Depersonalization and meditation.
Psychiatry May 1990 DOI: 10.1080/00332747.1990.11024497 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 6 |
| Population | Meditators interviewed for the study |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Argues that meditation can cause depersonalization and derealization, and that the meanings meditators assign to these experiences largely determine whether anxiety is present; depersonalization need not involve significant anxiety or functional impairment and can become an apparently permanent mode of functioning. Proposes that Depersonalization Disorder may be treated through symbolic healing, changing the meanings associated with depersonalization, and that catastrophic interpretations can produce panic or anxiety. |
Abstract
From a review of the literature on meditation and depersonalization and interviews conducted with six meditators, this study concludes that: 1) meditation can cause depersonalization and derealization; 2) the meanings in the mind of the meditator regarding the experience of depersonalization will determine to a great extent whether anxiety is present as part of the experience; 3) there need not be any significant anxiety or impairment in social or occupational functioning as a result of depersonalization; 4) a depersonalized state can become an apparently permanent mode of functioning; 5) patients with Depersonalization Disorder may be treated through a process of symbolic healing--that is, changing the meanings associated with depersonalization in the mind of the patient, thereby reducing anxiety and functional impairment; 6) panic/anxiety may be caused by depersonalization if catastrophic interpretations of depersonalization are present.