Evidence Based

At Boldly we are serious about bringing you evidence-based teachings and techniques.

All of the teachings and practices featured in our meditations, programs, courses, and experiences are drawn from Western Philosophy, Ancient Wisdom, Neuroscience, Physics and Positive Psychology.

Breathwork, Consciousness

Measure of Significance of Holotropic Breathwork in the Development of Self-Awareness

This study aims to investigate whether breathing techniques, namely Holotropic Breathwork, can aid in the development of self-awareness. To do this, they used both a quasi-experiment design and multiple case studies. The 20 participants participated in 4 Holotropic Breathwork sessions separated by 12-weeks over the course of the experimental portion. The findings demonstrated that novices experienced positive temperament changes, while experienced participants exhibited positive changes in character traits. However, all participants demonstrated enhanced self-awareness, as evidenced by reduced scores in persistence temperament, interpersonal problems, accommodation tendencies, neediness, and hostility.

Breathwork, Mental Health

Brief Structured Respiration Practices Enhance Mood and Reduce Physiological Arousal

This study compares three types of daily 5-min breathwork exercises (cyclic sighing, box breathing, and cyclic hyperventilation with retention) with 5 minutes of mindfulness meditation over a 1-month period. The results showed that the exhale-focused cyclic sighing showed the most significant mode of improvement and reduction in physiological arousal and anxiety.

Generosity, Happiness

A Neural Link Between Generosity and Happiness

This study aims to explore the link between public pledges for future generosity and happiness using functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI. The experimental group publicly declared to spend money on others, while the control group announced they would spend money on themselves. They found that people in the experimental group made more generous decisions in the following tasks than those in the control and showed a stronger increase in their self-reported happiness scores. The fMRI revealed that the generous decisions activated the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) more strongly in the experimental group vs. the control, and the connectivity between TPJ and ventral striatum varied between groups. This striatal activity can be directly related to variations in happiness.

Meditation, Mental Health

Introducing Qigong Meditation into Residential Addiction Treatment: A Pilot Study Where Gender Makes a Difference

In this study, they measure the effect of Qigong meditation, a blend of relaxation, breathing, guided imagery, inward attention, and mindfulness, on addiction recovery. Those who chose to participate in the meditation showed a treatment completion rate of 92% versus 78% (p < 01) and reported a reduction in craving, anxiety, and withdrawal symptoms, although it was dependent on the quality they approached the meditation with. While all in the meditation group reported reduced anxiety, the female participants reported significantly more reduction in anxiety and withdrawal symptoms than their male counterparts. Overall this shows positive evidence for the integration of meditation into established addiction recovery procedures.

Meditation, Mental Health

Meditation as a Coping Intervention for Treatment of Addiction

Psychological stress can be viewed as an imbalance in person‐environment relationships. This relationship is mediated by 2 main factors: cognitive appraisal and coping. If a situation is appraised as stressful, negative coping will occur. One such coping mechanism is substance abuse. This paper explores the use of meditation as an alternative coping strategy. Meditation affects the appraisal of the situation helping people to avoid judgment and instead except the present moment. Mindful meditation can help to recover addicts and form an alternative relationship to difficult thoughts, feelings, and sensations associated with withdrawal and thus decrease relapse and suffering.

Meditation, Mental Health

Impact of Transcendental Meditation on Psychotropic Medication Use Among Active Duty Military Service Members With Anxiety and PTSD

This study was conducted on 74 military Service Members with documented PTSD or ADNOS diagnoses. 34 received training and performed Transcendental Meditation, once per day, five days per week for a minimum of 3 months in addition to their traditional therapies. This experimental group showed a decrease in medication reliance and psychological symptom severity compared to the control. This shows that meditation can help stabilize and reduce PTSD symptoms in as little as a month, with increased duration leading to a better response.

Consciousness, Mental Health

The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Mental Health

This paper summarizes findings showing religion and spirituality may have a protective effect on mental health. A Nurses’ Health Study demonstrated a correlation between regular service attendance and lower levels of depression and suicide. This can be attributed to religion fostering healthy behaviors, social integration, providing social support, and enhancing optimism and a sense of purpose in life. Additionally, a meta-analysis of ten prospective studies with over 136,000 participants found that having a higher sense of purpose in life was associated with a reduced relative risk of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events.

Meditation, Mental Health

Effects of Transcendental Meditation in Veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PTSD is an anxiety disorder stemming from traumatic events and comes with persistent symptoms of increased arousal and exaggerated sympathetic stress response. It is very common among veterans but can be very challenging and expensive to treat. This study followed five men between the ages of 25 and 40 with a history of combat-related PTSD. They practiced Transcendental Meditation for 20 minutes twice a day. All participants found the meditations relaxing and easy to perform and reported reduced anxiety and stress levels. However, without a control group placebo cannot be ruled out.

Evidence Based

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