Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Preliminary Study of New Positive Psychology Interventions: Neurofeedback-Aided Meditation Therapy and Modified Positive Psychotherapy

  • Published:
Current Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of new Positive Psychology Interventions (PPIs) - NeuroFeedBack-aided meditation therapy (NFB meditation therapy) and modified Positive Psychotherapy (mPPT). For NFB meditation therapy, it includes using NFB apparatus that can effectively lead to and monitor meditation state depending on brain waves. For mPPT, we modified original PPT because a number of new single positive psychology exercises can make original PPT more robust than before. The dependent variables used in this study were psychosocial flourishing (The Flourishing Scale, FS) and affect (The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience, SPANE). They were measured at baseline, post-test, and follow-up test. Finally, total twenty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: no treatment (n = 8), NFB meditation therapy (n = 8), and mPPT group (n = 8). At post-test, both treatment groups showed significant positive effects on psychosocial flourishing (for NFB meditation therapy, F(1, 14) = 4.33, p < .10, η 2 = .24; for mPPT, F(1, 14) = 6.94, p < .05, η 2 = .33)), positive affect (for NFB meditation therapy, F(1, 14) = 2.18; for mPPT, F(1, 14) = 2.00, p < .10, η 2 = .13), and negative affect (for NFB meditation therapy, F(1, 14) = 5.97, p < .05, η 2 = .30; for mPPT, F(1, 14) = 7.95, p < .01, η 2 = .36) compared to the no treatment group. At follow-up study, both treatment groups still showed significant positive effects on psychosocial flourishing and affect compared to the baseline condition. The NFB meditation therapy showed a greater increase in subjective well-being compared to the mPPT, while the mPPT showed a greater increase in psychosocial well-being compared to the NFB meditation therapy. As a preliminary study, it is expected that our findings could help future research to design better PPIs for human well-being.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Baird, B., Mrazek, M. D., Phillips, D. T., & Schooler, J. W. (2014). Domain-specific enhancement of metacognitive ability following meditation training. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(5), 1972–1979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basmajian, J. V. (1979). Biofeedback: Principles and practice for clinicians. Williams & Wilkins.

  • Benson, H., Beary, J. F., & Carol, M. P. (1974). The relaxation response. Psychiatry: Journal for the Study of Interpersonal Processes, 37(1), 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). Practicing positive psychology coaching: Assessment, activities and strategies for success. John Wiley & Sons.

  • Bolier, L., Haverman, M., Westerhof, G. J., Riper, H., Smit, F., & Bohlmeijer, E. (2013). Positive psychology interventions: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled studies. BMC Public Health, 13(1), 119–138.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bryant, F. B., & Veroff, J. (2007). Savoring. Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Budzynski, T. H., Budzynski, H. K., Evans, J. R., & Abarbanel, A. (2009). Introduction to quantitative EEG and neurofeedback. Boston: Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheavens, J. S., Feldman, D. B., Gum, A., Michael, S. T., & Snyder, C. R. (2006). Hope therapy in a community sample: A pilot investigation. Social Indicators Research, 77(1), 61–78.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chon, K.K., Choi, S. J.,& Yang, B.C. (2001). Integrated Adaptation of CES-D in Korea. Korean Journal of Health Psychology, 6(1), 59-76.

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Routledge Academic.

  • Compton, W. C. (2005). Introduction to Positive Psychology. Belmont, CA, US: Thomson Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cowan, J. D. (2008). Brain waves pattern themselves after rhythms of nature. University of Chicago news office, Feburary 15, 2008.

  • Davidson, R. J., Ekman, P., Saron, C. D., Senulis, J. A., & Friesen, W. V. (1990). Approach-withdrawal and cerebral asymmetry: Emotional expression and brain physiology. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 58, 330–341.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Demos, J. N. (2005). Getting started with neurofeedback. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95, 542–575.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. D., Emmons, R. A., Larsen, R. J., & Griffin, S. (1985). The satisfaction with life scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 49(1), 71–75.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E., Sandvik, E., & Pavot, W. (2009). Happiness is the frequency, not the intensity, of positive versus negative affect. In E. Diener (Ed.), (pp. 213–231) Springer Netherlands.

  • Diener, E., Wirtz, D., Tov, W., Kim-Prieto, C., Choi, D., Oishi, S., & Biswas-Diener, R. (2010). New well-being measures: Short scales to assess flourishing and positive and negative feelings. Social Indicators Research, 97, 143–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, X., Tang, Y.-Y., Tang, R., & Posner, M. I. (2014). Improving creativity performance by short-term meditation. Behavioral and Brain Functions, 10(1), 1–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edmonds, W. A., & Tenenbaum, G. (2012). Case studies in applied psychophysiology. Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377–389.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, J. R., & Abarbanel, A. (Eds.). (1999). Introduction to quantitative EEG and neurofeedback. Elsevier.

