The project
Friday January 24th, 2020

 Scientific assumptions: why meditation?

The WHO defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.” It is now well known and supported by an increasing number of scientific publications the beneficial effect of meditation on emotional, psychological, and physical levels. Through exercises on breathing and relaxation techniques, meditation becomes an important complement to traditional treatment of some diseases, for example those of a psychosomatic nature, and acts on strengthening the immune system that chronic stress threatens.  Our project, which has been active for more than 6 years, has had positive effects on hundreds of participants who have participated in meditation practice and the wellness events we have organized.  We have received positive feedback from participants as well as we found positive effects of meditation in our scientific research.

What is our mission?

Our goals include fostering the dissemination of meditation among the Italian population as well as to produce scientifically relevant data to contribute to the understanding of the effects of meditation on well-being. Our team is composed of people motivated to spread and study the benefits of meditation in its various aspects. Our journey is continually evolving, support and participate in our initiatives, we are waiting for you!

What projects have we carried out?

Through meditation projects aimed at a general audience, we enabled people who did not suffer from problems to experience the benefits of meditation on aspects of psychological life, such as emotional regulation and anxiety management, that affect our daily lives and well-being. Examples of these projects include “Let’s Meditate for Pavia,” “Cremona Meditates,” and “Meditation Pills” in which we developed meditation interventions aimed, respectively, at the population of Pavia, workers in a company, or the entire Italian population subjected to lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The people who participated in our projects were offered the opportunity to learn meditation techniques and experience its benefits on psychophysical health quickly and effectively. These projects have been complemented with numerous meditation sessions both in physical locations in the Pavia area and on digital platforms across Italy.  Other projects have focused on the use of meditation as a treatment for problems. In the project “Meditation & Nutrition” our goal has been to help people re-establish a healthier relationship with food and their bodies by providing them with special diets and dietary information as well as a meditation course.  In the project “Meditation & Sleep” we have targeted people with reduced sleep quality or actual sleep disorders and our goal was to help them re-establish healthier and more functional sleep patterns. With “MEDitiamo” addressed to medical students, our aim was to reduce the well-known load of anxiety, depression, burnout, and emotional discomfort which increasingly affects medical students.

What projects are currently underway?

  1. “Meditation for Psycho-physical well-being: neurophysiological and subjective indicators“. We are aiming to conduct a deeper investigation of the effects of meditation on participant’s psychophysical wellbeing. We will test brain activity with electroencephalogram (EEG) and use sensors to measure other physiological indicators such a Heart Rate Variability Rate and Respiration rates. The target population is young adults.
  2. Project of the Italian psychophysical wellbeing. For this project we have partnered with the Mental Health Million Project. The goal of this project has two purposes : 1) to measure the mental wellbeing across different regions of Italy and 2) to collect data that will be analyzed in scientific studies in order to plan future personalized programs that support health. The final Mental Health Quotient assessment will automatically provide a mental wellbeing score defined as a person’s ability to handle life and its various challenges. The responses collected will provide knowledge and insight into the mental wellbeing of the global population! Please click here to participate in Progetto di Benessere Psicofisico Italiano.

Phase 2 of Progetto di Benessere Psicofisico Italiano will be to implement and assess the beneficial causal effect of a composite mindfulness-based social intervention that includes meditation, nutrition, and physical activity. We intend to provide participants the tools to develop their own skills for promoting optimal mental and physical well-being. The use of digital health tools such as personal tracking devices, sensors and mobile apps will be used to measure physiological indicators. The target population is young adults (ages 18-34).

  1. Mindful Aging: Meditation for age-related cognitive decline and psycho-physical well-being. We will investigate the potential beneficial effects of meditation on age-related cognitive decline and new life challenges in older adults. The aim is to test if meditation can offset and enhance functions that decline as a part of the natural aging process and help promote improved psychological wellbeing. The effect of meditation intervention will be measured via assessments that include self -reported questionnaires aimed at evaluating a variety of psychological endpoint (e.g., psychological wellbeing, stress, anxiety, mindfulness etc.), and health related cognitive tasks.

