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Objectives <p>Foremost treatments for chronic worry include mindfulness-based interventions. Paradoxically, engagement in mindfulness practices may be especially difficult for individuals with repetitive negative thinking habits. Mindfulness training may be improved by stimulating neural areas associated with underlying mechanisms of mindfulness proposed by mindfulness-to-meaning theory. Therefore, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) was hypothesized to improve engagement in mindfulness practices, mindfulness-to-meaning processes, and psychological functioning in chronic worriers.</p> Method <p>Adult novice meditators (<i>n</i> = 64) with clinically elevated worry were randomized to one of four groups using a 2 (mindfulness vs mind-wandering) × 2 (active vs sham tDCS) design. At a laboratory visit, participants listened to instructional recordings during stimulation, then completed three remote follow-ups over the course of 1 week. Follow-ups included additional shorter guided practices without stimulation.</p> Results <p>Among participants randomized to receive mindfulness, the addition of stimulation enhanced engagement and trait mindfulness, and reduced generalized anxiety. Additionally, mindfulness and active tDCS separately contributed to reducing catastrophizing tendencies. Contrary to hypotheses, mind-wandering also produced benefits, including increased trait mindfulness. No changes in decentering, inhibitory control, or positive reappraisal were observed.</p> Conclusions <p>Importantly, findings suggest that supplementing the first mindfulness session with L-DLPFC stimulation (vs sham) improved engagement and reduced generalized anxiety during a brief mindfulness intervention. Unexpectedly, mind-wandering increased trait mindfulness, suggesting that deliberate mind-wandering may imitate aspects of mindfulness among chronic worriers. Future studies should explore whether increased treatment dosage and/or extended follow-ups demonstrate improvements in central mindfulness-to-meaning theory processes.</p> Preregistration <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2G74Q">https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2G74Q</a></p>

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The Application of Noninvasive Brain Stimulation to Enhance the First Week of Mindfulness Practice Among Novice Meditators with Chronic Worry

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月4日

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  • Mollie McDonald,
  • Marian Berryhill,
  • Amy Lansing,
  • Cynthia Lancaster

摘要

Objectives

Foremost treatments for chronic worry include mindfulness-based interventions. Paradoxically, engagement in mindfulness practices may be especially difficult for individuals with repetitive negative thinking habits. Mindfulness training may be improved by stimulating neural areas associated with underlying mechanisms of mindfulness proposed by mindfulness-to-meaning theory. Therefore, transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC) was hypothesized to improve engagement in mindfulness practices, mindfulness-to-meaning processes, and psychological functioning in chronic worriers.

Method

Adult novice meditators (n = 64) with clinically elevated worry were randomized to one of four groups using a 2 (mindfulness vs mind-wandering) × 2 (active vs sham tDCS) design. At a laboratory visit, participants listened to instructional recordings during stimulation, then completed three remote follow-ups over the course of 1 week. Follow-ups included additional shorter guided practices without stimulation.

Results

Among participants randomized to receive mindfulness, the addition of stimulation enhanced engagement and trait mindfulness, and reduced generalized anxiety. Additionally, mindfulness and active tDCS separately contributed to reducing catastrophizing tendencies. Contrary to hypotheses, mind-wandering also produced benefits, including increased trait mindfulness. No changes in decentering, inhibitory control, or positive reappraisal were observed.

Conclusions

Importantly, findings suggest that supplementing the first mindfulness session with L-DLPFC stimulation (vs sham) improved engagement and reduced generalized anxiety during a brief mindfulness intervention. Unexpectedly, mind-wandering increased trait mindfulness, suggesting that deliberate mind-wandering may imitate aspects of mindfulness among chronic worriers. Future studies should explore whether increased treatment dosage and/or extended follow-ups demonstrate improvements in central mindfulness-to-meaning theory processes.

Preregistration

https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2G74Q