Preprint

So far, the large and expanding body of research on meditation has mostly focussed on the putative benefits of meditation on health and well-being. However, a growing number of reports indicate that psychologically distressing and difficult experiences can occur in the context of meditation practice. Very little is known about the prevalence and potential causes of these experiences. The aim of this study was to report the prevalence of distressing meditation-related experiences in a large international sample of regular meditators, and to explore the association of distressing meditation-related experiences with demographic characteristics, meditation practice, and mental health variables (here measured by repetitive negative thinking, mindfulness, and self-compassion). Using a cross-sectional online survey, 1,264 regular meditators (mean age = 44.7 years, SD = 13.9, 53.8% female) responded to one question about distressing meditation-related experiences (98.7% of the total sample). A total of 321 participants (25.4%, 95% CI: 23.0 to 27.8) reported distressing meditation-related experiences. Logistic regression models indicated a positive association between distressing meditation-related experiences and having meditation retreat experience (odds ratio = 1.65, p < 0.001) and higher levels of repetitive negative thinking (OR = 1.17, p = 0.015). A negative association was found between distressing meditation-related experiences and identifying as religious (OR = 0.64, p = 0.001) and being female (OR) = 0.77, p = 0.045). The high prevalence of distressing meditation-related experiences reported here points to the importance of expanding the scientific conception of meditation beyond that of a (mental) health-promoting and self-regulating technique. We conclude with an overview of methodological and conceptual considerations that could be used to inform future research on distressing meditation-related experiences.