Measuring a Journey without Goal: Meditation, Spirituality, and Physiology.
BioMed Research International 2015 DOI: 10.1155/2015/891671 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 32 |
| Key findings | Research on meditation should integrate spiritual textual sources, first-person accounts, and physiological/cognitive measures to address both secular health benefits and spiritual transformation. |
Abstract
The secular practice of meditation is associated with a range of physiological and cognitive effects, including lower blood pressure, lower cortisol, cortical thickening, and activation of areas of the brain associated with attention and emotion regulation. However, in the context of spiritual practice, these benefits are secondary gains, as the primary aim is spiritual transformation. Despite obvious difficulties in trying to measure a journey without goal, spiritual aspects involved in the practice of meditation should also be addressed by experimental study. This review starts by considering meditation in the form of the relaxation response (a counterpart to the stress response), before contrasting mindfulness research that emphasizes the role of attention and alertness in meditation. This contrast demonstrates how reference to traditional spiritual texts (in this case Buddhist) can be used to guide research questions involving meditation. Further considerations are detailed, along with the proposal that research should triangulate spiritual textual sources, first person accounts (i.e., neurophenomenology), and physiological/cognitive measures in order to aid our understanding of meditation, not only in the secular context of health benefits, but also in the context of spiritual practice.
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 7
- Holy be the Lay: A Way to Mindfulness Through Christian Poetry OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine March 11, 2022
- Brief Online Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness Interventions Neither Improve Socio-Cognitive Mindfulness nor Cognitive Biases: A Two-Study Conceptual Replication and Reanalysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial Mindfulness June 1, 2025
- Development of “The Colombo Intake Interview to identify skilled meditators for scientific research (CIISMR)” Research Square May 5, 2022
- The Need, Feasibility and Willingness to Explore "Meditation on Twin Hearts" as a Self-administered Tool for Mental Health Management among Transgender Women: An Exploratory Survey. Community Mental Health Journal July 13, 2021
- Theoretical Foundations to Guide Mindfulness Meditation: A Path to Wisdom June 1, 2019
and 2 more in the library
Cites 32
- Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. Clinical Psychology Science and Practice 2004
- Mechanisms of mindfulness Journal of Clinical Psychology December 29, 2005
- Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders American Journal of Psychiatry July 1, 1992
- Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Neuroreport November 7, 2005
- Short-term meditation training improves attention and self-regulation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 11, 2007
and 27 more in the library