Overview: clinical and physiological comparison of meditation with other self-control strategies.
The American journal of psychiatry March 1982 DOI: 10.1176/ajp.139.3.267 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The review addresses whether meditation is clinically and physiologically distinct from other self-control strategies such as biofeedback, hypnosis, and progressive relaxation, with particular attention to claims of meditation's "uniqueness" as a clinical intervention and to adverse effects. It concludes by offering suggestions and guidelines for future research; no specific comparative outcomes are stated in the abstract. |
Abstract
In 1977 the American Psychiatric Association called for a critical examination of the clinical effectiveness of meditation. The author provides a review of the literature bearing on clinical and physiological comparisons of meditation with other self-control strategies. He begins by providing a definition of mediation and then cites the literature comparing mediation with such self-regulation strategies as biofeedback, hypnosis, and progressive relaxation. He pays particular attention to the "uniqueness" of mediation as a clinical intervention strategy a well as the adverse effects of meditation. Finally, he offers suggestions and guidelines for future research.