A commentary to comparative analysis of meditation techniques on well-being and consciousness states: A cross-sectional study
Roshan Sutar
Journal of Neurosciences in Rural Practice August 6, 2026 DOI: 10.25259/jnrp_155_2026 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Cross-sectional survey Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 400 |
| Population | Individuals practicing meditation, including Heartfulness and heart-based Dhyan |
| Topics | Meditation Philosophy of mind |
| Key findings | Meditation practices, particularly Heartfulness and heart-based Dhyan, are associated with improved well-being and deeper experiential states, though the authors raise concerns about the methodological and epistemological validity of linking spiritual experience to scientific objectivity. |
Abstract
is study offers a comparative cross-sectional analysis of multiple meditation techniques and their association with psychological well-being and self-reported states of consciousness.[1] By surveying over 400 individuals, the authors report that meditation practices, particularly Heartfulness and heart-based Dhyan, are associated with improved well-being and deeper experiential states.While these findings are directionally consistent with existing literature, the study raises fundamental methodological and epistemological concerns, particularly regarding the attempted convergence between spiritual self-experience and scientific objectivity.[2]
Comparable studies
Other cross-sectional and survey studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Experienced meditators and nonmeditating comparison groups | 2008 | Cross-sectional study | |
| Neural Correlates of Dispositional Mindfulness During Affect Labeling Adult participants | 2007 | Observational cross-sectional | n = 27 |
| Assessing mindfulness in children and adolescents: Development and validation of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM). School-aged children and adolescents | 2011 | Cross-sectional validation study | n = 1,413 |
| Mindfulness and self-compassion as predictors of psychological wellbeing in long-term meditators and matched nonmeditators Experienced meditators and demographically matched nonmeditators | 2012 | Cross-sectional study | n = 152 |
| Mechanisms of Action in the Inverse Relationship Between Mindfulness and Psychological Distress Undergraduates | 2008 | Cross-sectional, correlational |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Reducing and deducing the structures of consciousness through meditation. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Stable Consciousness? The "Hard Problem" Historically Reconstructed and in Perspective of Neurophenomenological Research on Meditation. Frontiers in Psychology 2022
- Deep computational neurophenomenology: a methodological framework for investigating the how of experience. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Is our brain hardwired to produce God, or is our brain hardwired to perceive God? A systematic review on the role of the brain in mediating religious experience. Cognitive Processing November 1, 2009