 

Other initiatives

Finally, some of our other initiatives have been aimed at spreading scientific theories along with practical application of meditation. These include our “Neuroscience of Meditation” course held at the University of Pavia, where meditation experts and researchers gave lectures on the brain mechanisms involved in meditation. Also, for dissemination purposes, we held video conferences featuring meditation experts such as Daniel Lumera and Immaculata De Vivo. Not to leave anything out, we also dealt with art, organizing an exhibition at the University of Pavia that hosted some of the most distinguished representatives of the Quantum Creativity movement.

Where?
All our initiatives were held with the participation of the University of Pavia and the support of UNIVERSITITIAMO. Most of our in-presence meditation meetings are held at the beautiful “Aula del 400” (Piazza L. Da Vinci, 6, Pavia).

Results
The results of our scientific studies show that the meditation interventions we conducted among the population are causally associated with improvements in participants’ psychological functioning and well-being.

Scientific publications:

1) Short-Term Meditation Training Fosters Mindfulness and Emotion Regulation: Pilot Study: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.558803/full

2) Boosting psychological well-being through a social mindfulness-based intervention in the general population: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8404/htm

3) Mindfulness meditation training in an occupational setting: Effects of a 12-weeks mindfulness-based intervention on wellbeing: https://content.iospress.com/articles/work/wor210510

4)  Online Short-Term Mindfulness-Based Intervention During COVID-19 Quarantine in Italy: Effects on Wellbeing, Stress, and Anxiety: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.914183/full

5) Improving stress management, anxiety, and mental well-being in medical students through an online Mindfulness-Based Intervention: a randomized study. In review

6) Beneficial effects of an online mindfulness-based intervention on sleep quality in Italian poor-sleepers during the COVID-19 pandemic: a randomized trial. In review

Links:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MeditiamoInsiemePavia

Instagram: www.instagram.com/meditiamoinsieme

YouTube: Scienza Meditazione

Email: scienzaemeditazione@gmail.com

 

Goals

Step 1: 3.500 euro

Completion of the project “Let’s meditate for Pavia” and publishing the study results:
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8404/htm

Step 2: 5.000 euro

Completion of the project “Cremona Meditates” and publishing the study results:
https://content.iospress.com/articles/work/wor210510

Step 3: 9.000 euro

Development of “Meditation and Nutrition” course, completion of the project “Meditation Pills” and publishing the study results:
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.914183/full

Step 4: 14.000 euro

Completion of the projects “Meditation and Sleep” e “MEDitiamo” and the results of the studies waiting for publication.

Step 5: 25.000 euro

Organization and development of the projects “Meditation for Psycho-physical well-being: neurophysiological and subjective indicators” and “Project of the Italian psychophysical wellbeing”, including data analysis and elaboration of results.

Video

Media Gallery

Rewards

50 euro

Spilla personalizzata con il logo del progettoSpilla personalizzata con il logo del progetto

100 euro

Maglietta personalizzata con il logo del progetto

500 euro

Ringraziamento nella pubblicazione

Team

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Luisa Bernardinelli

Prof. | Founder

Luisa Bernardinelli

Prof. | Founder
Head of Medical and Genomic Statistics Unit, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia Complete CV
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Salvatore Bruno

Trainer di meditazione

Salvatore Bruno

Trainer di meditazione
Naturopath and counsellor at the Istituto di Psicosintesi in Milan Complete CV
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Gabriella Bottini

