Meditation and spiritual practices in mental health: A comprehensive literature review
U Vijayabanu, Aswathi Bimal
International Journal of Applied Research 2026 DOI: 10.22271/allresearch.2026.v12.i3sa.13665 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Clinical and non-clinical populations |
| Interventions | Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction yoga based interventions Transcendental Meditation loving kindness practices mantra chanting |
| Topics | Anxiety Meditation |
| Keywords | Transcendental meditation Mental health Psychological intervention Mantra Guided imagery Psychosocial Psychotherapist Clinical psychology Gratitude Psychological resilience Spirituality Mindfulness meditation Meaningful life |
| Key findings | Meditation and related spiritual practices are moderately effective interventions for common mental health difficulties, roughly comparable to other established psychosocial approaches and non-inferior to first-line pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders. |
Abstract
Meditation and spiritual practices have moved from the margins of medical interest into the center of contemporary mental health research, with a rapidly growing body of randomized trials, neuroimaging studies, and systematic reviews. Evidence from programs such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction, yoga based interventions, Transcendental Meditation, loving kindness practices, and mantra chanting suggests meaningful benefits for stress, anxiety, depression, quality of life, and resilience across clinical and non clinical populations [1]. Neurobiological work links these outcomes to changes in cortical structure, default mode net- work activity, stress hormone regulation, inflammatory pathways, and in some cases markers of cellular aging [4]. At the same time, heterogeneity in study quality, the presence of publication bias, and inconsistent control conditions complicate interpretation. Overall, current open access evidence supports meditation and related spiritual practices as moderately effective interventions for common mental health difficulties, roughly comparable to other established psychosocial approaches, and in some cases non inferior to first line pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders [3].
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 |