Mindfulness meditation experiences of novice practitioners in an online intervention: Trajectories, predictors, and challenges

Abstract

Background The benefits of mindfulness interventions are well‐known, but their challenges and individual differences in reactions to these challenges are much less clear. Methods The study used a mixed‐methods design to investigate the individual trajectories of daily experiences during meditation in a sample of novice volunteers participating in a 3‐week, distance‐based, guided meditation intervention (N = 175). Results Multilevel modelling revealed individual differences in the change trajectories of the experiences of effort, meaning, and boredom during meditation, indicating that meditation gradually became less effortful, less boring, more interesting, and more important over the 3 weeks. The individual differences in the levels of these experiences and their change trends were associated with baseline differences in well‐being, reflective processes, self‐management, and self‐control skills, as well as autonomous motivation to engage in the course. Conclusions Individuals who are initially more autonomous and mindful find it easier to engage with online mindfulness interventions and draw more benefits from the process, whereas those with lower self‐regulation skills or higher proneness to rumination are more likely to experience mindfulness as effortful and boring, and, eventually, to give it up.

Online guided meditation training (Isha Kriya) improves self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression within 2 weeks of practice—An observational study

“…While there was some interest, there was poor compliance with limited reported benefits. Our study shows that compliance is a significant challenge for most remotely delivered meditation programs (43,60). For motivated participants, online meditation offers a convenient and scalable opportunity for self-improvement.…”

“…Yoga and meditation approaches have been shown to improve mental health and wellbeing in the past. Online delivery of meditation has shown to be effective in improving mental health outcomes (43,44); especially for anxiety symptom relief during the COVID-19 pandemic (45).…”

“…For motivated participants, online meditation offers a convenient and scalable opportunity for self-improvement. However, in participants who lack motivation, compliance with practices could be a major challenge (43).…”

SPARK Resilience in the workplace: Effectiveness of a brief online resilience intervention during the COVID-19 lockdown

“…On the one hand, this finding could be explained by the fact that the health risks associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are vastly different across age groups, given that existing meta-analyses indicate stronger effects of resilience interventions in populations at higher risk [41]. On the other hand, older adults might differ in the quality of motivation or in the development of personality resources, such as selfregulation or reflective processes, that could predict individual differences in the outcomes of positive interventions [60]. Future research needs to replicate this finding outside the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, controlling for baseline personality resources.…”

Effects and mechanisms of an online short‐term audio‐based mindfulness program on positive affect: A randomized controlled trial including exploratory moderator analyses

“…In other words, SAM is less effective for people with low well-being. A previous study also suggested that brief MBIs have individual differences in their therapeutic effects (Osin & Turilina, 2022). In terms of effects on well-being, the Broaden-and-Build theory of positive emotions proposes that the improvement of positive emotions to expansion of one's thought-action repertoire which, in turn, results in more personal positive psychological resources (Fredrickson, 2004).…”