Diane Joss, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Director of Trauma Research at CMC and co-director of CMC’s Neuroimaging Core. Her research focuses on symptomatology and neurobiology of psychological trauma as well as the therapeutic effects of contemplative practices for treatment of trauma-related symptoms of the mind and the body.
Ongoing research projects include:
(1) The psychiatric ecophenotype with childhood maltreatment in DSM disorders, in which the subgroup of patients with childhood maltreatment demonstrates different symptomatology compared to the subgroup without and respond poorly to traditional pharmacological and cognitive behavioral treatments 1 . This ecophenotype has been discovered in multiple DSM disorders 2 , e.g., ADHD, eating disorder, conduct disorder and depression. The research of Dr. Joss is further investigating treatment responses of this ecophenotype in mindfulness-based interventions 3,4 .
(2) The role of self-critical rumination as a mediator between adverse childhood experiences and downstream psychological symptoms, and self-critical rumination as a therapeutic target in mindfulness- and compassion- based interventions for depression, anxiety, PTSD, complex PTSD, chronic pain and substance use disorders 4 .
(3) The impact of childhood trauma on self-knowledge and self-concept (e.g., self-criticism, self-judgment, self-critical rumination), and psychotherapy interventions for reconstructing self- knowledge, such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) 5 .
(4) Effects of contemplative practices on social cognitions and social functioning, especially among trauma survivors (e.g., loneliness, isolation, shame, guilt, empathy, perspective taking, rejection sensitivity, interpersonal reactivity 6 , social connectedness and social anxiety).
(5) The role of “non-attachment” in the therapeutic effects of contemplative practices, for reducing various psychological symptoms, such as post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, and rejection sensitivity 6 .
(6) Neuroscience and biomarkers of meditation-induced therapeutic effects for the mind and the body, e.g., neural plasticity of the hippocampus 7,8 and amygdala 9,10 in response to meditation training, the effects of meditation training on allostatic load biomarkers such as IL-6 and anti-inflammatory gene expression such as NF-κB 11 .
(7) Development of suicide prevention programs for mental health providers and at-risk populations, applying concepts and practices from Buddhist philosophy, psychodynamic theory, mindfulness, self-compassion, and Internal Family Systems (IFS).
Dr. Joss has received funding support from the National Institute of Health including the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), National Institute on Aging (NIA), as well as private foundations such as the Mind & Life Institute and the Foundation for Self Leadership. Dr. Joss teaches and mentors students, fellows and residents through Cambridge Health Alliance, Mass General Hospital, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Mind Brain Behavior Interfaculty Initiative of Harvard University, and Harvard School of Public Health.
Check the following websites for most up to date research projects, publications and training opportunities:
Dr. Joss has initiated and organized Research Topic "Psychological Trauma of Women and Children: The Role of Mindfulness and Compassion in Prevention and Treatments" on Frontiers in Psychology, which is open for submission till 4/29/2026. Submissions of all article types are welcome (original research, case reports, review articles, theories and opinions, etc). Studies with mixed-gender and/or mixed-age samples are welcome. Authors are encouraged to include discussions on the particular characteristics and treatment challenges of psychological trauma among women and/or children. See details on Frontiers website below:
