NCT07173608

Transforming Adolescent Perception and Mental Health Through Meditation and Cognitive Reappraisal A Mixed Method Study

• Status: Not Yet Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 96 (estimated)
• Sponsor: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 15 Years – 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

This study will evaluate how a comprehensive meditation-based program, Inner Engineering, supports teens ages 15-18 in becoming more joyful, focused, resilient, and better equipped to manage stress and thrive. Through this study, researchers will examine whether practices like meditation, yoga, and cognitive reframing can help adolescents view and respond to challenges with greater clarity and balance. The study will assess mental and physical impacts through self-report, physiological, and neuroimaging methods.

Detailed description

Adolescence is a critical developmental period marked by heightened vulnerability to mental health challenges and increased neuroplasticity, making it an ideal window for preventive interventions. This mixed-method randomized controlled trial (RCT) evaluates the efficacy of a secular, multimodal contemplative program-Inner Engineering-in enhancing psychological wellbeing, cognitive flexibility, and physiological balance among adolescents aged 15-18. Participants (N=96) will be randomized to either the intervention or a meditation-naïve control group. The intervention training integrates cognitive reappraisal, breath-based meditation, and yoga-based postures, followed by daily practice. Assessments will occur at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks, and will include self-report questionnaires, behavioral tasks, EEG, fMRI, wearable physiological monitoring (including heartrate, sleep, respiration), and blood-based biomarkers of inflammation and neuroplasticity. Qualitative interviews will provide additional insight into the lived experiences of intervention participants. The intervention aims to enabling more adaptive, inclusive, and empowered ways of perceiving external situations and internal states. This is the first comprehensive RCT to investigate the multidimensional impact of an integrated contemplative program on the developing adolescent mental health, physiological and neural outcomes and perception . Findings may support scalable, evidence-based contemplative education tools to promote clarity, resilience, and expanded perception in youth.

Conditions

• Meditation
• Cognitive Reappraisal
• Emotional Regulation

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Inner Engineering Program	The intervention is a comprehensive secular training called Inner Engineering (IE), offered by the international non-profit Isha Foundation. This program combines cognitive reappraisal and emotion regulation strategies, breath-based meditation and simple yoga practices. The training provides precise, step by step and easy to follow instructions on how to perform the practices. No previous experience of yoga and meditation is required. By fostering health, exuberance and awareness, one can "engineer their inner climate the way they want it" to lead a joyful, fulfilling life. Previous research shows improved wellbeing, mindfulness, joy, sleep, relationships, psychological capital, and work engagement, compassion, and parent-child relationships. Evidence suggest it may promote enhanced Heart Rate Variability and Sympathovagal balance.

Timeline

• Start date: 2026-02-01
• Primary completion: 2028-02-01
• Completion: 2028-03-01
• First posted: 2025-09-15
• Last updated: 2026-01-21