Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) can help researchers investigate the neural mechanisms underlying meditation's beneficial effects on well-being and consciousness. Prior research has mainly targeted frontal and parietal cortices, suggesting NIBS might boost meditation's behavioral and neural effects. NIBS has also revealed distinct neural signatures in long-term meditators. However, methodological variations across studies make definitive interpretation of results challenging. Future work should focus on core substrates of meditation, including specific brain networks and oscillations, and causal mechanisms of advanced meditation. Overall, NIBS-meditation research holds promise for enhancing meditation-based interventions in both non-clinical and clinical populations.
About 45% of people from three international communities—UK online panelists, US-based MTurk workers, and readers of a rationalist blog—report having had at least one sudden unusual mental or somatic experience, not caused by drugs, that is often interpreted as spiritual or mystical. The most common experiences include derealization (17%), unitive experiences (15%), and ecstatic thrills (15%). Following such experiences, respondents reported a mix of positive and negative well-being outcomes; 13% reported moderate or greater suffering and 1.1% reported life-threatening suffering. Of those who suffered, 63% did not seek help. These emergent phenomena appear widespread and can lead to both benefits and harms that are not adequately addressed by clinical practice.