Contemplative Practices Across Religious Traditions: Shared Pathways to Spiritual and Psychological Wellness
Austin English
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) October 12, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.23324064 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Argues that major religious traditions share contemplative practices—meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred repetition, breath awareness, reflection, and compassion—that may support emotional regulation, stress reduction, self-awareness, meaning-making, and human development. The review contends that psychological similarities coexist with theological distinctions among traditions, and proposes implications for interfaith spiritual care, nonclinical spiritual counseling, and interdisciplinary research. |
Abstract
This interdisciplinary literature review examines shared contemplative practices across the world’s major religious traditions and their potential contributions to spiritual and psychological wellness. Drawing on comparative religious scholarship and psychological research, it explores common practices—including meditation, contemplative prayer, sacred repetition, breath awareness, reflection, and compassion—and their relationships to emotional regulation, stress reduction, self-awareness, meaning-making, and human development. The review emphasizes both the psychological similarities and theological distinctions among traditions, offering implications for interfaith spiritual care, nonclinical spiritual counseling, and future interdisciplinary research.
In the evidence
This study is part of the evidence base for a synthesis in the library. Here is how each one recorded it.
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State of the evidence: Meditation Supports
Contemplative practices across religious traditions, including meditation, are linked to emotional regulation, stress reduction, self-awareness, and meaning-making.
Synthesized
Comparable studies
Other narrative reviews on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: A conceptual and empirical review. Clinical populations | 2003 | Review | |
| Mindfulness: Theoretical Foundations and Evidence for its Salutary Effects | 2007 | Review | |
| Mindfulness Interventions | 2016 | Review | |
| Mind the Hype: A Critical Evaluation and Prescriptive Agenda for Research on Mindfulness and Meditation | 2017 | Review | |
| Mindfulness and acceptance: expanding the cognitive-behavioral tradition | 2005 | Review |