The Varieties of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation-Related Challenges in Western Buddhists
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Plain English Summary
We all hear meditation is great for you, but what happens when it goes sideways? This landmark study interviewed 60 Western Buddhist meditators and 32 meditation teachers to map out the full range of experiences people actually have during practice -- including the rough ones nobody talks about. The results are eye-opening: researchers cataloged 59 different meditation-related experiences spanning thinking, perception, emotions, bodily sensations, motivation, sense of self, and social functioning. The range ran from deeply positive to seriously distressing. A striking 73% of participants reported moderate to severe difficulties in daily functioning, 17% experienced suicidal thoughts, and 17% were hospitalized. These weren't just fragile people or extreme meditators -- the findings challenge the comforting idea that meditation only causes problems for vulnerable individuals. The study also created a framework for understanding unusual experiences that arise during contemplative practice, including those that overlap with psi (psychic-type) phenomena. One caveat: the sample was overwhelmingly White and highly educated, so these findings may not tell the whole story for everyone.
Actual Paper Abstract
Buddhist-derived meditation practices are currently being employed as a popular form of health promotion. While meditation programs draw inspiration from Buddhist textual sources for the benefits of meditation, these sources also acknowledge a wide range of other effects beyond health-related outcomes. The Varieties of Contemplative Experience study investigates meditation-related experiences that are typically underreported, particularly experiences that are described as challenging, difficult, distressing, functionally impairing, and/or requiring additional support. A mixed-methods approach featured qualitative interviews with Western Buddhist meditation practitioners and experts in TheravΔda, Zen, and Tibetan traditions. Interview questions probed meditation experiences and influencing factors, including interpretations and management strategies. A follow-up survey provided quantitative assessments of causality, impairment and other demographic and practice-related variables. The content-driven thematic analysis of interviews yielded a taxonomy of 59 meditation-related experiences across 7 domains: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, and social. Even in cases where the phenomenology was similar across participants, interpretations of and responses to the experiences differed considerably. The associated valence ranged from very positive to very negative, and the associated level of distress and functional impairment ranged from minimal and transient to severe and enduring. In order to determine what factors may influence the valence, impact, and response to any given experience, the study also identified 26 categories of influencing factors across 4 domains: practitioner-level factors, practice-level factors, relationships, and health behaviors. By identifying a broader range of experiences associated with meditation, along with the factors that contribute to the presence and management of experiences reported as challenging, difficult, distressing or functionally impairing, this study aims to increase our understanding of the effects of contemplative practices and to provide resources for mediators, clinicians, meditation researchers, and meditation teachers.
Research Notes
Foundational empirical documentation of full range of meditation effects beyond health benefits. Critical for psi research: provides taxonomy and methodology for studying contemplative anomalous experiences, distinguishes meditation-induced phenomena from pathology, contextualizes psi experiences arising during practice. Highly cited in contemplative studies and meditation safety literature. Sample highly educated (73% graduate degrees), 94% White, limits generalizability.
Mixed-methods investigation of meditation-related experiences in Western Buddhist practitioners, with deliberate focus on underreported challenging, difficult, distressing, or functionally impairing effects. Qualitative interviews with 60 practitioners (20 each from TheravΔda, Zen, Tibetan traditions) and 32 experts yielded a taxonomy of 59 meditation-related experiences across 7 domains (cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative, sense of self, social) and 26 influencing factors across 4 domains (practitioner-level, practice-level, relationships, health behaviors). Valence ranged from very positive to very negative; 73% reported moderate-severe impairment, 17% suicidality, 17% hospitalization. Causality assessment met WHO/FDA criteria (mean 4.2/6). Findings challenge assumptions that meditation difficulties only occur in vulnerable populations or intensive practice contexts.
Links
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- When the Truth Is Out There: Counseling People Who Report Anomalous Experiences β Rabeyron, Thomas (2022)
- A Call for an Open, Informed Study of All Aspects of Consciousness β CardeΓ±a, Etzel (2014)
- Meditation Experience Is Associated with Differences in Default Mode Network Activity and Connectivity β Brewer, Judson A (2011)
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π Cite this paper
Lindahl, Jared R, Fisher, Nathan E, Cooper, David J, Rosen, Rochelle K, Britton, Willoughby B (2017). The Varieties of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation-Related Challenges in Western Buddhists. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176239
@article{lindahl_2017_varieties_contemplative,
title = {The Varieties of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation-Related Challenges in Western Buddhists},
author = {Lindahl, Jared R and Fisher, Nathan E and Cooper, David J and Rosen, Rochelle K and Britton, Willoughby B},
year = {2017},
journal = {PLoS ONE},
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0176239},
}