Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective
Mindfulness, Interoception, and the Body: A Contemporary Perspective
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DOI：
10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02012
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发表时间：
2019-09-13
影响因子：
3.8
通讯作者：
Gibson, Jonathan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Gibson, Jonathan
正念通常被用作概括性术语来描述大量的实践、过程和特征。批评者认为，这种宽泛的定义导致了错误信息、误解以及普遍缺乏方法论上严格的研究。围绕正念的一些混乱也被认为源于对正念和冥想一词的无差别使用。正念和所有其他形式的冥想已被证明可以调节岛叶，岛叶是内感受的主要枢纽。一些人认为内感受是正念的基础，并且可能是人们从练习中受益的主要机制。然而，就像正念文献一样，内感受的定义仍然很宽泛，通常没有精确性，并且具有特定领域的含义和含义。研究表明，岛叶和周围的神经回路被认为负责内感受之外的许多其他功能，包括注意力、意识和所有主观体验，其中大部分与正念文献有关。人们认为正念会产生这些神经可塑性和功能效应。有证据表明，正念及其一些好处可以更好地描述为由于岛叶神经可塑性变化而增加的内感受，并且岛叶和周围神经回路的发育可能会培养性格正念。本文的目的是（1）强调将正念文献中已确定的许多好处与内感受及其神经相关性联系起来可能更准确；（2）提出注意力风格作为澄清围绕正念、内感受和冥想的一些困惑的方法。不同的冥想需要不同的注意力方式。注意力可以类似于一个焦点，每个焦点都提供独特的视角。鉴于所有冥想技术都会调节岛叶，每种冥想都可以提供一个独特的视角，从中研究其他冥想传统可能无法获得的复杂的内感受信号。将科学发现固定在具体的身体中作为研究这些发现的手段，而不是一套抽象的、广泛定义的冥想技术，可能会更有用。
Mindfulness is often used as an umbrella term to characterize a large number of practices, processes, and characteristics. Critics argue that this broad definition has led to misinformation, misunderstanding, and a general lack of methodologically rigorous research. Some of the confusion surrounding mindfulness is also believed to stem from an undifferentiated use of the term mindfulness and meditation. Mindfulness and all other forms of meditation have been shown to modulate the insula, which is the primary hub for interoception. Some have argued that interoception is foundational to mindfulness and may be the primary mechanism by which one benefits from the practice. However, much like the mindfulness literature, interoception remains broadly defined often without precision and with domain-specific meanings and implications. Research demonstrates that the insula and surrounding neural circuits are believed to be responsible for a number of other functions beyond interoception including attention, awareness, and all subjective experiences, much of which has been linked to the mindfulness literature. It has been assumed that mindfulness produces these neuroplasticity and functional effects. There is evidence that mindfulness and some of its benefits may be better described as increased interoception as a result of the neuroplasticity changes in the insula, and the development of the insula and surrounding neural circuits may cultivate dispositional mindfulness. The purposes of this article are to (1) highlight that it may be more accurate to link many of the identified benefits in the mindfulness literature to interoception and its neurological correlates and (2) propose attentional style as a means to clarify some of the confusion surrounding mindfulness, interoception, and meditation. Different meditations require different attentional styles. Attention can be analogous to a focal point with each focal point providing a unique perspective. Given that all meditative techniques modulate the insula, each meditation can provide a unique perspective from which to investigate complex interoceptive signals that may be unavailable from other meditative traditions. It may prove more useful to anchor scientific findings in the concrete body as a means to investigate those rather than a set of abstract, broadly defined meditative techniques.