Overview
- The peer-reviewed study in Communications Biology evaluated a seven-day residential program that combined lectures, roughly 33 hours of guided meditation, group healing practices, and an open-label placebo design.
- Pre- and post-retreat fMRI showed reduced activity in regions associated with internal mental chatter alongside altered connectivity consistent with more efficient brain function.
- Blood analyses found increases in endogenous opioids, shifts toward glycolytic metabolism, adaptive immune signaling, and changes in small RNA and gene activity related to brain pathways.
- Post-retreat plasma promoted neurite growth and greater synaptic connectivity in cultured neurons while boosting sugar-burning metabolism in treated cells.
- Participants reported higher Mystical Experience Questionnaire scores, with authors noting connectivity patterns resembling psilocybin studies, and the team emphasized the small, uncontrolled sample, disclosed funding from InnerScience and the VA, and outlined plans to isolate components, assess durability, and test clinical populations.