From the Heart: Comparing the Effects of Spiritual and Secular Meditation on Psychophysiology, Cognition, Mental Health, and Social Functioning in Healthy Adults

Launched by COVENTRY UNIVERSITY · Nov 13, 2023

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial, titled "From the Heart," is exploring how different types of meditation can affect various aspects of our health and well-being. Specifically, researchers are looking at Christian and Islamic spiritual meditation compared to mindfulness meditation in healthy adults. They want to understand how these practices impact things like mental health, social interactions, and even our body's responses to stress and anxiety.

To participate, you need to be between 18 and 60 years old, able to read and understand English, and identify as either a Christian or a Muslim who prays regularly. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of the meditation groups, so everyone gets a chance to see how different types of meditation can benefit them. It's important to note that this study is not for individuals who currently have mental health issues or serious physical health problems. If you decide to join, you'll be contributing to valuable research that could help others improve their mental well-being through meditation.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • 18 to 60 years old
• • able to read, speak and understand English
• • willing to be randomly assigned to all the conditions, with religious affiliation restricting allocation to either the Christian or Islamic type of spiritual meditation conditions
• • consider oneself to be a Christian or Muslim and pray at least weekly
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • currently suffer from any mental health conditions or use medication to manage mental health conditions
• • long-term serious physical medical problems, such as liver, brain, kidney, or other life-threatening chronic diseases
• • a history of a heart condition, high blood pressure, Raynaud syndrome, diabetes, or musculoskeletal condition
• • the current use of anxiolytics/mood stabilizers.