The Third Wave of Meditation and Mindfulness Research and Implications for Challenging Experiences: Negative Effects, Transformative Psychological Growth, and Forms of Happiness
Terje Sparby, Matthew D. Sacchet
Mindfulness June 11, 2025 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-025-02607-7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Happiness Transformative learning Psychotherapist Mindfulness meditation Third wave Developmental psychology |
| Citations | 11 |
| Key points | Proposes that future meditation research should investigate how challenging experiences may be essential to meditative growth, using a framework that distinguishes objective and subjective happiness to define negative effects. |
Abstract
Abstract Research on meditation and mindfulness in relation to challenging effects can be understood as consisting of at least two waves: The first wave focused on the efficacy of mindfulness and more broadly the clinically positive effects of meditation. The second wave mainly focused on increasing methodological rigor and uncovering underlying mechanisms. Research on the different kinds and prevalence of potential negative effects was also initiated in this second wave. We propose that future research needs to include the investigation of processes of transformative psychological growth that lead up to and result from advanced meditation and involve complex relationships between positive and challenging effects. Such research is part of a third wave of meditation research, which mainly focuses on advanced meditation. The central point of our argument is that “negative” experiences may be essential to meditative growth. However, it is difficult to define what a negative effect is when considering traditional contemplative perspectives. To conceptualize negative effects, we distinguish between objective and subjective happiness and define “negative effect” as that which overall contributes to both objective and subjective unhappiness. The resulting view represents a common-ground framework that incorporates both psychological and contemplative perspectives.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 13
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Toward a Unified Model of Advanced Meditation, Human Development, Meditation Maps, and Transtradition Metaphors: Facing Impermanence, Suffering, and Death Mindfulness July 29, 2025
- Active inference, computational phenomenology, and advanced meditation: Toward the formalization of the experience of meditation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews March 1, 2026
- Toward a neuroscience of consciousness using advanced meditation. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews February 1, 2026
- Mindfulness and Informed Consent: Navigating Ethical Complexity Across Contexts Mindfulness August 1, 2026
and 8 more in the library
Cites 31
- How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective Perspectives on Psychological Science October 14, 2011
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Mindfulness-induced selflessness: a MEG neurophenomenological study. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 2013
- Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey PLoS One September 5, 2017
and 26 more in the library