Change in Sense of Nondual Awareness and Spiritual Awakening in Response to a Multidimensional Well-Being Program.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the effects of a comprehensive mind-body program on sense of nondual awareness and spiritual awakening. DESIGN AND INTERVENTION: The study compared the effects of participation in an intensive 6-day Ayurveda-based mind-body program that addressed physical, emotional, and spiritual domains as compared with a control condition. SETTING: Resort setting. SUBJECTS: Participants were 69 healthy women and men (mean age 53.9 years; range 32-86). OUTCOME MEASURE: The primary outcome was the Nondual Embodiment Thematic Inventory (NETI). RESULTS: A significant group by time interaction (p = 0.029) indicated that after the intervention, participants in the mind-body program showed a significant increase in NETI scores (p < 0.03), which was sustained 1 month later (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that an intensive program providing holistic instruction and experience in mind-body practices can lead to a significant and sustained shift in perception of self-awareness, one that is likely favorable to well-being.

Duke Scholars

Author P. Murali Doraiswamy Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...