Can an apophatic meditation promote long‐term adjustment in hope? A time‐series model of centering meditation
Stephanie Dorais, Daniel Gutiérrez, Jesse Fox, Spencer G. Niles
Journal of Counseling & Development October 27, 2023 DOI: 10.1002/jcad.12495 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Randomized controlled trial Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 150 |
| Population | College and graduate students (65% white, 84% female) |
| Intervention | Centering meditation |
| Topics | Meditation Mysticism |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Centering meditation produced a statistically significant upward trend in hope over time compared with a waitlist control, whose hope levels remained stationary. The authors interpret this as evidence of long-term dynamic adjustment and suggest centering meditation may be a useful counseling intervention for improving hope in college students. |
Abstract
Abstract The authors investigate the effects of centering meditation on state hope among college and graduate students through a randomized controlled trial. Participants (n = 150; 65% white, 84% female) were randomized to either a centering meditation group or a waitlist control group. Time‐series analyses indicated that centering meditation significantly improved hope, suggesting long‐term dynamic adjustment, compared to a control group. Specifically, the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) procedures indicated that the treatment group exhibited a statistically significant upward trend in hope, ARIMA (1, 1, 0). As expected, the control group's levels of hope were stationary, ARIMA (1, 0, 1). The study highlights the potential benefits of centering meditation as an evidence‐based counseling intervention for improving hope in the college population.
Comparable studies
Other randomized controlled trials on mysticism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mystical-type experiences occasioned by psilocybin mediate the attribution of personal meaning and spiritual significance 14 months later Hallucinogen-naïve adults reporting regular participation in religious/spiritual... | 2008 | Double-blind study with follow-up | n = 36 |
| Predicting and exploring ayahuasca effects: Perception, mind-wandering, and EEG oscillations Healthy volunteers | 2025 | Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm design | n = 50 |
Citations in the library
Cites 9
- The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin May 14, 2012
- The meeting of meditative disciplines and western psychology: A mutually enriching dialogue. American Psychologist 2006
- Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States Psychotherapy Research June 2, 2021
- Drawing the experience dynamics of meditation bioRxiv Preprint Server March 4, 2022
- The Influence of Spiritual Transcendence on a Centering Meditation: A Growth Curve Analysis of Resilience Religions July 26, 2021
and 4 more in the library