Self-transcending meditation is good for mental health: why this should be the case.
International Review of Psychiatry June 1, 2016 DOI: 10.1080/09540261.2016.1191449 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Complexity Criticality Mental health Optimal regulation Self-awareness |
| Citations | 24 |
| Key findings | Optimal regulation in biological systems corresponds to criticality in complexity biology, which maximizes information processing and sensitivity, and meditation practices leading to pure consciousness may strengthen cortical criticality and improve health. |
Abstract
A simple theory of health has recently been proposed: while poor quality regulation corresponds to poor quality health so that improving regulation should improve health, optimal regulation optimizes function and optimizes health. Examining the term 'optimal regulation' in biological systems leads to a straightforward definition in terms of 'criticality' in complexity biology, a concept that seems to apply universally throughout biology. Criticality maximizes information processing and sensitivity of response to external stimuli, and for these reasons may be held to optimize regulation. In this way a definition of health has been given in terms of regulation, a scientific concept, which ties into detailed properties of complex systems, including brain cortices, and mental health. Models of experience and meditation built on complexity also point to criticality: it represents the condition making self-awareness possible, and is strengthened by meditation practices leading to the state of pure consciousness-the content-free state of mind in deep meditation. From this it follows that healthy function of the brain cortex, its sensitivity,y and consistency of response to external challenges should improve by practicing techniques leading to content-free awareness-transcending the original focus introduced during practice. Evidence for this is reviewed.
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 8
- Neurobiological Changes Induced by Mindfulness and Meditation: A Systematic Review. Biomedicines November 15, 2024
- Change in Sense of Nondual Awareness and Spiritual Awakening in Response to a Multidimensional Well-Being Program. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine April 1, 2018
- Novel machine learning-driven comparative analysis of CSP, STFT, and CSP-STFT fusion for EEG data classification across multiple meditation and non-meditation sessions in BCI pipeline Brain Informatics February 8, 2025
- Common spatial pattern for classification of loving kindness meditation EEG for single and multiple sessions Brain Informatics September 9, 2023
- Psychiatrists' Illustration of Awe in Empathic Listening Assessments: A Pilot Study. Cureus March 1, 2024
and 3 more in the library
Cites 7
- Consciousness as Integrated Information: a Provisional Manifesto Biological Bulletin December 1, 2008
- Ongoing Cortical Activity at Rest: Criticality, Multistability, and Ghost Attractors Journal of Neuroscience March 7, 2012
- Consciousness in the universe: a review of the 'Orch OR' theory. March 1, 2014
- Effects of the Transcendental Meditation Technique on Trait Anxiety: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine October 9, 2013
- Bridging the schism of schizophrenia through yoga-Review of putative mechanisms. International Review of Psychiatry June 1, 2016
and 2 more in the library