My research interests focus on the understanding and treatment of psychosis, with a particular emphasis on contextual behavioral approaches, especially Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I am committed to advancing psychological interventions that are both theoretically grounded and clinically effective for individuals experiencing psychosis.
My academic journey began with a doctoral thesis on a mindfulness-based intervention for psychosis. This work led to the publication of the first fully powered randomized controlled trial of such an intervention conducted in Europe. Since then, I have continued to explore the application of ACT and other contextual models to severe mental health problems, with a focus on enhancing psychological flexibility and improving social functioning.
In parallel, I maintain strong collaborations with public health services and third-sector organizations in order to ensure that research findings are translated into practice and reach a broad population. I believe in the importance of bridging the gap between scientific knowledge and real-world clinical settings.
Currently, I am the Principal Investigator of the MINDPSY project and supervise three doctoral theses in the field of psychosis.
Featured Project
Name: MINDPSY Funding Agency: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Reference: PID2021-122987OA-I00. Start-End date: 01/09/2022 – 01/09/2026.
The MINDPSY project focuses on how to improve social functioning in severe mental illness with psychotic experiences by comparing two treatment arms in a community setting. The first treatment arm is the Spanish National Health System recommended treatment (IRT): pharmacotherapy and cognitive-behavior therapy. The second treatment arm is the same treatment improved with a mindfulness and acceptance-based intervention for persistent psychotic experiences (IRT+MABI). This kind of intervention applied to psychotic experiences in a community setting is feasible, can be combined with the treatment as usual, is more effective than the latter improving psychological well-being and executive functioning, and does not increase positive symptoms while reducing negative symptoms.
Featured Papers
- Borrás-Sansaloni, C., Ricco-Pérez, M., Mayol, A., Navarro-Guzmán, C., García-Montes, J.M., & López-Navarro, E. (2025). Mindfulness improves negative psychotic symptoms through reducing emotional and social withdrawal. World Journal of Psychiatry, 15(4), 103362. https://dx.doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.103362
This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of integrating a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) into standard rehabilitation treatment (IRT) for individuals with psychosis. Results demonstrated that participants in the IRT + MBI group experienced significant reductions in emotional and social withdrawal compared to the IRT-only group. These findings underscore the clinical value of third-wave therapies as an adjunctive treatment and provide a rationale to the reducing effect of mindfulness applied to negative psychotic symptoms.
- López-Navarro, E., Fonseca-Pedrero, E., Errasti, J., & Al-Halabí, S. (2022). Mindfulness improves theory of mind in people experiencing psychosis: A pilot randomized clinical trial. Psychiatry Research, 310, 114440. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2022.114440
This pilot randomized controlled trial examined whether a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI), when added to integrated rehabilitation treatment (IRT), could enhance Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in people with psychotic disorders. Results showed a significant improvement in Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test scores for the IRT+MBI group, suggesting that MBI enhanced emotion recognition but had limited impact on other ToM components. These findings support the potential of mindfulness to improve social cognitive processes in psychosis, contributing to broader functional recovery.
- López-Navarro, E., Del Canto, C., Belber, M., Mayol, A., Fernández-Alonso, O., Lluis, J., Munar, E., & Chadwick, P. (2015). Mindfulness improves psychological quality of life in community-based patients with severe mental health problems: A pilot randomized clinical trial. Schizophrenia Research, 168(1–2). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2015.08.016
This article reports the secondary outcomes of the first full-scale randomized clinical trial on mindfulness in psychosis conducted in Europe (López-Navarro et al., 2015), evaluating the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (MBI) on psychological quality of life in community-based patients with severe mental disorders. Thirty-two participants were randomly assigned to treatment-as-usual (TAU) or TAU plus MBI, with the latter showing significant improvements in psychological quality of life post-treatment. No such improvements were observed in the TAU group. These findings suggest that integrating mindfulness into standard rehabilitation programs may enhance well-being in individuals with severe mental illness.