  • Fava, G. A., & Ruini, C. (2003). Development and characteristics of a well-being enhancing psychotherapeutic strategy: Well-being therapy. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 34, 45–63.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fordyce, M. W. (1977). Development of a program to increase personal happiness. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 24, 511–520.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fordyce, M. W. (1983). A program to increase happiness: Further studies. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30, 483–498.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frisch, M. B. (2006). Quality of life therapy: Applying a life satisfaction approach to positive psychology and cognitive therapy. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fromm, E., Suzuki, D. T., & De Martino, R. (1960). Zen Buddhism and psychoanalysis.

  • Galante, J., Galante, I., Bekkers, M., & Gallacher, J. (2014). Effect of kindness-based meditation on health and well-being: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(6), 1101–1114.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gard, T., Hölzel, B. K., & Lazar, S. W. (2014). The potential effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline: A systematic review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1307(1), 89–103.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go, there you are. New York: Hyperion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabat‐Zinn, J. (2003). Mindfulness‐based interventions in context: past, present, and future. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 144–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khoury, B., Lecomte, T., Fortin, G., Masse, M., Therien, P., Bouchard, V., & Hofmann, S. G. (2013). Mindfulness-based therapy: A comprehensive meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review, 33(6), 763–771.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • King, L. A. (2001). The health benefits of writing about life goals. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27, 798–807.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • La Cour, P., & Petersen, M. (2015). Effects of mindfulness meditation on chronic pain: A randomized controlled trial. Pain Medicine, 16(4), 641–652.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • LaMantia, A. S. & Katz, L. C. (2001). Plasticity of mature synapses and circuits. Neuroscience, 2nd edition. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc., 535–62.

  • Langer, E. J. (2002). Well-being: Mindfulness versus positive psychology. In C. R. S. Snyder & S. J. Lopez (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology (pp. 214–230). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewinsohn, P. M., Seeley, J. R., Roberts, R. E., & Allen, N. B. (1997). Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D) as a screening instrument for depression among community-residing older adults. Psychology and Aging, 12, 277–287.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Linley, P. A., & Harrington, S. (2006). Strengths coaching: A potential-guided approach to coaching psychology. International Coaching Psychology Review, 1, 37–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutz, A., Slagter, H. A., Dunne, J. D., & Davidson, R. J. (2008). Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 12(4), 163–169.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S. (2007). The how of happiness. New York: Penguin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., Tkach, C., & Sheldon, K. M. (2004). Pursuing sustained happiness through random acts of kindness and counting one’s blessings: Tests of two six-week interventions. Unpublished raw data.

  • Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005a). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131, 803–855.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lyubomirsky, S., Sheldon, K. M., & Schkade, D. (2005b). Pursuing happiness: The architecture of sustainable change. Review of General Psychology: Review of General Psychology, 9, 111–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Manchester, C. F., Allen, T., & Tachiki, K. H. (1998). Treatment of dissociative identity disorder with neurotherapy and group self-exploration. Journal of Neurotherapy, 2(4), 40–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCullough, M. E., Emmons, R. A., & Tsang, J. (2002). The grateful disposition: A conceptual and empirical topography. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 82, 112–127.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Myers, A., & Hansen, C. H. (2012). Experimental psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Oman, D., Hedberg, J., & Thoresen, C. E. (2006). Passage meditation reduces perceived stress in health professionals: A randomized, controlled trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 74(4), 714–719.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parks-Sheiner, A. C. (2009). Positive psychotherapy: Building a model of empirically supported self-help (Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania).

  • Peniston, E. G., & Kulkosky, P. J. (1989). α‐θ Brainwave Training and β‐Endorphin Levels in Alcoholics. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 13(2), 271–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peniston, E. G., & Kulkosky, P. J. (1991). Alpha-theta brainwave neurofeedback for Vietnam veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Medical Psychotherapy, 4(1), 47–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. Oxford University Press.

  • Purves, D., Augustine, G. J., Fitzpatrick, D., Katz, L. C., LaMantia, A., McNamara, J. O., & Williams, S. M. (2001). Plasticity of mature synapses and circuits. In A. S. LaMantia & L. C. Katz (Eds.), Neuroscience (2nd ed., pp. 535–62). Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Radloff, L. S. (1977). The CES-D scale: A self-report depression scale for research in the general population. Applied Psychological Measurements, 1, 385–401.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rashid, T. & Seligman, M. E. P. (2013). Positive Psychotherapy in Current Psychotherapies, (10th Edition) by R. J. Corsini & D. Wedding, Belmont, CA: Cengage

  • Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sedlmeier, P., Eberth, J., Schwarz, M., Zimmermann, D., Haarig, F., Jaeger, S., & Kunze, S. (2012). The psychological effects of meditation: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 138(6), 1139.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Segal, Z. V., Williams, J. M. G., & Teasdale, J. D. (2012). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression. Guilford Press.