Professoressa Ordinaria di Neuroscienze Cognitive | Founder

Gabriella Bottini

Professoressa Ordinaria di Neuroscienze Cognitive | Founder
Gabriella Bottini è Professoressa Ordinaria di Neuroscienze Cognitive presso il Dipartimento di Scienze del Sistema Nervoso e del Comportamento dell'Università di Pavia e Direttrice del Centro di Neuropsicologia Cognitiva dell’ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda di Milano. È delegata con responsabilità per le attività di Terza Missione di Ateneo dell'Università di Pavia.
Autrice di più di 150 studi pubblicati su riviste scientifiche internazionali (Science, Nature, Brain, Neurology, Cortex, Current Biology, etc.), i suoi interessi di ricerca riguardano i disturbi neuropsicologici associati a lesioni cerebrali o patologie neurodegenerative, soprattutto negli ambiti della rappresentazione corporea, della consapevolezza motoria, del senso di appartenenza corporea (body ownership) e dell’integrazione sensori-motoria. Inoltre, ha condotto studi sperimentali su partecipanti sani per sviluppare modelli cognitivi della rappresentazione del corpo. Infine, è interessata all'interazione tra le neuroscienze e il diritto e le loro implicazioni su pazienti con malattie neurologiche o psichiatriche.
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Francesco Bubbico

Responsabile dei progetti e responsabile della comunicazione

Francesco Bubbico

Responsabile dei progetti e responsabile della comunicazione
PhD student in "Psychology, Neuroscience and Data Science at the University of Pavia"
Complet CV
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Teresa Fazia

Organizzazione della ricerca, analisi statistica dei dati.

Teresa Fazia

Organizzazione della ricerca, analisi statistica dei dati.
Post-doc Fellowship, Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia Complete CV
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Lisa Catanzaro

Organizzazione della ricerca, comunicazione.

Lisa Catanzaro

Organizzazione della ricerca, comunicazione.
PhD student in "Psychology, Neuroscience and Data Science at the University of Pavia"
Complet CV
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Gerardo Salvato

Disegno dello studio e interpretazione dei risultati

Gerardo Salvato

Disegno dello studio e interpretazione dei risultati
I am a cognitive neuroscientist, psychologist-neuropsychologist and psychotherapist who holds the position of assistant professor at the Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Pavia.
Since 2015, I have worked as a research consultant at ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda in Milan, where my research activity is mainly based. I mainly study how the brain represents the space and body in healthy and pathological populations, and the contribution of multisensory integration that allows us to maintain a coherent sense of the self. I have published several articles in prestigious international journals (e.g., Human Brain Mapping, The Lancet Neurology, NeuroImage: Clinical, Current Biology, Current Opinion in Neurology and Cortex). I am author of more than 42 papers. I have received two major grants: one from the European Commission (Horizon 2020) (as co-investigator) and one from the Italian Ministry of Health (as principal investigator). In addition to my ability to attract funding, one of the greatest strengths of my scientific activity is its multidisciplinary breath, which is enhanced by my profound curiosity about the brain and behaviour.
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Andrea Nova

Analisi statistica dei dati

Andrea Nova

Analisi statistica dei dati
PhD student in ‘Psychology, Neuroscience and Data Science’ at the University of Pavia.
Andrea Nova è laureato in Biostatistica presso l’Università Milano-Bicocca. Attualmente svolge un dottorato di ricerca in Data Science in Biomedicine presso l’Università di Pavia dove si occupa di statistica medica e genetica.
Precedentemente ha svolto il lavoro di Biostatistico presso una Contract Research Organization (CRO).
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Giancarlo Caimi

Collaboratore per i progetti: Pillole di Meditazione, Meditazione e Sonno, MEDitiamo

Giancarlo Caimi

Collaboratore per i progetti: Pillole di Meditazione, Meditazione e Sonno, MEDitiamo
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Ludovica Bonanno

Collaboratrice per i progetti: Meditazione e Sonno, MEDitiamo

Ludovica Bonanno

Collaboratrice per i progetti: Meditazione e Sonno, MEDitiamo
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Riccardo Facchini

Collaboratore per i progetti: Meditazione e Sonno, MEDitiamo

Riccardo Facchini

Collaboratore per i progetti: Meditazione e Sonno, MEDitiamo
Funzionario nel settore finanziario, è da oltre dieci anni attivista per i diritti umani in due organizzazioni non governative (Amnesty International e Terre des Hommes Italia). Appassionato di misticismo, Yoga e filosofie orientali, sta attualmente conducendo studi sulla Psicosintesi.

