Mindfulness training encourages self-transcendent states via decentering.
Adam W. Hanley, D. Dorjee, E. Garland
Psychology of Consciousness November 19, 2020 DOI: 10.1037/cns0000262 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 26 |
| Population | Novice practitioners |
| Interventions | Mindfulness training Active listening |
| Duration | Five mindfulness training sessions |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Mindfulness training increased decentering and self-transcendence relative to active listening, and greater decentering at mid-point predicted greater self-transcendence at the end. |
Abstract
Self-transcendence is theorized to be a core, mechanism of mindfulness. Yet, no known empirical study has investigated the process by which self-transcendent experiences emerge in novice practitioners. To address this gap, this study explored whether changes in decentering in response to mindfulness training translated into increases in self-transcendence over the course of five mindfulness training sessions. Participants (N=26) were randomly allocated to either a mindfulness training condition or an active listening condition. Results indicated that mindfulness training increased both decentering ( p =.023) and self-transcendence ( p =.001) relative to the active listening condition. Furthermore, greater decentering at the mid-point of training predicted greater self-transcendence at the training(cid:146)s end, suggesting that those participants that become better able to non-reactively observe their thoughts, feelings and physical sensations while meditating were also more likely to experience self-transcendence. This study provides the first empirical evidence that mindfulness training can cultivate self-transcendent experiences through the process of decentering from internal phenomena.