Differential relationship between meditation methods and psychotic-like and mystical experiences.
Timothy Palmer, Kenza Kadri, Eric Fakra, Jacqueline Scholl, Elsa Fouragnan
PLoS One December 5, 2024 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0309357 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Pre-registered online survey Preregistered Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 613 |
| Population | Meditators |
| Topics | Meditation Mystical experience |
| Keywords | Contemplation Contemplative practices Spiritual practice Mental health Psychological effects Mental states Well-being Consciousness Altered states Mental outcomes Investigation Findings Scientific inquiry Empirical data Meditation types Meditation techniques Contemplative styles Practice variations Meditation methods |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | Null-directed meditation techniques were positively correlated with psychotic-like experiences and mystical experiences, while attentional or strongly embodied techniques were negatively correlated with psychotic-like experiences. |
Abstract
Much work has investigated beneficial effects of mindfulness-based meditation methods, but less work has investigated potential risks and differences across meditation methods. We addressed this in a large pre-registered online survey including 613 mediators where we correlated participants' experience with fifty meditation techniques to psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) and mystical experiences. We found a positive correlation for both PLEs and mystical experiences with techniques aiming at reducing phenomenological content ('null-directed', NDM) or classified as non-dual or less embodied. In contrast, methods aiming at achieving an enhanced cognitive state (CDM), also described as 'attentional' or strongly embodied, showed negative correlations with PLEs. Interestingly, participants' subjectively perceived that all types of meditation techniques were preventative of PLEs but less so for NDM. Participants differed in their reasons for meditating, broadly grouped into associated with spiritual exploration and associated with health. Participants who meditated for spiritual reasons were more likely to choose NDM techniques and more likely to experience PLEs. In contrast, participants who meditated for health-related reasons were more likely to choose CDM techniques. This study provides important information for meditators about the relationship of different techniques with PLEs and the moderating influences of individual traits.