Defining a complex intervention: The development of demarcation criteria for “meditation”.

Abstract

The authors used a 5-round Delphi study with a panel of 7 experts in meditation research to achieve agreement on a set of criteria for a working definition of "meditation" for use in a comprehensive systematic review of the therapeutic use of meditation. Participants agreed that essential to a meditation practice is its use of (a) a defined technique, (b) logic relaxation, and (c) a self-induced state. Participants also agreed that a meditation practice may (d) involve a state of psychophysical relaxation somewhere in the process; (e) use a self-focus skill or anchor; (f) involve an altered state/mode of consciousness, mystic experience, enlightenment or suspension of logical thought processes; (g) be embedded in a religious/spiritual/philosophical context; or (h) involve an experience of mental silence. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges faced by researchers who want to demarcate meditative practices from nonmeditative practices, and they describe an approach to this problem that may prove useful for researchers trying to operationalize meditation in the context of comparative research.

Mindfulness and Psychologic Well-Being: Are They Related to Type of Meditation Technique Practiced?

“…11 More recently, a working definition was formulated by a number of experts in various forms of meditative practice, which involved the following essential elements of meditation as a procedure: (1) a defined technique; (2) logic relaxation (letting go of logical thought); and (3) a self-induced state. 12 In addition, some of the following elements may be present: (4) a state of psychophysical relaxation somewhere in the process; (5) a self-focus skill or anchor; (6) an altered state/mode of consciousness, mystic experience, enlightenment, or suspension of logical thought processes; (7) embeddedness in a religious/spiritual/philosophical context; or (8) an experience of mental silence.…”

Effects of a 9-Day Shamatha Buddhist Meditation Retreat on Attention, Mindfulness and Self-Compassion in Participants with a Broad Range of Meditation Experience

“…For example, in a five-round Delphi study with a panel of seven experts in meditation research, the participants agreed that the essence of meditation practice is its use of a defined technique and logic relaxation, and that it is a self-induced state. Meditation practice may also involve a state of psychophysical relaxation somewhere in the process; use of a self-focus skill or anchor; involve an altered state/mode of consciousness, mystical experience, enlightenment, or suspension of logical thought processes; be embedded in a religious/spiritual/philosophical context; or involve an experience of mental silence (Bond et al 2009). …”

Does Meditation Play an Integral Role in Achieving High-Level Wellness as Defined by Travis and Ryan (2004)?

“…This flaw perhaps is due to the fact that the expert panel that consensually arrived at the definition had no experience in Chi Kung or Tai Chi (see Bond et al, 2009) -thus giving support to their own observation that definitions of meditation are often a function of a researcher's own meditation practice and experience.…”

“…In recent years, several researchers have presented criteria to provide a working definition for meditation and to demark it from other practices such as prayer (Craven, in Black et al, 2009;Bond et al, 2009;Cardoso et al, 2004;Travis and Shear, 2010), by listing the technique's most important properties and are thus addressing some of Brown's fundamental criticisms. Researchers suggest it is essential that meditation practices: a. utilise clearly defined and specific techniques; b. involve logic relaxation (i.e.…”