Backers

  1. Lanzarotti Franca Angela
  2. Lanzarotti Franca Angela
  3. Basso Dora Franca
  4. Daniela e Alessandro Rebussi
  5. Verdi Marco
  6. Lanzarotti Franca Angela
  7. Castoldi Stefano
  8. Lanzarotti Franca Angela
  9. Lanzarotti Franca Angela
  10. Casella Loredana
  11. Carcano Casali Luca Riccardo
  12. Evento Meditazione Aula '400
  13. Evento Meditazione Aula '400
  14. Evento Berrino
  15. MICRODATA GROUP SRL
  16. Grotteria Rosa
  17. Pulvirenti Federica
  18. Romani Angela
  19. NICOLETTA FURLOTTI
  20. Monica Maggi
  21. Angelica Attivissimo
  22. SPALLAROSSA FRANCA
  23. ORTU GRAZIELLA
  24. Castoldi Cristina
  25. REALI ROBERTA
  26. MARTA VAILATI
  27. MORASCA MARIA PIA ROSALBA
  28. BARILANI SONIA
  29. Panigada Sonia
  30. Sara Zanelli
  31. Grotteria Rita
  32. Filice Irma
  33. MORANI ILARIA
  34. Oldani Maria Teresa
  35. Basso Dora Franca
  36. Fedrigoli Daniela
  37. Cartasegna Cristina
  38. BIANCHI BARBARA
  39. Elisabetta Tamburin
  40. RAMAZZINI DANIELE
  41. NICOLETTA FURLOTTI
  42. ORTU GRAZIELLA
  43. VERA PESCUMA
  44. REALI ROBERTA
  45. SCOTTI ADRIANA
  46. MARIA TERESA ZANOCCO
  47. MORANI ILARIA
  48. MORASCA MARIA PIA ROSALBA
  49. OGGIONI CINZIA
  50. RAMAZZINI DANIELE
  51. BIANCHI BARBARA
  52. Stefania Carletti
  53. ELEONORA BENTIVOGLIO
  54. PESCUMA SARA
  55. MAGNANI MARA
  56. SARA SALVANESCHI
  57. SPALLAROSSA FRANCA
  58. BANDERA MARIA GRAZIA
  59. BRAMBILLA MELANIA
  60. REALI ROBERTA
  61. Grotteria Rosa
  62. Pescuma Vera
  63. Carletti Stefania
  64. Panigada Sonia
  65. Silva Emilia
  66. Basso Dora Franca
  67. Tomasi Paola
  68. Morasca Maria Pia Rosalba
  69. Morani Ilaria
  70. MARTA VAILATI
  71. Braga Paola
  72. Albertini Chiaretta
  73. Romani Angela
  74. Margiotta Anna
  75. Boerci Roberto
  76. Buccellati Laura
  77. Grotteria Rita
  78. Palermo Piergiorgio
  79. Seri Isalia
  80. Fedrigoli Daniela
  81. Angelica Attivissimo
  82. RAMAZZINI DANIELE
  83. BIANCHI BARBARA
  84. ZURLO SILVANA
  85. VALMADRE ALICE
  86. Spallarossa Franca
  87. Rita Grotteria
  88. Palermo Piergiorgio
  89. Vailati Marta
  90. Pescuma Vera
  91. Olivieri Silvana
  92. Buccellati Laura
  93. Stefani Clara
  94. Grotteria Rosa
  95. Silva Emilia
  96. Maria Grazia Bandera
  97. Scotti Adriana
  98. Reali Roberta
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  100. Panigada Sonia
  101. Oldani Maria Teresa
  102. Nicoletta Furlotti
  103. Morasca Maria Pia Rosalba
  104. Margiotta Anna
  105. Magnani Mara
  106. Gori Stefania
  107. Gelmetti Carmela
  108. Fraternali Marco
  109. Ferrario Jasmine
