National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM).

Mind-body interventions represent one of the major domains of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). This domain includes CAM practices that intend to facilitate the mind's capacity to affect bodily functions and lessen symptoms of disease. These diverse practices are of interest to NCCAM and include, but are not limited to, various types of meditation, unconventional uses of hypnosis, prayer and other forms of mental healing, and art therapy. In addition, many traditional medical systems, such as traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, utilize mind-body CAM techniques. NCCAM is also interested in research on the placebo effect and studies on practitioner-patient interactions. Specifically related to this RFA, NCCAM is interested in research involving the types of mind-body interventions described above that can help elucidate how personality, cognitions, emotions, beliefs, and attitudes can affect physical health, as well as how and whether CAM mind-body interventions can enhance healing and reduce the physical manifestations of illness. In addition, certain mind-body interventions, including cognitive/behavioral therapies and various means of stress reduction, which are being adopted in some settings by mainstream medicine, continue to be of interest to NCCAM. NCCAM encourages CAM-related mind-body research that draws upon contemporary tools of neurobiology, neroimmunology, and neuroendocrinology using state-of-the-art imaging, cellular, biochemical, and molecular approaches.