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

Effectiveness of a Contemplative Practice on Psychological Well-Being, Self-Deconstruction, Body Image, Body Acceptance, and Compassion in Women

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Compassion; Self-Perception; Mental Health; Meditation; Mindfulness Meditation; Psychological Well-being; Self Concept; Body Dissatisfaction
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Feeding your demons practice; Behavioral: Mindfulness practice

Detailed Description

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
• Enrollment (Estimated): 122
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Javier García Campayo; Phone Number: 976 50 65 78; Email: investigaprimaria@gmail.com

Study Locations

• Spain
  • Zaragoza
    • Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain, 50009
      • Recruiting
      • University of Zaragoza
      • Contact: Javier García Campayo, Doctor; Phone Number: 976761714; Email: investigacioncontemplativa@gmail.com
      • Contact: Email: investigacioncontemplativa@gmail.com
    • Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain, 50009
      • Not yet recruiting
      • Department of Psychiatry. Miguel Servet University Hospital
      • Contact: Javier García Campayo; Phone Number: 976 50 65 78; Email: investigaprimaria@gmail.com
      • Principal Investigator: Javier García Campayo
      • Principal Investigator: Paulina Lamas Morales
      • Principal Investigator: Yolanda López del Hoyo

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

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

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Feeding Your Demons practice; The experimental group will engage in a "Feeding Your Demons" contemplative practice involving repeated sessions (30-60 minutes each). The practice follows this structured protocol across sessions: Preparation: Preparation: Comfortable sitting posture in a chair, with an empty chair in front. Theme/Visualization: Identify a challenge (e.g., self-criticism, body dissatisfaction), observe bodily sensations, personify as a "demon" (note traits). Dialogue: Shift chairs, embody the demon, answer: What do you want? Need? How will you feel when fulfilled? Transformation: Return, dissolve demon into "nectar" (embodying its need), feed until it becomes an ally. Ally Engagement: Note ally's traits, ask: How will you help/protect? What promise? How to access you? Briefly embody ally. Closure: Ally dissolves into participant; and both dissolves and rest in present-moment awareness.	Behavioral: Feeding your demons practice; 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.; Other Names: FYD; Feeding your demons
Active Comparator: Mindfulness Meditation condition; The control group will engage in a mindfulness meditation intervention involving repeated sessions (30-60 minutes each). The practice follows this structured protocol across sessions: Preparation and Posture: Participants adopt a comfortable seated position with an upright spinal alignment. Breath Awareness: Sustained attention is directed toward natural respiratory rhythms without deliberate modulation. Body Scan: Systematic observation of somatic states (e.g., tension or relaxation) across distinct anatomical regions. Observation of Thoughts and Emotions: Transient cognitive and affective phenomena are acknowledged with non-judgmental detachment, avoiding engagement. Closure: Each session concludes with a return to breath-centered focus and gradual reorientation to the external environment.	Behavioral: Mindfulness practice; 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.; Other Names: Mindfulness; Mindfulness meditation; Attentional meditation

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
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.	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Nondual Awareness Dimensional Assessment (NADA)	The primary outcome will be the change in self-related perception from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This outcome includes changes in nondual awareness. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up.	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2)	The second primary outcome will be the change in body image from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This includes improvements in positive body image, specifically body appreciation. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up.	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Body Shape Questionnaire-10 (BSQ-10)	The second primary outcome will be the change in body image from baseline to 6-month follow-up after randomisation. This includes reductions in negative body image, specifically body dissatisfaction. Participants will complete this measure at three time points: baseline (week 0), post-intervention (week 8), and 6-month follow-up.	From baseline to 6-month follow-up

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Pemberton Happiness Index (PHI)	Change in Psychological Well- Being	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
SOCS-S Sussex-Oxford Self- Compassion Scale	Change in Self - Compassion	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ).	Change in Mindfulness	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Body Image Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (BI-AAQ-5).	Change in Body Acceptance	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Sussex- Oxford Compassion Scale (SOCS - O)	Change in Compassion (for others)	From baseline to 6-month follow-up
Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA)	Change in Interoceptive Awareness	From baseline to 6-month follow-up

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Participant Age	Age of participants, measured in years.	At baseline
Place of Residence	The place of residence (e.g., community or city) of participants will be recorded at baseline.	At baseline
Education Level	Participants will report their highest completed education level at baseline.	At baseline
Employment Status	Employment status (e.g., employed, unemployed, student) will be collected at baseline.	At baseline
Prior Meditation Experience	Participants will report whether they have prior meditation experience (yes/no) and, if applicable, the number of months or years of practice.Additionally, they will indicate the type of meditation practice previously performed (e.g., mindfulness, compassion, other).	At baseline
Number of Meditation Session	Participants will indicate the sequential number of each formal meditation session completed during the 8-week intervention (e.g., Session 1, Session 2, Session 3).	During the 8-week intervention
Perceived Quality of Meditation Practice	After each formal meditation session, participants will rate the perceived quality of their practice on a scale from 0 (very poor) to 10 (excellent).	During the 8-week intervention
Self-reported Affective State after Practice	Participants will rate their affective state immediately after each formal meditation session on a scale from 0 (very negative) to 10 (very positive).	During the 8-week intervention
Qualitative phenomenological exploration	Semi-structured micro-phenomenological interviews will be conducted at baseline and immediately after the 8-week intervention to explore participants' lived experience related to self-perception, embodiment, and contemplative transformation. These data are exploratory and will not be included in inferential statistical analyses.	From baseline to post-intervention (8 weeks after baseline)

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Hospital Miguel Servet

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 18, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 30, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 2, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 27, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): April 30, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimated): September 10, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 9, 2025
• Last Verified: September 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: mindfulness; Meditation; Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT); Compassion; psychological well-being; Body Image; Women's Mental Health; Feeding Your Demons; Self-Deconstruction; Selflessness; Contemplative Practices
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavior; Personal Satisfaction; Psychological Well-Being; Behavior Therapy; Psychotherapy; Behavioral Disciplines and Activities; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Mindfulness
• Other Study ID Numbers: PI25/008

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No