Focused attention
Return after distraction — the basic rep.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Research82
Awareness88
Complexity68
Clinical weight62
Plasticity76
Live debate71
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Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology
Quick answers
Where should I start with Contemplative Practice?
Read Overview → Anatomy → Function, then use compare rails.
Is this page advice for Contemplative Practice?
Educational atlas — not a diagnosis, treatment plan, or medical advice.
What does the local lens add?
It names everyday desks for Cognition before English norms look universal.
Are the scores a ranking of Contemplative Practice?
No — editorial 0–100 browsing aids inside this atlas only.
How do I compare Contemplative Practice to neighbours?
Use related cards and best-of / quiz rails after the first three chapters.
Which chapter is densest?
Anatomy and Function carry mechanisms; skim Overview first.
Functions cluster around attention stability, meta-awareness, reappraisal and social co-regulation.
Different lineages emphasise different stacks — insight, devotion, compassion, emptiness rhetoric.
Processes
Open monitoring
Noting arising events without chasing.
Loving-kindness / compassion
Affective training toward self and other.
Devotional absorption
Meaning-rich focus that recruits expectancy and belonging.
Confession / reflection
Narrative updating of moral self — psychological, not only ritual.
Rest
Recovery of control resources; not always “enlightenment”.
Networks
Executive80
Salience70
Default55
Affective66
Autonomic60
Executive
Voluntary control emphasis (editorial).
Salience
Switching and body marking.
Default
Mind-wandering and self-talk dynamics.
Affective
Compassion and fear circuits under training claims.
Autonomic
Breath-coupled state change.
Examples
Temple stay (Korea)
Communal rhythm, silence and labour as regulation technology.
Zazen
Posture and breath with minimal discursive content.
Liturgical prayer
Repeated forms recruit memory and belonging.
Clinic mindfulness
Secular framing of attention skills for specific outcomes.
Compare with Emotion and Attention topics for shared circuitry.
Sources & research
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overviewDOIPubMed
- The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depressionDOIPubMed
- Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-beingCautious meta-analytic tone.DOIPubMed
- Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health careDOI
- The varieties of religious experience
- Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapiesDOIPubMed
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