Scientific research on contemplation has disproportionately focused on mindfulness, which involves disengaging from words and images to experience the present moment. However, contemplative traditions more commonly use words, images, and intentions. This paper presents ethnographic research on Integral Transformative Practice (ITP), a syncretic tradition from the Human Potential Movement, focusing on the practice of "affirmations" where practitioners imagine future possibilities to actualize spiritual goals. The authors argue this opens new avenues for psychological research on the role of words and images in contemplation.
Meditation and hypnosis can change how thoughts flow automatically, potentially making thinking more flexible and less rigid. Three mechanisms are proposed: reducing the tendency for thoughts to chain together automatically; making thought chains more varied and less habitual; and creating new, intentionally chosen mental habits. Evidence from behavioral and cognitive neuroscience shows these practices influence internal cognition, with possible benefits for mental adaptability.
Meditation comprises diverse mental practices with distinct strategies. A meta-analysis of 78 neuroimaging studies (527 participants) found reliably different brain activation patterns for four common meditation styles—focused attention, mantra recitation, open monitoring, and compassion/loving-kindness—and suggestive differences for three others. Some brain regions (insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, frontopolar cortex) were recruited across multiple techniques, but convergence was the exception. Effect sizes were medium for both activations (d = .59) and deactivations (d = -.74), indicating potential practical significance. The findings support the neurophysiological dissociability of meditation practices while highlighting methodological concerns and future research directions.
Meditation is not merely a tool for training the brain; it is a deeply social and embodied set of cultural practices. Reducing it to brain patterns overlooks the richness of how these practices function and what they reveal about subjective experience.