Contemplative Practice for Well-being and Self-Deconstruction in Women

Hospital Miguel Servet122 enrolled

Overview

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a contemplative practice called Feeding Your Demons (FYD), based on a secular adaptation of Tibetan Buddhism, in improving psychological well-being, body image, body acceptance, compassion, and self-deconstruction in adult women. Participants will be randomly assigned to either FYD or an active control group practicing mindfulness meditation. Psychological variables will be assessed before and after the intervention, and at a six-month follow-up. Additionally, a qualitative exploration will be conducted through interviews with a subgroup of participants.

Feeding Your Demons (FYD) is a secular contemplative practice inspired by the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, integrating elements of mindfulness, compassion, and symbolic visualization. The practice offers a guided process through which individuals face internal difficulties-referred to as "demons"-and transform them through acceptance and self-compassion. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of FYD compared to a mindfulness meditation intervention. It is a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel groups. A total of 122 adult women will participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the FYD group or the control group. Both interventions will be delivered online over eight weeks. Variables assessed include psychological well-being, body image, body acceptance, mindfulness, compassion, and self-deconstruction. Assessments will be conducted before and after the intervention, and at a six-month follow-up. Statistical analyses will include intra- and intergroup comparisons using repeated measures analysis of variance. Parametric or non-parametric tests will be applied depending on the assumptions met. Relationships between variables will also be analyzed through correlations. Effect sizes will be calculated to estimate the magnitude of observed changes. The significance level will be set at p \< .05, with a 95% confidence interval. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative assessments with qualitative interviews conducted with a subgroup of participants. Although the data are collected complementarily, their analysis and dissemination may be conducted separately or integratively, depending on the specific goals of each research phase.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Interventions

Feeding your demons practiceBEHAVIORAL

The Feeding Your Demons (FYD) is a contemplative practice based on the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, adapted in a secular form. The intervention is online and lasts a total of 8 weeks. During this period, participants will engage in weekly home practice of the FYD method using guided audio. The intervention includes 3 expert-facilitated sessions: an initial individual session, a group session at week 4, and a final group session at week 8.

Mindfulness practiceBEHAVIORAL

The control group will undergo an online mindfulness meditation intervention, lasting a total of 8 weeks. It includes 3 expert-facilitated sessions: an initial individual session, a group session at week 4, and a final group session at week 8. Participants will engage in weekly home practice of mindfulness meditation using guided audio.

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 30 YearsMax age: 60 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Sex assigned female at birth and self-identifies as a woman * Aged between 30 and 60 years * Spanish nationality, or residency in Spain for more than 5 years * Fluent in Spanish * At least one month of experience with meditation or mindfulness practices, with a regular practice of more than 15 minutes per session * Provides informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Indicators of eating disorders (ED) or mental health deterioration, determined by the following cut-off points: SCOFF ≥ 2 and PHQ-9 ≥ 10 * Formal diagnosis of an eating disorder or any psychiatric condition * Substance use disorder * History of neurological disease diagnosis * Participant's decision to withdraw from the study at any point

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Delusion of Me Index (DoM)

The primary outcome will be the change in self-related perception from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This includes changes in acceptance, decentering, and non-attachment. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up.