35(4), 696-706.

Why are we so addicted to the news media, especially when it’s bad? What does it do to read about so much negativity all the time? How do we detach for our own peace of mind? Find out in this week’s episode.

Music from the Episode: "Sour Grapes" by Larissa Seay Dashjian (under the moniker The 8th House).

https://www.musicglue.com/the8thhouse/shop

References

Balzarotti, S., & Cicero, M. R. (2014). News reports of catastrophes and viewers’ fear: Threat appraisal of positively and negatively framed events. Media Psychology, 17, 357–377. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2013.826588

Baumeister, R. F., Bratslavsky, E., Finkenauer, C., & Vohs, K. D. (2001). Bad is stronger than good. Review of general psychology, 5(4), 323-370.

Bodas, M., Siman-Tov, M., Peleg, K., & Solomon, Z. (2015). Anxiety-inducing media: The effect of constant news broadcasting on the well-being of Israeli television viewers. Psychiatry, 78(3), 265-276.

Boukes, M., & Vliegenthart, R. (2017). News consumption and its unpleasant side effect. Journal of Media Psychology, 29(3), 137-147.

de Hoog, N., & Verboon, P. (2020). Is the news making us unhappy? The influence of daily news exposure on emotional states. British Journal of Psychology, 111(2), 157-173.

Leetaru, K. (2011). Culturomics 2.0: Forecasting large-scale human behavior using global news media tone in time and space. First Monday.

McIntyre, K. E., & Gibson, R. (2016). Positive news makes readers feel good: A “silver-lining”

approach to negative news can attract audiences. Southern Communication Journal, 81, 304–

315. https://doi.org/10.1080/1041794X.2016.1171892

Trussler, M., & Soroka, S. (2014). Consumer demand for cynical and negative news frames. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 19(3), 360-379.

Why are extremes a problem for us? Why live a life of moderation and balance? Find out in this week’s episode, where I’ll dive into the areas that we tend to fall into extremes and discuss ways to challenge this.

References

Virtanen, M., Heikkilä, K., Jokela, M., Ferrie, J. E., Batty, G. D., Vahtera, J., & Kivimäki, M. (2012). Long working hours and coronary heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis. American journal of epidemiology, 176(7), 586-596.

Virtanen, M., Ferrie, J. E., Singh-Manoux, A., Shipley, M. J., Stansfeld, S. A., Marmot, M. G., Ahola, K., Vahtera, J., & Kivimäki, M. (2011). Long working hours and symptoms of anxiety and depression: a 5-year follow-up of the Whitehall II study. Psychological medicine, 41(12), 2485–2494. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291711000171

Unexpected (and unpleasant) surprises come up in our lives; they can be a catalyst for growth. The famous metaphor of the caterpillar turning into a butterfly encourages us to look more deeply at the sometimes painful and uncomfortable process of transformation for those brave enough to face themselves. Join me in this week’s episode as we dive into uncertainty, change, and transformation.

What does it mean to savor an experience the way we savor food? Does it benefit our mental health to do so? Episode six dives into the definition and benefits of savoring, as well as the nitty gritty of how to boost your savoring skills to enhance your mood (and perhaps increase your happiness!).

References

Bryant, F. B. (2003). Savoring beliefs inventory (SBI): A scale for measuring beliefs about savoring. Journal of Mental Health, 12(2), 175-196.

Bryant, F., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring: A new model of positive experience. Psychology Press.

Eisner, L. R., Johnson, S. L., & Carver, C. S. (2009). Positive affect regulation in anxiety disorders. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(5), 645–649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2009.02.001

Jose, P. E., Lim, B. T., & Bryant, F. B. (2012). Does savoring increase happiness? A daily diary study. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 7(3), 176-187.

Ramirez, D. (2022, February 4). Savoring in psychology: 21 exercises and interventions to appreciate life. Retrieved from: https://positivepsychology.com/savoring/

Smith, J. L., & Hollinger-Smith, L. (2015). Savoring, resilience, and psychological well-being in older adults. Aging & Mental Health, 19(3), 192-200.

What do people usually fear in life? How do our fears affect us? And what can we do about them? Join me in this week’s episode as I explore the nature of fear and its counterpart, avoidance, as well as providing a framework to stop fear from boxing us in in our lives.

ACT Values List:

https://www.actmindfully.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Values_Checklist_-_Russ_Harris.pdf

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Vol. 5). American Psychiatric Association.

Dyer, W. (2005). The power of intention. Hay House.

Forsyth, J. P., & Eifert, G. H. (2008). The mindfulness & acceptance workbook for anxiety: A guide to breaking free from anxiety, phobias, and worry using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. New Harbinger.

