Effectiveness of traditional meditation retreats: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research January 1, 2017 Bassam Khoury, Bärbel Knäuper, Marco Schlosser et al.
Traditional meditation retreats are moderately to largely effective at reducing depression, anxiety, and stress, and improving quality of life, according to a meta-analysis of 21 studies involving 2,912 participants. Effect sizes were moderate in pre-post analyses (Hedge's g = 0.45) and when comparing retreats to control groups (Hedge's g = 0.49), with results maintained at follow-up. Large effects were found for anxiety, depression, and stress; moderate effects for emotional regulation and quality of life. Changes in mindfulness strongly moderated clinical outcomes. No differences emerged between meditation styles. Significant heterogeneity across trials limits the strength of conclusions.