Are you interested in participating in one of our active research studies? Read below to see if you may be eligible:

  • Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Mindfulness for Heavy Drinking: Paid Research Study on Alcohol Craving:

    Cambridge Health Alliance Center for Mindfulness and Compassion is seeking 21-34 year olds with high alcohol craving for a research study involving mindfulness and the use of a medical device. Participants should regularly consume alcohol, live in Massachusetts, and be available to attend 2 in-person study visits in Malden, MA. Other study tasks include online surveys and practicing mindfulness with a vagus nerve stimulation device. Participants can earn up to $100 over a 3-week study period. Self referral link here.

  • Mindful Self-Compassion for Teens (MSC Teen): Are you 14-19 years old? Do you ever find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed, being hard on yourself, or comparing yourself to others? MSC Teen is a fully online study that teaches teens tools that they can use to better cope with these kinds of challenges! Participating in this study involves attending 4 weekly online group sessions (1 hour/week, outside of school hours) led by CHA clinicians and researchers. Participants will also be asked to fill out a 30-minute online survey 1 week before, 1 week after, and 1 month after completing the program. Participants will receive up to a $30 Tango gift card for completing the surveys. Interested in learning more? Email MSCteen@challiance.org or fill out this short form: https://forms.gle/AMNbBqS7Qu3FpRyf7

  • Be Well With Migraine: BE WELL with Migraine is a national research study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that compares two virtual group programs designed to help adults better manage migraine and improve quality of life. Both programs involve 8 weekly online sessions led by experienced instructors, along with an online learning platform with additional resources. Learn more and sign-up here.

  • Psychological trauma among meditation teachers and therapists: Have you ever had difficult experiences during meditation? You might be eligible for a research study at Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The title of the study is “Psychological trauma among meditation teachers and therapists.” The purpose of the study is to understand how psychological trauma influences meditation experiences, as well as coping strategies. In this online study, you will fill out a set of questionnaires that include prompts on psychological trauma or abuse during childhood or later in life, whether and  what kind of difficult experiences might have come up during your meditation, how you usually handle it, and how you teach your students or clients to cope with difficult experiences that might come up during meditation. Your participation will advance scientific understanding on the psychological mechanism of meditation. After you complete the set of questionnaires, you will receive a $10 e-gift card. For any questions, please contact the trauma research team at trauma@cha.harvard.edu. If you are interested, please fill out the pre-screening form here: https://forms.gle/th1VnUVoUhvU9HyN9  and a research team member will contact you if you are determined as eligible to proceed with the study. [IRB number: CHA-IRB-25-26-440, Study Title: Psychological trauma among meditation teachers and therapists]

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Featured News: CMC was awarded a research grant titled “Neural and physiologic effects of self-compassion on chronic pain” from the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital.  This grant provides seed funding for a pilot neuroimaging study examining self-compassion training for people experiencing chronic lower back pain.