2024

Schuman-Olivier Z, Gawande R, Creedon TB, Comeau A, Griswold T, Smith LB, To MN, Wilson CL, Loucks EB, Cook BL. Change starts with the body: Interoceptive appreciation mediates the effect of mindfulness training on behavior change - an effect moderated by depression severity. Psychiatry Res. 2024 Oct 19;342:116230. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.116230. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39489994.

To, M. N., & Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2024). Integrating choice points into mindfulness training for the dissociative subtype of PTSD: A case report. Psychiatry Research Case Reports, 3(1), 100218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psycr.2024.100218.

This case study explores how mindfulness training can be adapted to help individuals with dissociative PTSD (PTSD-D). By integrating choice points into mindfulness sessions, the program helped a participant with dissociative symptoms improve emotional regulation and self-compassion while maintaining a sense of safety throughout the training.

2023

Gawande R, Smith L, Comeau A, Creedon TB, Wilson CL, Griswold T, Cook BL, Loucks EB, Schuman-Olivier Z. Impact of warm mindfulness on emotion regulation: A randomized controlled effectiveness trial. Health Psychol. 2023 Oct;42(10):699-711. doi: 10.1037/hea0001303. Epub 2023 Jul 6. PMID: 37410421; PMCID: PMC10529078.

Schuman-Olivier, Z., Fatkin, T., Creedon, T. B., Samawi, F., Moore, S. K., Okst, K., Fredericksen, A. K., Oxnard, A. S., Roll, D., Smith, L., Cook, B. L., & Weiss, R. D. (2023). Effects of a trauma-informed mindful recovery program on comorbid pain, anxiety, and substance use during primary care buprenorphine treatment: A proof-of-concept study. American Journal of Addiction, 32(3), 244–253. https://doi.org/10.1111/ajad.13364.

This proof-of-concept study examined the impact of the 24-week Mindful Recovery Opioid Use Care Continuum (M-ROCC) program on patients with opioid use disorder undergoing buprenorphine treatment. The program significantly reduced pain, anxiety, and substance use, while increasing mindfulness, self-compassion, and body awareness. Participants reported using mindfulness practices to manage stress and pain, suggesting this trauma-informed approach could enhance care for individuals with opioid addiction.

2022

Datko M, Lutz J, Gawande R, Comeau A, To MN, Desel T, Gan J, Desbordes G, Napadow V, Schuman-Olivier Z. Increased insula response to interoceptive attention following mindfulness training is associated with increased body trusting among patients with depression. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2022 Dec;327:111559. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2022.111559. Epub 2022 Oct 22. PMID: 36308976.

Moore SK, Okst K, Smith L, Fatkin T, Creedon T, Fredericksen AK, Gawande R, and Schuman-Olivier Z (2022) “Today I Can Look in the Mirror and Like Myself”: Effects of a Trauma-Informed Mindful Recovery Program on Self-Compassion. Front. Psychol. 13:780383. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780383

2021

Trombka M, Creedon TB, Demarzo M, Cuoco LT, Smith L, Oxnard AC, Rozembaque AT, Hirayama MS, Moreno NB, Comeau A, Gawande R, Griswold T, Cook BL, Rocha NS, Schuman-Olivier Z. Mindfulness Training for Primary Care for Portuguese-Speaking Immigrants: A Pilot Study. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Sep 9;12:664381. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.664381. PMID: 34566708; PMCID: PMC8458702.

Fatkin, T., Moore, S. K., Okst, K., Creedon, T. B., Samawi, F., Fredericksen, A. K., Roll, D., Oxnard, A., Cook, B. L., & Schuman-Olivier, Z. (2021). Feasibility and acceptability of mindful recovery opioid use care continuum (M-ROCC): A concurrent mixed methods study. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 130, 108415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108415.

This pilot study tested the Mindful Recovery Opioid Use Care Continuum (M-ROCC), a 24-week mindfulness program designed to complement buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder. Participants with significant trauma histories found the program highly acceptable, with strong retention rates and increased mindfulness skills. Results suggest that integrating mindfulness into primary care opioid treatment may enhance patient retention and address co-occurring mental health challenges.

2020

Schuman-Olivier Z, Trombka M, Lovas DA, Brewer JA, Vago DR, Gawande R, Dunne JP, Lazar SW, Loucks EB, Fulwiler C. Mindfulness and Behavior Change. Harv Rev Psychiatry. 2020 Nov/Dec;28(6):371-394. doi: 10.1097/HRP.0000000000000277. PMID: 33156156; PMCID: PMC7647439.

Berry MP, Lutz J, Schuman-Olivier Z, Germer C, Pollak S, Edwards RR, Gardiner P, Desbordes G, Napadow V. Brief Self-Compassion Training Alters Neural Responses to Evoked Pain for Chronic Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study. Pain Med. 2020 Oct 1;21(10):2172-2185. doi: 10.1093/pm/pnaa178. PMID: 32783054; PMCID: PMC7593799.

Lutz J, Berry MP, Napadow V, Germer C, Pollak S, Gardiner P, Edwards RR, Desbordes G, Schuman-Olivier Z. Neural activations during self-related processing in patients with chronic pain and effects of a brief self-compassion training – A pilot study. Psychiatry Res Neuroimaging. 2020 Oct 30;304:111155. doi: 10.1016/j.pscychresns.2020.111155. Epub 2020 Jul 30. PMID: 32799058.

2019

Gawande R, Pine E, Griswold T, Creedon T, Vallejo Z, Rosenbaum E, Lozada A, Schuman-Olivier Z. Insurance-Reimbursable Mindfulness for Safety-Net Primary Care Patients: a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Mindfulness (N Y). 2019 Sep;10(9):1744-1759. doi: 10.1007/s12671-019-01116-8. Epub 2019 Mar 18. PMID: 32042349; PMCID: PMC7009938.

2018

Gawande R, To MN, Pine E, Griswold T, Creedon TB, Brunel A, Lozada A, Loucks EB, Schuman-Olivier Z. Mindfulness Training Enhances Self-Regulation and Facilitates Health Behavior Change for Primary Care Patients: a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Gen Intern Med. 2019 Feb;34(2):293-302. doi: 10.1007/s11606-018-4739-5. Epub 2018 Dec 3. PMID: 30511291; PMCID: PMC6374253.

Featured News: CMC was awarded a research grant titled “Neural and physiologic effects of self-compassion on chronic pain” from the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.  This grant provides seed funding for a pilot neuroimaging study examining self-compassion training for people experiencing chronic lower back pain.