Emotion Prosthetics for Augmentation of Mindfulness

For the past decade, prospective studies have shown that positive emotions have been
correlated with physical health and longevity. Those who experience more positive emotions
have fewer colds, reduced inflammation, and can recover from stress more effectively.
According to the Fredrickson's broaden and build theory, positive emotion such as joy,
interest, love and contentment can broaden an individual's thought-action repertoire and
build on that individual's personal resources, which should lead to an upward spiral of
positive emotion that can counter downward spirals of negativity and stress. Induction of
positive emotion has been shown to broaden scope of attention using a global-local visual
processing task, increase breadth of thought-action repertoire using a thought listing task,
and result in faster recovery from cardiovascular sequelae of negative emotions. Perceived
positive social connections increase positive emotions, an effect moderated in part by
baseline vagal tone.

Mindfulness interventions also have physical and mental health benefits. Mindfulness can be
defined as moment-to-moment awareness in one's present experience and adopting an attitude of
openness or acceptance toward one's experience. Standard protocol for Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction (MBSR) consists of 8 weekly 2.5-hour group sessions and has been applied to
many populations including those with depression and anxiety. There are also brief
experimental mindful attention inductions that have been developed although these approaches
appear to have small and transient effects. Positive predictors of mindfulness include
individuals with higher self-esteem, autonomy and competence. Negative predictors of
mindfulness include individuals with higher levels of neuroticism trait, anxiety, depression,
and negative affectivity. However, studies have also shown that mindfulness is less effective
when individuals behave compulsively or automatically, without awareness or attention to
one's behavior.

Prior research has shown that mindfulness do affect markers of calmness and stress, including
heart rate variability (HRV), galvanic skin response (HRV), and EEG. Stress is characterized
by hyper-reactivity in the sympathetic nervous system which is associated with increased
arousal and vigilance, and compromised reactivity of the parasympathetic nervous system,
which helps to regulate emotion and stress responses. HRV is widely used as a biomarker for
the coordinated activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous symptom. A calmer,
less stressful state is typically marked by increased HRV, likely attributed to respiration
based parasympathetic stimulation. GSR is also a reliable index for sweat gland activity and
changes in activation level of the sympathetic nervous system, and GSR usually increases with
higher levels of stress. EEG changes, such as elevated prefrontal gamma and theta, have also
been associated with state of relaxed alertness.

Large scientific literature supports the role of vibration in regulating physiology. Based on
literature, slow whole-body vibration, in the 0.01 to 0.3 Hz range, is associated with
increased ratings of pleasantness and increased parasympathetic tone. Stimulation at about
100 Hz has been shown to activate the posterior insula which is associated with increased
attention to interoception, as promoted in many meditative traditions. Transcutaneous targets
for the vibration frequencies have also been identified, including stellate ganglion and
vagus nerve. Currently, in Dr. Siegle's lab, TVS has been shown to reduce subjective stress,
increase positive affect, along with increases in behavioral performance. The investigators
hypothesize that TVS added to mindfulness will increase positive emotions and heighten state
of awareness, leading to broadening of perspectives in individuals.

Inclusion Criteria:

- Male/female who are 18 - 58 years of age

Exclusion Criteria:

- Refusal or inability to provide informed consent

- Current suicidal or homicidal ideation with intent and/or plan that, in the
judgment of the investigator

- Meets current DSM-V criteria for substance dependence (except nicotine or
caffeine), traumatic brain injury, bipolar affective disorder, schizophrenia or
any psychotic disorder.

- Has unstable or serious medical illness, including history of stroke, seizure
disorder, or unstable cardiac disease, that would interfere with participation in
the intervention

- Taking medications that could affect thinking which must be taken on the day of
testing, or dependence on psychoactive drugs (prescription or non-prescription)
that could affect thinking. That is, participants need to be able to think
clearly to complete the proposed information processing tasks. And they need to
be able to learn to be able to make use of the intervention. Examples of drugs
which could affect performance on cognitive tasks or the administered
physiological measures include beta-blockers, benzodiazepines, antipsychotics,
stimulants, narcotics, and anti--Parkinsonian drugs.

- Severe cognitive impairment or severe trauma

- Unable to comprehend or communicate in English, and unable to complete
questionnaires written in English.

- Having any eye problems or difficulties in corrected vision or hearing

- Having a North American Adult Reading Test (NAART) equivalent FSIQ < 85

Specific Exclusions for acoustic vibration include:

-- Any electrical implant (pacemaker, vagus nerve stimulator, etc).