Rethinking Practice in Mindfulness-Based Interventions: A Theoretical Model of How Formal Practice, Informal Practice, Practice Quality, and Dispositional Mindfulness Interact Over Time
Qeios September 30, 2026 DOI: 10.32388/ane0to.2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Longitudinal Cross-sectional Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key points | Argues that the mixed evidence on mindfulness home practice dose reflects an overly static, linear dose-response model, and proposes a developmental framework in which formal and informal practice are parallel and interdependent, change can be non-linear and insight-based, and maintenance is stabilization at a ceiling of benefit driven by practice frequency rather than duration. |
Abstract
Research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) has consistently framed home practice as a central therapeutic ingredient. Nevertheless, the empirical literature remains heterogeneous regarding the amount of practice participants complete, the strength and consistency of associations between practice time and outcomes, and the relative contribution of formal versus informal practice. Meta-regression evidence is itself divided: one meta-analysis found a modest positive association between formal home practice and outcomes, while a subsequent, larger dose-response meta-regression found no significant dose-response effects at all. At the same time, a growing body of evidence suggests that practice quality and dispositional mindfulness may help explain why equivalent amounts of practice do not yield equivalent outcomes across participants. This theoretical article argues that research on MBI practice has been constrained by an overly static and linear dose-response model and proposes a developmental framework in which different dimensions of practice play distinct functional roles across phases of training. The model has three key features: first, the relationship between formal and informal practice is reframed as parallel and interdependent rather than a one-directional transfer; second, the model explicitly incorporates recursive and non-linear trajectories, including discontinuous, insight-based change, alongside gradual skill acquisition; and third, the maintenance phase is conceptualized as stabilization at a ceiling of benefit, with practice frequency—rather than duration—proposed as a driver of that stability. The model further integrates self-related mechanisms (e.g., decentering, cognitive defusion, disidentification) and distinguishes attentional, constructive, and deconstructive families of practice as a further source of heterogeneity in outcomes. This model integrates findings from meta-analyses on home practice and dispositional mindfulness, cross-sectional and longitudinal studies of lifetime and long-term practice, and emerging research on practice quality and self-related mechanisms. It offers a more differentiated explanation for the mixed findings in the literature on practice dose: practice may matter, but not uniformly, not linearly, and not through a single mechanism across phases of training or types of practice. The article concludes with testable hypotheses, explicit limitations, and a research agenda for longitudinal, mechanism-focused studies, including in contextualized programs such as Mindfulness-Based Health Promotion.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 24
- Using Self-Report Assessment Methods to Explore Facets of Mindfulness Assessment January 27, 2006
- Construct Validity of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire in Meditating and Nonmeditating Samples Assessment February 29, 2008
- What defines mindfulness-based programs? The warp and the weft Psychological Medicine December 29, 2016
- Mindfulness-based interventions: an overall review British Medical Bulletin April 21, 2021
- How long does a mindfulness‐based stress reduction program need to be? A review of class contact hours and effect sizes for psychological distress Journal of Clinical Psychology March 23, 2009
and 19 more in the library