What do those goosebumps (frisson) mean when you hear a great song? Can music benefit our well-being? Can music be spiritual? These questions and more are answered in this week's episode of Psych & Spirit.

FRISSON MUSIC (MY OWN EXPERIENCE):

Weyes Blood - Movies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFtRq6t3jOo

Danny Elfman – Ice Dance / The Grand Finale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VlFMtlZAs4

Philip Glass - The Hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYuTEcArOr8

Enya - Cursum Perficio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hd_DuEU6Mvg

Marnie - Submariner (3:45-7:29): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87ePr9pFR8k

Moby - My Weakness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioDcGjwu988

Banco de Gaia - Not In My Name (4:52-10:22): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABtKieS99sw

Wendy & Lisa (ft. Seal) - The Closing of the Year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-MAqVsOLFI

References

Blood, A. J., & Zatorre, R. J. (2001). Intensely pleasurable responses to music correlate with activity in brain regions implicated in reward and emotion. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences, 98(20), 11818-11823.

Colver, M. (2016, May 25). Why does great music give you the chills? Slate. https://slate.com/technology/2016/05/getting-chills-when-listening-to-music-might-mean-youre-a-more-emotional-person.html

Colver, M. C., & El-Alayli, A. (2016). Getting aesthetic chills from music: The connection between openness to experience and frisson. Psychology of Music, 44(3), 413-427.

Costa, P., & McCrae, R. (1992). Revised NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI-R) and NEO five-factor inventory

(NEO-FFI) professional manual. Psychological Assessment Resources.

Daykin, N., Mansfield, L., Meads, C., Julier, G., Tomlinson, A., Payne, A., ... & Victor, C. (2018). What works for wellbeing? A systematic review of wellbeing outcomes for music and singing in adults. Perspectives in public health, 138(1), 39-46.

Garrido, S., & Schubert, E. (2015). Music and people with tendencies to depression. Music Perception: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 32(4), 313-321.

Guhn, M., Hamm, A., & Zentner, M. (2007). Physiological and musico-acoustic correlates of the chill response. Music Perception, 24(5), 473-484.

Harrison, L., & Loui, P. (2014). Thrills, chills, frissons, and skin orgasms: toward an integrative model of transcendent psychophysiological experiences in music. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 790.

Koelsch, S., & Jäncke, L. (2015). Music and the heart. European heart journal, 36(44), 3043-3049.

Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Wisco, B. E., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Rethinking rumination. Perspectives on psychological science, 3(5), 400-424.

Sachs, M., Ellis, R., Schlaug, G., and Loui P. (2016). Brain connectivity reflects human aesthetic responses to music. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 11(6), 884–891.

Weinberg, M. K., & Joseph, D. (2017). If you’re happy and you know it: Music engagement and subjective well-being.

What is the New Year? The calendar New Year coincides with Yule and the winter solstice (in pagan and Wicca traditions). In this brief episode, you'll have the opportunity to reflect on an area you can improve and also learn steps to setting small, realistic, and time-limited goals so that you do not set yourself up to fail with the typical "New Year's resolution."

References

Cunningham, S. (2004). Wicca: A guide for the solitary practitioner. Llewellyn Publications.

Higginbotham, J., & Higganbotham, R. (2004). Paganism: An introduction to earth-centered religions.  Llewellyn Publications.

Why do we dream? Is there any deeper meaning to our dreams? In this episode I’ll explore theories of why we dream, talk about how to better recall your dreams, and I’ll provide tips on how to interpret your dreams for your own growth and development.

References:

Aspy, D. J., Madden, N. A., & Delfabbro, P. (2018). Effects of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) and a B complex preparation on dreaming and sleep. Perceptual and motor skills, 125(3), 451-462.

Ebben, M., Lequerica, A., & Spielman, A. (2002). Effects of pyridoxine on dreaming: a preliminary study. Perceptual and motor skills, 94(1), 135–140. https://doi.org/10.2466/pms.2002.94.1.135

Ciccarelli, S. K. & White, J. N. (2015).  Psychology (5th Ed.).  New York, NY:  Pearson.

Godwin, M. (1994). The lucid dreamer: A waking guide for the traveler between worlds. Simon & Schuster.

Krakow, B., & Zadra, A. (2010). Imagery rehearsal therapy: principles and practice. Sleep Medicine Clinics, 5(2), 289-298.

LaBerge, S., & Rheingold, H. (1991). Exploring the world of lucid dreaming. New York: Ballantine Books.

Revonsuo A. (2000). The reinterpretation of dreams: an evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. The Behavioral and brain sciences, 23(6), 877–1121. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0140525x00004015