  110. Fedrigoli Daniela
  111. Crosta Marta
  112. Cartasegna Cristina
  113. Basso Dora Franca
  114. Angelica Attivissimo
  115. Cardani Elisa
  116. Romani Angela
  117. BIanchi Barbara
  118. Ciambarella Orazia
  119. Anna Margiotta
  120. Paola Rossi
  121. Laura Vanelli
  122. Luca Orlando Calandra
  123. Jasmine Ferrario
  124. M. Teresa Oldani
  125. RAFFAELLA ARNALDI SCARSINI
  126. Roberta Reali
  127. Cristina Cartasegna
  128. NICOLETTA FURLOTTI
  129. MICRODATA SERVICE S.R.L.
  130. ANONIMO
  131. ANONIMO
  132. ANONIMO
  133. Manuela Ponzo
  134. Lussignoli Stefano
  135. VALERIA BIANCHI
  136. MARTA VAILATI
  137. MARCO FRATERNALI
  138. ILARIA MORANI
  139. Rita Grotteria
  140. Palermo Piergiorgio
  141. DORA FRANCA BASSO
  142. DANIELE RAMAZZINI
  143. Universitiamo RICCARDI
  144. Fabrizio Anna Chiara
  145. Poncia Laura
  146. Genovese Luigi Di Renzo Adele
  147. Porcaro Sabina Angela Bonan
  148. INTERACTIVITY DI LEONESIO ANGELISA RICCARDI
  149. Genovese Fabiola RICCARDI
  150. Margiotta Anna RICCARDI
  151. Cerri Silvia RICCARDI
  152. Ganzu Assunta Rosaria RICCARDI
  153. Barchi Alessandro Maestri
  154. Rizzi Giada
  155. Buccellati Laura
  156. Bozzarelli Federica
  157. Monica Venturino RICCARDI
  158. Dal Grande Antonella
  159. Melendez Francisco Javier Rola RICCARDI
  160. Bandera Emiliana Mirra Sergio
  161. Francesca Carcano Casali RICCARDI
  162. Lazzari Elena RICCARDI
  163. Castoldi Cristina RICCARDI
  164. Seri Isalia RICCARDI
  165. Lovagnini Elena RICCARDI
  166. Vailati Marta Zanocco
  167. Massari Anna RICCARDI
  168. Morda Giovanna RICCARDI
  169. Panceri Castellini Baldissera RICCARDI
  170. Zingali Francesca RICCARDI
  171. Giorgio Amati RICCARDI
  172. Piacenza Fabio RICCARDI
  173. Robone Maria G. RICCARDI
  174. Panigada Sonia RICCARDI
  175. Donatella Cerutti Claudia Cabrini
  176. Bandiera Cinzia Marchesi Vitto
  177. LUISA BERNARDINELLI
  178. VINCENZINA NOLA
  179. ISABELLA BREGA
  180. UNIVERSITIAMO RICCARDI
  181. Patrizia Romano
  182. Branzoni Andrea Maggi Monica
  183. Dina Petelko
  184. Silvia Murru
  185. Damiano Grassi
  186. Patrizia Zaffino
  187. Simona Carla Maggi
  188. Marzia Mamoli
  189. Laura Dalla Tezza
  190. Edoardo Soana
  191. Nicoletta Letteri
  192. Francesca Baccino
  193. Dora Franca Basso
  194. Chiara Brocchetta
  195. Anna Klyuchko
  196. Paola De Marziani
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  198. Mara Magnani
  199. Lucilene Bellomi
  200. Ilaria Morani
  201. Loretta Cassani
  202. Anonymous
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