Bridging the Soteriological-Secular Divide: A 9-Month Online Tibetan Mind-Body Practice Program Enhances Eudaimonic Well-Being and Non-Dual Awareness
Sebastian Ehmann, Ryan T. Pohlig, Alejandro Chaoul, John Cuzzupe, Michael G. Vaughn, Gennaro Rocco, Tenzin Wangyal, Michael J. Gawrysiak
Mindfulness November 19, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02704-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Longitudinal intervention study Preregistered Qualitative Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | Predominantly experienced meditators |
| Interventions | The 3 Doors Compassion Project (3DCP) a 9-month online program teaching traditional Tibetan Mind-Body (TMB) meditation practices rooted in Bon Dzogchen philosophy |
| Duration | 9-month intervention |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Compassion Flourishing Mental health Bridging networking Operationalization Contemplation Construct python library Psychotherapist Empirical research Applied psychology Clinical psychology Empirical evidence Well-being Thematic analysis Qualitative research |
| Citations | 1 |
| Key findings | The 3 Doors Compassion Project produced incremental improvements in compassion, mindfulness, flourishing, and non-dual awareness that were independent of meditation practice frequency. |
Abstract
Abstract Objectives As contemplative science continues to evolve, research has shifted from studying the mental health outcomes of brief meditation programs for novice practitioners to investigating traditional meditative paradigms and their associated advanced soteriological aims. However, empirical studies on meditative development remain limited.
Methods: The present study examined the effects of The 3 Doors Compassion Project (3DCP), a 9-month online program teaching traditional Tibetan Mind-Body (TMB) meditation practices rooted in Bon Dzogchen philosophy. The study hypothesized incremental improvements in compassion for self and others, mindfulness, flourishing, and non-dual awareness—a self-transcendent psychological construct central to advanced meditation.
Participants: ( n = 30), predominantly experienced meditators, completed validated self-report measures monthly.
Results: General linear mixed modeling revealed incremental increases across all assessed outcomes with statistically significant improvements for compassion for self and others, mindfulness, flourishing ( p < 0.001), and non-dual awareness ( p < 0.05). Notably, improvements were independent of self-reported frequency of meditation practice, suggesting that program structure rather than practice quantity influenced outcomes.
Conclusions: These findings extend prior research on the mental health benefits of TMB programs and provide preliminary evidence that TMB practices may foster advanced meditative states associated with self-transcendence. Limitations include the small, self-selected sample, lack of a control group, and reliance on quantitative measures, which may underrepresent the richness of advanced meditative phenomenology. Future research should incorporate qualitative methods, larger and more diverse samples, and unified empirical frameworks to further elucidate the mechanisms and outcomes of traditional TMB practices, particularly their potential to cultivate self-transcendence and eudaimonic well-being. Preregistration This study was not preregistered.