PSYCHOLOGICAL AND NEUROBIOLOGICAL IMPACT OF A RETREAT BASED ON MINDFULNESS AND COMPASSION FOR STRESS REDUCTION

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the effects of two mindfulness-based intensive interventions [Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) training or Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)], on psychological, physiological, and epigenetic variables. During a 7-day retreat participants will receive the two types of intervention (MBSR and CCT), in a random order. After finishing their first 3-day intervention with one of the two programs, participants will be assigned to the second 3-day intervention with the second program (i.e., crossover design). All measures will be collected on the mornings of Days 1, 3 and 7 of the retreat while the interventions will start in the afternoon of Day 1 and will finish in the evening of Day 6.