Study Results
The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.
Basic Information
Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.
COMPLETED
NA
332 participants
INTERVENTIONAL
2013-01-31
2016-02-29
Brief Summary
Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.
Detailed Description
Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.
The ReSource Project is a secular program developed by a team of experienced meditation teachers, scientists, and psychotherapists.
Over the last decades, isolation, stress, and psychological tensions have been steadily increasing in our society. Mental training can alter stress responses, physical health, resilience, attention, perception, emotional experience, and social behavior. Evidence for these results is based on previous studies showing behavioral changes, as well as observed changes in brain function and structure. Moreover, health factors, such as peripheral autonomic responses, stress hormones, and immune parameters were significantly changed after training.
The ReSource Project consists of three consecutive modules: called "Presence", "Perspective", and "Affect". The Presence Module trains mindful attention to internal mental and physical processes. The Perspective Module focuses on socio-cognitive abilities, such as insight into the nature of the mind and self, and also the ability to assume the perspective of others. The Affect Module focuses on constructive ways of dealing with difficult emotions, and works to cultivate prosocial motivations and positive emotions such as compassion.
In contrast to most previous studies of just a few months, the ReSource Project will be conducted over a period of 3-9 months for three experimental cohorts (cohorts start in a shifted design; 2 cohorts train over a period of 9 months (all 3 Modules in different orders, 13 weeks per Module), 1 cohort trains over 3 months (only the Affect Module)), and will cover a wide range of practices intended to enhance cognitive and socio-affective skills. 2 retest control cohorts account for the effects of repeated testing.
Conditions
See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.
Keywords
Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.
Study Design
Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.
RANDOMIZED
PARALLEL
BASIC_SCIENCE
NONE
Study Groups
Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.
Training Cohort 1 (TC1)
(N = 80) in the order "Presence - Affect - Perspective"
Presence - Affect - Perspective.
As specified above however the order is interchanged between the cohorts TC1 and TC2.
Training Cohort 2 (TC2)
(N = 81) in the order "Presence - Perspective - Affect"
Presence - Perspective - Affect
PRESENCE: Cultivate attentional skills \& interoceptive body awareness. 2 exercises: "Breathing Meditation" \& "Body Scan".
PERSPECTIVE: Focus on cognitive aspects of compassion; take perspectives on thoughts, the self, \& other people; observe more macroscopic dynamics within oneself, your inner "parts"; do not fully identify with them / be aware of their transiency; strengthen the ability to detach from one's own perspective, take the perspectives of others, trying to understand their thoughts, motives, feelings. 2 exercises: "Observing-thoughts Meditation" \& "Perspective Dyad".
AFFECT: Cultivate emotional/motivational aspects of compassion; cultivate a sense of benevolence, love, care, "opening the heart" for oneself and others; work with obstacles, e.g. fear, anger or sadness ("emotion acceptance"); pro-social motivations as an alley towards loving / benevolent feelings and as a consequence of them. 2 exercises: "Loving-kindness Meditation" \& "Affect Dyad".
Retest Control Cohort 1 (RCC1)
(up to N = 30) this is a non-intervention control group to access measurement effects and will be tested at each timepoint.
No interventions assigned to this group
Training Cohort 3 (TC3)
(N = 81) here, the "Affect Module" only intervention is administered.
Affect
AFFECT: Cultivate emotional/motivational aspects of compassion; cultivate a sense of benevolence, love, care, "opening the heart" for oneself and others; work with obstacles, e.g. fear, anger or sadness ("emotion acceptance"); pro-social motivations as an alley towards loving / benevolent feelings and as a consequence of them. 2 exercises: "Loving-kindness Meditation" \& "Affect Dyad".
Retest Control Cohort 2 (RCC2)
(up to N = 60) this is a non-intervention control group to access measurement effects and will be tested at each timepoint.
No interventions assigned to this group
Interventions
Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.
Presence - Perspective - Affect
PRESENCE: Cultivate attentional skills \& interoceptive body awareness. 2 exercises: "Breathing Meditation" \& "Body Scan".
PERSPECTIVE: Focus on cognitive aspects of compassion; take perspectives on thoughts, the self, \& other people; observe more macroscopic dynamics within oneself, your inner "parts"; do not fully identify with them / be aware of their transiency; strengthen the ability to detach from one's own perspective, take the perspectives of others, trying to understand their thoughts, motives, feelings. 2 exercises: "Observing-thoughts Meditation" \& "Perspective Dyad".
AFFECT: Cultivate emotional/motivational aspects of compassion; cultivate a sense of benevolence, love, care, "opening the heart" for oneself and others; work with obstacles, e.g. fear, anger or sadness ("emotion acceptance"); pro-social motivations as an alley towards loving / benevolent feelings and as a consequence of them. 2 exercises: "Loving-kindness Meditation" \& "Affect Dyad".
