Exploring the Impact of Mindful Relaxation on Implicit Associations with Sexual Images: Evidence from Event-Related Potentials

Abstract

Experiences and memories of distressful sexual events can have a substantial impact on mental well-being, including on sexual functioning and response. These memory recollections can trigger automatic associations and affect how sexual visual cues are emotionally processed. Mindfulness practices encourage people to accept, remain judgment-free, and pay attention to the present moment while fully experiencing and regulating their emotions. Such practices have demonstrated their value in the improvement of several health conditions, namely in sexual-related issues. This study explores how a brief mindful relaxation could influence the cognitive and neural mechanisms underlying implicit associations toward visual sexual stimuli (VSS). The participants first completed self-report measures on sexual health and dispositional mindfulness and then engaged in a Single-Target Implicit Association Test (ST-IAT), designed to assess implicit associations toward "liking" and "wanting" sex. The ST-IAT was conducted twice, before and after a mindful relaxation (MR) exercise, while neuroelectric activity was being recorded. Neural correlates of implicit cognitions were accessed by event-related potentials (ERPs), namellyP2, N2, P3 and LPP, along with brain oscillations during the mindful exercise. By investigating the effects of brief mindful relaxation on implicit associations with sexual stimuli, this study extends earlier research on mindfulness interventions in sexual issues. The results are intended to offer a therapeutic tool that could improve sexual experience, as well as an individual's sexual health.