“Exploding into the Universe”: Exploring intense meditation-related experiences (IMREs) and perceived impacts on the sense of self
July 25, 2025 Tom Wood, Merle Kock, Nicholas T. van Dam et al. preprint
Intense meditation-related experiences (IMREs) can alter the sense of self, worldview, and emotions, impacting daily life. Through in-depth interviews with thirteen meditators, four themes emerged: watching the self and world transform; emotional explosions leading to insight; gaining new perspectives and agency; and challenges in talking about the experience. Meditators used concepts from science and meditative traditions to make sense of IMREs, which were profound transformative experiences that changed how they perceived and acted in the world. The meaning of these experiences was immediately clear for some but clarified over time for most.