Presence - Affect - Perspective.
As specified above however the order is interchanged between the cohorts TC1 and TC2.
Affect
AFFECT: Cultivate emotional/motivational aspects of compassion; cultivate a sense of benevolence, love, care, "opening the heart" for oneself and others; work with obstacles, e.g. fear, anger or sadness ("emotion acceptance"); pro-social motivations as an alley towards loving / benevolent feelings and as a consequence of them. 2 exercises: "Loving-kindness Meditation" \& "Affect Dyad".
Eligibility Criteria
Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.
Inclusion Criteria
Exclusion Criteria
* does not have a PC with internet connection at home
* does not speak and understand German fluently
* has studied or is studying Psychology/Psychotherapy
* has a daily meditation practice
* attended a meditation retreat within the last 2 years
* exceeds normal BDI
* not able to lie still in MRT scanner for scanning duration
* is pregnant or in lactation or plans to become pregnant
* has had a larger surgery or plans to have one during the next year
* has metal parts in the body (due to MRT scanning)
* has a cardiac pacemaker
* carries an insulin or medicine pump
* carries a shunt
* has a heart valve
* has an inner ear implant
* carries metal, piercings or electronics on / in the body, that cannot be removed
* has a tattoo in the head / throat area
* works in the field of metal processing (if that leads to small metal parts on the body, that cannot be removed)
* has dyslexia or ametropia
* has claustrophobia (MRI scanner)
* has severe hearing problems (MRI scanner)
* has limitations with motor functions
* has or had a severe injury in the head area
* has or had a neurological disease (meningitis, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarct, brain trauma, coma etc.)
* has or had epilepsy
* has a severe disease targeting the musculoskeletal system
* has a heart disease
* has a (peripheral) vascular disease, circulatory disorder, Raynaud´s disease
* has a liver disease
* has a respiratory disease
* has an affected kidney
* has an advanced multiple sclerosis
* has an infection (e.g., HIV)
* is in treatment due to chronic pain
* is on medication that effects the central nervous system (psychotropic drugs) during the last three months
* has been diagnosed with a mental health disease and is in treatment at the moment or within the last 2 years
* reaches clinical scores in the following questionnaires: TAS-20, MDI, STAI-trait, PHQ;
* reaches clinical scores following DSM-IV as determined by a SCID I and SCID II clinical interview
20 Years
55 Years
ALL
Yes
Sponsors
Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.
European Research Council
OTHER
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
OTHER
Responsible Party
Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.
Principal Investigators
Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.
Tania Singer, Prof. Dr.
Role: STUDY_CHAIR
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Locations
Explore where the study is taking place and check the recruitment status at each participating site.
Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences
Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
Max Planck Institute, Humboldt University, Campus Nord, Haus 5
Berlin, State of Berlin, Germany
Countries
Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.
References
Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.
Bockler A, Singer T. Longitudinal evidence for differential plasticity of cognitive functions: Mindfulness-based mental training enhances working memory, but not perceptual discrimination, response inhibition, and metacognition. J Exp Psychol Gen. 2022 Jul;151(7):1573-1590. doi: 10.1037/xge0001143. Epub 2021 Nov 29.
Puhlmann LMC, Vrticka P, Linz R, Stalder T, Kirschbaum C, Engert V, Singer T. Contemplative Mental Training Reduces Hair Glucocorticoid Levels in a Randomized Clinical Trial. Psychosom Med. 2021 Oct 1;83(8):894-905. doi: 10.1097/PSY.0000000000000970.
Puhlmann LMC, Valk SL, Engert V, Bernhardt BC, Lin J, Epel ES, Vrticka P, Singer T. Association of Short-term Change in Leukocyte Telomere Length With Cortical Thickness and Outcomes of Mental Training Among Healthy Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2019 Sep 4;2(9):e199687. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2019.9687.
Hildebrandt LK, McCall C, Singer T. Socioaffective versus sociocognitive mental trainings differentially affect emotion regulation strategies. Emotion. 2019 Dec;19(8):1329-1342. doi: 10.1037/emo0000518. Epub 2018 Dec 27.
Kok BE, Singer T. Effects of Contemplative Dyads on Engagement and Perceived Social Connectedness Over 9 Months of Mental Training: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2017 Feb 1;74(2):126-134. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.3360.
Related Links
Access external resources that provide additional context or updates about the study.
Homepage of the ReSource Project Webpage
Other Identifiers
Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.
ReSource
Identifier Type: -
Identifier Source: org_study_id