Studying the experience of meditation through Micro-phenomenology
Claire Petitmengin, Martijn van Beek, Michel Bitbol, Jean-michel Nissou, Andreas Roepstorff
Current Opinion in Psychology October 25, 2018 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2018.10.009 via OpenAlex
Summary
A pilot project applied 'micro-phenomenological' interview methods to explore the lived experience of meditation, focusing on moment-to-moment experiences during practice. The findings emphasize the value of detailed descriptions of meditative experiences for enhancing understanding, practice, and teaching of meditation, which has been largely overlooked in existing contemplative science research.
Study at a glance
| Key finding | The application of micro-phenomenological methods reveals the importance of describing meditative experiences for better understanding and teaching meditation. |
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Abstract
Numerous scientific studies are conducted on the neurophysiological effects of meditation practices and on the neural correlates of meditative states. However, very few studies have been conducted on the experience associated with contemplative practice: what it is like to meditate - from moment to moment, at different stages of different forms of practice - remains almost invisible in contemporary contemplative science. Recently, 'micro-phenomenological' interview methods have been developed to help us become aware of lived experience and describe it with rigor and precision. This article presents the results of a pilot project aiming at applying these methods to the description of meditative experience, and highlights the interest of such descriptions for understanding, practicing and teaching meditation.