The purpose of this study is to describe the onset, duration and dose-response of interpersonal mindful compassion on respiratory rate and heart rate variability in healthy adults in order to prepare for research evaluating the impact of this intervention in patient populations and to prepare for basic research investigating the CNS mechanisms for observed effects. Previous research has found that mindfulness meditation, including mindful compassion, results in autonomic changes in the practitioner. Emerging neuroscience of dyadic interactions suggests that through the effects of mirror neuron isopraxis, one person's physiologic state may be mirrored by another. However, no research has directly evaluated the impact of one person's mindful compassion on another person's autonomic activity. This study paves the way for an entirely new avenue of research inquiry.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
20
A practitioner lightly touches the participant on the hands, arms, shoulders, lower legs and feet while extending loving kindness to the participant.
The practitioner sits in a room with the participant, pretending to read, while extending loving kindness to the participant.
Change in Heart Rate Variability from pre-intervention period to intervention period
Time frame: continuous monitoring for 10 min before intervention and during 10 or 20 minute intervention
Change in Respiratory Rate from pre-intervention period to intervention period
Time frame: continuous monitoring for 10 minutes before intervention and during 10 or 20 minute intervention
Perceived Stress, Relaxation, Peacefulness
Time frame: baseline, after a 10 minute rest period, before 10 or 20 minute intervention, immediately after intervention, 20 minutes after intervention
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