Metamorphosis exists to facilitate a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection, ultimately empowering people to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.

At Metamorphosis, through our ongoing research, we capture the data of personal change and transformation. By conducting scientific investigations into the effects of meditation, we’re furthering a deeper understanding of the mind-body connection. And, in doing so, we’re encouraging people to unlock their full potential – and lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.

At retreats around the world, we are measuring the ways common people do the uncommon. We collect and curate a wide range of personal and biological data, as well as physiological, neurocognitive and neuroscience readouts. Using these and other tools, we gather valuable insights into the effects of meditation on human biology.

Dr Joe founded and funds Metamorphosis to support his scientific research and exploration. Today, that effort has become a comprehensive repository of data on human health and behavior. This includes the six studies that were completed in 2022 with our current team, and seven more recently completed in 2023 or begun and ongoing into 2024.

The analysis of the data collected in these studies is led by Dr. Hemal Patel and his team at the University of California – San Diego, with contributing labs and researchers across the world. Members of the team are in different process stages of analysis, interpretation, evaluation and writing scientific manuscripts to publish and share our discoveries.

The first of these was published in August 2023 in the open access journal Brain, Behavior, & Immunity – Health. The article, Meditation-induced bloodborne factors as an adjuvant treatment to COVID-19 disease highlights the increase of SERPINA5, a serine protease inhibitor, in meditators and its role in response to the virus.

Dr Joe and Dr Hemal discussed the paper at the August 2023 Week Long Retreat in Vienna, Austria.

A second paper, formulated from the TWINS Study in 2022 has been submitted to Frontiers in Psychology and we are currently awaiting feedback from the reviewers.

Additional manuscripts slated for completion in the next twelve months include the QUANTUM 1.0 Study, the MULTI-OMIC Study combining data from two events, and the IMAGINE Study.

Looking ahead to 2024, Research began the year at the Marco Island Advanced Follow Up (AFU) in January with an ongoing HeartMath Institute study and placement of a Random Number Generator (RNG) in the ballroom. This study will continue throughout retreats in 2024.

We also plan to continue subject enrolled data and specimen collections for the MYSTIC, MILK, and PAIR Studies this year. Our first two MYSTIC Study events will be the San Diego AFU in March 2024 and the Washington D.C. AFU in June 2024.

The PAIR Study is planned for the Denver Weeklong Advanced Retreat in July and will enhance the dataset with new pairings of youth/youth, elder/elder and increasing our numbers of youth/elder pairings and controls.

Additionally, we are working on study protocols for multiple new studies through the end of the year.

On behalf of the entire Research Team – both the Metamorphosis and UC San Diego staff, thank you to the entire Catalyst Community for all your support!