Mindfulness, Diving and Wellbeing: A Living Review — Version 2.0 (65 Studies)
August 18, 2026 DOI: 10.68220/mdi.2026.002 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The mapping compiles 65 studies on contemplative practice, scuba diving, surface-only freediving-adjacent breathwork, blue-space psychology, and wellbeing. It reports that the evidence base includes randomized and controlled studies of meditative diving programs, stress reduction, and PTSD symptom outcomes, along with proposed mechanisms. No pooled effect estimates or participant totals are given in the abstract. |
Abstract
A continuously updated systematic mapping of the scientific literature at the intersection of contemplative practice, scuba diving, freediving-adjacent breathwork (surface only), blue-space psychology, and wellbeing outcomes. Version 2.0 covers 65 studies, including randomized and controlled evidence for meditative diving programs, stress reduction, PTSD symptom outcomes, and mechanisms. Maintained by the Mindful Diving Institute Research Lab; updated versions are issued under the same living-review lineage.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |