The Use of Meditation in Psychotherapy: A Review of the Literature
American Journal of Psychotherapy July 1, 1991 DOI: 10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.1991.45.3.383 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 67 |
| Key findings | Argues that whether meditation should be used in therapy depends on the therapeutic goals being sought in a particular case. Meditation may be compatible with and effective for goals such as cognitive and behavioral change or access to the personal unconscious, but may be strongly contraindicated when the aim is to strengthen ego boundaries, release powerful emotions, or work through complex relational dynamics. |
Abstract
This article has explored research to date concerning the efficacy of introducing meditation into the therapeutic setting. I have presented the views of proponents and critics of the relaxation model of meditation and of theories describing the cognitive changes brought about by meditation--for example, Deikman's theory of the deautomatization of consciousness and Delmonte's view that meditation may be utilized to bring about "ascendence," "descendence," and "transcendence." After summarizing psychoanalytic and Jungian arguments against meditation, the writings of several transpersonal psychologists have been cited to demonstrate the differences in how psychotherapy and meditative disciplines conceptualize personal identity, work with unconscious material, and view the experience of emptiness. I conclude that the question of whether meditation should be used in therapy can be answered only by considering what therapeutic goals are being sought in a particular instance and whether or not meditation can reasonably be expected to facilitate achievement of those goals. Meditation may, in some cases, be compatible with, and effective in, promoting the aims of psychotherapy--for example, cognitive and behavioral change, or access to the deep regions of the personal unconscious. In other cases, it may be strongly contraindicated, especially when the therapeutic goal is to strengthen ego boundaries, release powerful emotions, or work through complex relational dynamics--ends which may be more effectively reached through standard psychotherapeutic methods than through meditation. Meditation may be of great value, however, through its capacity to awaken altered states of consciousness that may profoundly reorient an individual's identity, emotional attitude, and sense of wellbeing and purpose in life.
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 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 14
- Mindfulness and Counseling Self‐Efficacy: The Mediating Role of Attention and Empathy Counselor Education and Supervision September 1, 2009
- Clinical Trials of Meditation Practices in Health Care: Characteristics and Quality The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine December 1, 2008
- Obsessive-compulsive symptoms and dissociative experiences: Suggested underlying mechanisms and implications for science and practice Frontiers in Psychology March 22, 2023
- Effects of Brief Daily Kundalini Yoga Meditation on Self-Esteem, Mood and Emotional Self-Efficacy: A Randomized Comparison Study October 31, 2022
- Compassion and Person Perception: An Experiment August 1, 2006
and 9 more in the library