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (2002). Authentic happiness. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish. New York: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M., Steen, T., Park, N., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress - empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410–421.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P., Rashid, T., & Parks, A. C. (2006). Positive psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 61, 774–788.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shapiro, S. L., Schwartz, G. E., & Santerre, C. (2002). Meditation and positive psychology. Handbook of Positive Psychology, 2, 632–645.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheldon, K. M., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2006). How to increase and sustain positive emotion: The effects of expressing gratitude and visualizing best possible selves. Journal of Positive Psychology, 1, 73–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sin, N. L., & Lyubomirsky, S. (2009). Enhancing well‐being and alleviating depressive symptoms with positive psychology interventions: A practice‐friendly meta‐analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 65(5), 467–487.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Slife, B. D. (1990). Introduction and overview of the special issue on Aristotle. Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 10(1), 3–6. doi:10.1037/h0091487.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, W. P., Compton, W. C., & West, W. B. (1995). Meditation as an adjunct to a happiness enhancement program. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 51(2), 269–273.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, M., & Thompson, L. (2003). The neurofeedback book. Wheat Ridge, CO: Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tomarken, A. J., Davidson, R. J., Wheeler, R. E., & Doss, R. C. (1992). Individual differences in anterior brain asymmetry and fundamental dimensions of emotion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62, 676–687.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tracy, J. L., & Robins, R. W. (2004). Putting the self into self-conscious emotions: A theoretical model. Psychological Inquiry, 15, 103–125.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veenhoven, R., & Jonkers, T. (1984). Conditions of happiness (Vol. 2). Dordrecht: Reidel.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, B. A. (2005). Genuine happiness: Meditation as the path to fulfillment (p. 246). John Wiley & Sons.

  • Wallace, B. A., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). Mental balance and well-being: building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. American Psychologist, 61(7), 690–701.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neuropsychiatry, Wonkwang University Hospital, Iksan, Republic of Korea

    Kyusic Hwang

  2. Hyowon Psychological Service Center, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Aeran Kwon

  3. Department of Psychology, Pusan National University, 30 Jangjeon-dong, Geumjeong-gu, Busan, 609-735, Republic of Korea

    Changhee Hong

Authors
  1. Kyusic Hwang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aeran Kwon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Changhee Hong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Changhee Hong.

Ethics declarations

This study was not funded by any grant.

Conflict of Interest

All authors declare that they do not have any conflict of interest.

Ethical Approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Before participant recruitment, the research plan was approved by the university Internal Review Board (IRB). The study was not reviewed by the medical ethics committee of the university hospital IRB because the study did not include any intrusive medical devices; the NFB apparatus is registered as a non-intrusive measurement device and is a training hardware for use in psychology research. After the study completion, the research completion report was also approved by the university IRB.

Informed Consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Appendix: Dependent Scales

Appendix: Dependent Scales

Flourishing Scale (FS)

Below are eight statements with which you may agree or disagree. Using the 1–7 scale below, indicate your agreement with each item by indicating that response for each statement (7 = strongly agree, 6 = agree, 5 = slightly agree, 4 = mixed or neither agree nor disagree, 3 = slightly disagree, 2 = disagree, 1 = strongly disagree).

  1. 1.

    I lead a purposeful and meaningful life

  2. 2.

    My social relationships are supportive and rewarding

  3. 3.

    I am engaged and interested in my daily activities

  4. 4.

    actively contribute to the happiness and well-being of others

  5. 5.

    I am competent and capable in the activities that are important to me

  6. 6.

    I am a good person and live a good life

  7. 7.

    I am optimistic about my future

  8. 8.

    People respect me

Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE)

Please think about what you have been doing and experiencing during the past 4 weeks. Then report how much you experienced each of the following feelings, using the scale below. For each item, select a number from 1 to 5, and indicate that number on your response sheet (1 = very rarely or never, 2 = rarely. 3 = sometimes, 4 = often, 5 = very often or always).

  1. 1.

    Positive

  2. 2.

    Negative

  3. 3.

    Good

  4. 4.

    Bad

  5. 5.

    Pleasant

  6. 6.

    Unpleasant

  7. 7.

    Happy

  8. 8.

    Sad

  9. 9.

    Afraid

  10. 10.

    Joyful

  11. 11.

    Angry

  12. 12.

    Contented

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hwang, K., Kwon, A. & Hong, C. A Preliminary Study of New Positive Psychology Interventions: Neurofeedback-Aided Meditation Therapy and Modified Positive Psychotherapy. Curr Psychol 36, 683–695 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-016-9538-8

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-016-9538-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation