Shinshu mindful study: can mindfulness training change the retrieval mode of autobiographical memory?

Researchers have suggested that interoception can trigger the retrieval of autobiographical memories or influence the subjective sense of retrieval mode (e.g., involuntary or voluntary). This study examined whether four sessions of mindfulness training, aimed at improving interoceptive processing over eight weeks, can alter autobiographical memory retrieval and perceived retrieval mode in a community sample. 26 participants in the mindfulness group and 30 participants in the waitlist control group completed the study (Mage = 34.80 ± 12.68). In the mindfulness group, participants showed a decrease in perceived retrieval suddenness and an increase in perceived retrieval effort for involuntary memories, and an increase in perceived generative retrieval for voluntary memories. Retrieval latency, frequency, and memory specificity did not change with training. Although heart rate acceleration was observed immediately before memory responses judged as being directly retrieved, this physiological response remained unchanged with training. Reported interoceptive sensibility and dispositional mindfulness increased significantly in the mindfulness group over time, but these changes did not predict changes in retrieval mode variables. The results suggest that mindfulness training leads to more deliberate, effortful memory retrieval, but changes in interoceptive processing may not support changes in retrieval. Clinical implications for reducing intrusive memory and its emotional impact are discussed.