Table 3.

Studies using open monitoring meditation.

Study	Practice				Phenomenology		Psychophysiology – EEG bands
	Practice	Description	Eyes	Focus	Description	Subjective report	θ (4–8 Hz)	α (8–12 Hz)	β (13–30 Hz)	γ (30–50 Hz)
Aftanas and Golocheikine (47), Aftanas and Golocheikine (48, 49) Siberia	Sahaja yoga		Closed	Loose, unfixed attention	“Thoughtless awareness and bliss”	Post-session questionnaire	Coherence greater for LTM, bliss, no thought	Lower power	Not measured	Not measured
Lutz et al. (51) USA	Tibetan Buddhist	“loving-kindness”	Not stated	Open	“Pure compassion”	No	Not reported	Not reported	Not reported	Power increased
Chan et al. (56) Hong Kong	Triarchic Body-pathway Relaxation	Mindfulness	Closed	“Attending to thoughts and sensations”	“Deep relaxation and internalized attention”	No	Frontal power increase	More left activation	Not measured	Not measured
Cahn et al. (60)	Vipassana	Scanning of sensations	Closed	Open	“Detached observation”	Post-session questionnaire	Decreased bilateral frontal delta power. No theta effects	Occipital alpha power somewhat related to expertise	Not reported	Increase in parieto-occipital gamma