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The Gateway Experience Facilitates Psychological Well-Being.

Priscilla Fabrizi, Thomas Ditye

Integrative Psychological and Behavioral Science March 13, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12124-025-09901-y (opens in new tab)

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Study at a glance

AI-extracted from the abstract
Characteristics Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed
Sample size 12
Population Participants with no prior experience in meditation and related techniques
Interventions Gateway Experience relaxation treatment
Duration 4-week intervention
Topics Meditation
Keywords Cia Gateway experience Gateway programme Psychological well-being
Key findings The Gateway Experience significantly improved psychological well-being over time compared to a relaxation control condition, with no effect from participants' sense of mysticality.

Abstract

This study investigates the effects of the Gateway Experience (GE) on psychological well-being. The GE has been developed several decades ago for the induction of altered states of consciousness. It incorporates several techniques such as hypnosis, meditation, and binaural beats, which are known to facilitate well-being, sleep, learning and memory, and emotional states, but have not been tested in the exact combination used by the GE. Twelve participants with no prior experience in meditation and related techniques were exposed to the GE (i.e. experimental condition) and a relaxation treatment (i.e. control condition) over the course of four weeks. Psychological well-being was measured at multiple timepoints using Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scale (PWS) which includes 18 items measuring six aspects of psychological well-being: Autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. Results of a two-way repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance showed that participants' psychological well-being improved significantly over time in the GE condition compared to the control condition on all measured scales. There was no effect of participants' sense of mysticality as measured by the Barrett's Revised Mystical Experience Questionnaire (MEQ30). Mysticality has been suggested before to potentially influence the GE. These findings are in line with the theory and suggest that the GE could be a powerful tool to facilitate psychological well-being even in the short-term. Moreover, our findings are also relevant to our understanding of the GE from a historical point of view.

Comparable studies

Other randomized controlled trials on meditation, most cited first.

Study Year Design Participants
Alterations in Brain and Immune Function Produced by Mindfulness Meditation Healthy employees in a work environment 2003 Randomized controlled trial n = 41
Prevention of relapse/recurrence in major depression by mindfulness-based cognitive therapy. Recovered recurrently depressed patients 2000 Randomized controlled trial n = 145
Open hearts build lives: Positive emotions, induced through loving-kindness meditation, build consequential personal resources. Working adults 2008 Randomized controlled trial n = 139
Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Undergraduate Chinese students 2007 Randomized controlled trial n = 40
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: Replication and Exploration of Differential Relapse Prevention Effects. Recovered recurrently depressed patients 2004 Randomized controlled trial n = 73

Citations in the library

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Meditation Altered states of consciousness Mystical experience Mysticism Philosophy of mind