Mental Health Symptoms Do Not Increase Risk for Distressing Experiences During Intensive Mindfulness Meditation Training: Evidence from a Prospective Matched-Control Intervention Study
Yoel A. Behar, Yuval Hadash, Omer Dar, Amit Bernstein
Mindfulness September 30, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-026-02982-9 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Preregistered prospective matched-control study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 133 |
| Population | Adults participating in 6-day insight mindfulness meditation retreats and matched controls living daily life |
| Intervention | Insight mindfulness meditation retreat |
| Duration | 6-day retreat with 2-week follow-up |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Registration | NCT04749264 |
| Key points | Lower, not higher, pre-retreat depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with greater endorsement of distressing experiences during retreats compared to controls. At 2-week follow-up, retreat participants with low and high pre-retreat anxiety reported more positive than negative impact of those experiences. The authors argue these findings challenge claims that depression and anxiety are risk factors for distressing meditation experiences or their adverse effects. |
Abstract
Abstract Objective We aimed to test whether mental health problems are associated with distressing experiences during intensive meditation training and with the impact of these experiences following intensive training.
Method: We conducted a preregistered prospective matched-control study comparing 6-day insight mindfulness meditation retreats ( n = 89) to daily living among matched controls ( n = 44).
Results: Unexpectedly, lower, and not higher, pre-retreat depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with greater endorsement of distressing experiences during the retreats compared to daily living among matched controls. Moreover, at 2-week follow-up, retreat participants with low and those with high pre-retreat anxiety symptoms reported more positive than negative impact of distressing experiences endorsed during the retreat.
Conclusions: The findings challenge claims that depression and anxiety symptoms are a risk factor for heightened distressing experiences during intensive meditation training or the adverse effects of these meditation-related experiences. Preregistration The study was preregistered at ClinicalTrials.gov (Identifier: NCT04749264; 20 December 2020).
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Undergraduate students | 2006 | Observational cohort | |
| Effectiveness of a meditation-based stress reduction program in the treatment of anxiety disorders Patients with generalized anxiety disorder or panic disorder with or without agoraphobia | 1992 | Observational cohort | n = 22 |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice Long-term Buddhist practitioners and controls | 2004 | Observational cohort |
Citations in the library
Cites 22
- Mindfulness Interventions Annual Review of Psychology September 30, 2016
- Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation Perspectives on Psychological Science October 10, 2017
- Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse JAMA Psychiatry April 28, 2016
- The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists PLoS One May 24, 2017
- Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey PLoS One September 5, 2017
and 17 more in the library