Mindfulness and Interoception: Potential Mechanisms in the Relationship Between Meditation Practice, Alexithymia and Emotional Affect

Abstract

Alexithymia describes difficulties in the understanding and expression of emotions due to deficits in emotional regulation. People with alexithymia are more likely to experience emotional affect-related difficulties, contributing to reduced physical, psychological, and social wellbeing. Meditation may be an effective intervention for alexithymia and its associated affect difficulties. However, the mechanisms by which meditation may reduce alexithymia remain unclear. Aims of this study were to investigate both interoception and mindfulness as potential mechanisms in the relationship of meditation practice with alexithymia, and positive and negative affect. A sample (N = 205) of undergraduate students and participants recruited from organised meditation groups in Australia were invited to complete an online survey. This survey measured participants’ meditation experience, mindfulness, interoception, alexithymia, and positive and negative affect. Simple mediation models showed significant indirect effects, where frequent meditation practice predicted increases in positive affect and decreases in negative affect, through decreases in alexithymia. Further, there were significant indirect effects when both interoception and mindfulness were included as mediators between meditation frequency and alexithymia. For alexithymics high in negative affect, meditation practice focussed on interoception may be effective. Similarly, meditation practice focussed on developing mindfulness, in particular focussed on maintaining awareness of the self, whilst maintaining non-reaction and non-judgment of experience, may be effective for both positive and negative affect in alexithymic individuals. Therefore, frequent meditation practice, with an emphasis on developing interoception and mindfulness, may lead to reductions in alexithymia and to more balanced emotional affect outcomes.