Future directions in meditation research: Recommendations for expanding the field of contemplative science

Abstract

The science of meditation has grown tremendously in the last two decades. Most studies have focused on evaluating the clinical effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions, neural and other physiological correlates of meditation, and individual cognitive and emotional aspects of meditation. Far less research has been conducted on more challenging domains to measure, such as group and relational, transpersonal and mystical, and difficult aspects of meditation; anomalous or extraordinary phenomena related to meditation; and post-conventional stages of development associated with meditation. However, these components of meditation may be crucial to people’s psychological and spiritual development, could represent important mediators and/or mechanisms by which meditation confers benefits, and could themselves be important outcomes of meditation practices. In addition, since large numbers of novices are being introduced to meditation, it is helpful to investigate experiences they may encounter that are not well understood. Over the last four years, a task force of meditation researchers and teachers met regularly to develop recommendations for expanding the current meditation research field to include these important yet often neglected topics. These meetings led to a cross-sectional online survey to investigate the prevalence of a wide range of experiences in 1120 meditators. Results show that the majority of respondents report having had many of these anomalous and extraordinary experiences. While some of the topics are potentially controversial, they can be subjected to rigorous scientific investigation. These arenas represent largely uncharted scientific terrain and provide excellent opportunities for both new and experienced researchers. We provide suggestions for future directions, with accompanying online materials to encourage such research.

Content-Free Awareness: EEG-fcMRI Correlates of Consciousness as Such in an Expert Meditator

“…Neuroscientific meditation research has risen sharply during the last decade, thereby initiating the new field of contemplative neuroscience. So far the majority of studies in this field have explored the physiological mechanisms of meditation, changes in brain structure and function associated with meditation practice, as well as differences in cognitive abilities between meditators and non-meditators (Davis and Vago, 2013;Vieten et al, 2018). Only few studies have investigated deep states of meditation and extraordinary experiences, such as 'enlightenment' or 'awakening.'…”

App-Based Delivery of Clinical Emotional Freedom Techniques: Cross-Sectional Study of App User Self-Ratings

“…Studies that assess brief single-session EFT interventions are more relevant to the study of an app than EFT delivered as traditional psychotherapy. Traditional ongoing psychotherapy has positive effects that may be attributed in part to therapy duration and other factors (eg, the supportive environment, face-to-face demand characteristics) [ 75 ]. However, brief single-session administration of EFT closely matches the short app session duration and the single-session use evident in the current user sample.…”

“…Furthermore, although there is little evidence to suggest negative effects of meditation-based techniques [ 78 ], some studies have identified antisocial behavior, reduced emotional stability following meditation, and depersonalization following meditation therapy [ 79 - 81 ]. Emotional responses of fear, dread, and terror have also been reported following personal meditation practice [ 75 ]. Although adverse emotional responses to meditation-based apps are unlikely, this research reinforces the importance of high-level examinations of mHealth app efficacy.…”

Correlates of Silence: Enhanced Microstructural Changes in the Uncinate Fasciculus

“…It has recently been suggested that through a voluntary act of silence, used as a paradigm similar to sensory deprivation one can intentionally move from the narrative self, to the minimal and eventually overcoming the self ( Paoletti et al, 2020 ; Paoletti and Ben-Soussan, 2020 ). The state of overcoming of the self, which can further be compared with self-transcendence, absorption, and non-dual states ( Josipovic, 2014 ; Vieten et al, 2018 ), is characterized by changes in the perception of time and space shifting gradually toward “timelessness” and “spacelessness” ( Berkovich-Ohana et al, 2013 ; Wittmann, 2015 , 2020 ). Importantly, similar experiences following the Quadrato Motor Training (QMT) have been reported ( Ben-Soussan et al, 2013 , 2014b , 2019 ).…”