The Psychobiological Effects of Participation in a One-Month Insight Meditation Retreat

The Psychobiological Effects of a One-Month Insight Meditation Retreat, a Sub-study of The Shamatha Project: A Longitudinal, Randomized Waitlist Control Study of Cognitive, Emotional, and Neural Effects of Intensive Meditation Training

The purpose of this study was to examine how participation in a 1 month intensive Insight (vipassana) Meditation retreat (a) affects biological markers of cellular aging, social affiliation, and inflammation, which are important for physical health, longevity, and behavior, and (b) to relate observed biological changes to baseline levels and changes in psychological traits, which may underlie improvements in personal adaptive functioning.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Aging
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Residential Insight Meditation Retreat

Detailed Description

The investigators are specifically assessing the effects of retreat on telomere length and telomerase levels in participants' white blood cells, as well as plasma levels of interlukin-6 (IL-6), to assess how the retreat experience impacts these markers of cellular aging and inflammation. The hypotheses are that retreat participation will increase both telomere length and telomerase activity, but decrease IL-6 levels. The investigators will also assess the impact of retreat participation on oxytocin-a hormone involved in a number of physiological and behavioral processes, including affiliative bonds and stress responses-the hypothesis being that participation in the retreat will increase plasma oxytocin levels. The investigators will then explore how these and other biomarkers relate to psychological processes and personality traits, which may also be altered by participation in the meditation retreat.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 66

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • California
    • Davis, California, United States, 95616
      • University of California, Davis

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 70 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Healthy adults with meditation experience

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Previous meditation experience equivalent to two 5-10 day residential meditation retreats

Exclusion Criteria:

• Disclosure of potentially contagious blood-borne illness (e.g., HIV, Hepatitis, etc.) or other illnesses that might interfere with telomere or telomerase measurement

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Case-Control
• Time Perspectives: Prospective

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Retreat; Participants registered for a one-month, residential Insight Meditation retreat held at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in either February or March, 2013	Other: Residential Insight Meditation Retreat; Retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center were led by teams of 6 experienced teachers. Participants practiced "noble silence"-refraining from eye contact as well as verbal and written communication-except during meetings with teachers. Teachers lead guided Insight meditation practices, as well as meditations on loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy, and equanimity. The daily schedule consisted of sitting and walking meditation sessions (30-45 mins) totaling 8-10 hours/day, meals, and short work meditations (sweeping, dishes, etc.). Seated meditation was practiced as a group in a meditation hall with approximately 80 participants. Walking meditation took place in adjoining halls or on the grounds. Participants lived on-site during the retreat and were provided with a vegetarian diet.
Comparison; Experienced meditators from the Spirit Rock Meditation Community

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Telomerase	an enzyme that repairs the shortening of telomeres that occurs during aging	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Telomere length	the repetitive sequence of DNA that serves as a protective cap to eukaryotic chromosomes, which protects from degradation and instability and is related to longevity	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Interleukin-6	a primary measure of inflammation, which is influenced by psychological stress	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period
Oxytocin	an affiliative hormone associated with social bonding in both men and women, and which downregulates inflammatory cytokines	change from the start of retreat to three weeks into the retreat period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Arginine Vasopressin	a less commonly studied affiliative hormone also associated with close social bonds	two measurements, three weeks apart
Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor	a protein related to neuroplasticity, learning, and memory, which is decreased in depression	two measurements, three weeks apart
pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1b, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-12 (p70), IL-13, IFN-γ, TNF-α)	a family of proteins involved in generating and regulating the immune system	two measurements, three weeks apart
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory	10 item scale designed to assess trait-anxiety (STAI; Spielberger et al., 1983)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Lifestyle Profile II	Assesses health-promoting lifestyle factors (Walker et al., 1987)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Experience in Close Relationships, short form	Assesses attachment anxiety (fear of rejection or abandonment) and avoidance (avoidance of intimacy and interdependence) (ECR-12: Lafontaine et al., 2015)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Mysticism Scale	Assesses mystical experience and religious interpretation (M-Scale; Hood, 1975)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Non-attachment Scale	Assesses non-attachment from a Buddhist perspective (NAS; Sahdra, Shaver & Brown, 2010)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Self-Assessed Wisdom Scale	Assess five dimensions of wisdom: 1) Experience, 2) Emotional Regulation, 3) Reminiscence and Reflectiveness, 4) Openness, 5) Humor (SAWS; Webster, 2003)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Ego Resiliency Scale	Assesses the ability to adapt one's level of control temporarily up or down as circumstances dictate (EGO; Block & Kremen, 1996)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire	Assesses five facets of mindfulness: 1) Non-reactivity to Inner Experience, 2) Observing 3) Acting with Awareness, 4) Describing, and 5) Non-judging of Experience (FFMQ; Baer et al., 2006)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale	Assesses depressive symptomatology (CES-D; Radloff, 1977)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Psychological Wellbeing Scale	Assess autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance (PWBS; Ryff, 1989)	two measurements, three weeks apart
Three Dimensional Wisdom Scale	Assess three dimensions of wisdom: 1) Cognitive, 2) Reflective, and 3) Affective (3-DWS; Ardelt, 2003)	two measurements, three weeks
Big Five Inventory	Assesses extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, openness to experience, neuroticism (BFI; Goldberg, 1993)	two measurements, three weeks
Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale	Assesses non-acceptance to one's emotional responses, difficulty achieving goals, impulsiveness, lack of emotional awareness, access to emotion regulation strategies, emotional clarity (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004)	two measurements, three weeks

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Gene Expression of genes relating to inflammation and telomere regulation	PBMC RNA for exploratory gene expression studies	two measurements, three weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of California, Davis
• Collaborators: University of California, San Francisco; University of Barcelona
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Clifford D Saron, PhD, University of California, Davis

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Conklin QA, King BG, Zanesco AP, Lin J, Hamidi AB, Pokorny JJ, Alvarez-Lopez MJ, Cosin-Tomas M, Huang C, Kaliman P, Epel ES, Saron CD. Insight meditation and telomere biology: The effects of intensive retreat and the moderating role of personality. Brain Behav Immun. 2018 May;70:233-245. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2018.03.003. Epub 2018 Mar 5. Erratum In: Brain Behav Immun. 2018 Oct;73:736-737.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 3, 2013
• Primary Completion (Actual): February 4, 2014
• Study Completion (Actual): February 4, 2014

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 10, 2017
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 16, 2017
• First Posted (Actual): February 17, 2017

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 30, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2017
• Last Verified: May 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Well-being, affiliation, inflammation
• Other Study ID Numbers: 230734

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: Undecided

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No