Heart and ocular correlates of self-caught and probe-caught mind wandering during focused mindfulness meditation in meditators and controls

Focused meditation involves a dynamic cycle of four mental states: mind-wandering (MW), awareness of distraction (AWARE), shifting attention back (SHIFT), and sustained attentional focus (FOCUS). Meta-awareness of these processes is trained during mindfulness meditation, possibly improving mental health. This study investigated heart rate (HR) and ocular movements during breath-focused meditation in 28 experienced meditators and 28 non-meditating controls. The design integrated two complementary approaches: self-caught (i.e., spontaneously noticing when attention drifts away from the breath) and probe-caught (i.e., interrupting participants to report their attentional state) sampling methods for mind-wandering, alongside mindfulness questionnaires. In the self-caught paradigm, the Group × Phase interaction (p = .017) showed HR increase during FOCUS only in controls. In contrast, meditators’ HR remained stable and showed a negative association with non-judging during AWARE (BF10 = 12.91). Eye movements increased particularly during SHIFT in both groups (p < .001). However, meditators showed lower eye movements in both paradigms (ps ≤ .002). Finally, only meditators showed a significant positive correlation between self-caught and probe-caught episode counts (BF10 = 860.42). These results suggest that mindfulness meditation expertise may be associated with more regulated and less reactive meta-awareness of distraction, with potential implications for maladaptive thought patterns and mental health.