Examining the Relation Between Practicing Meditation and Having Peak Experiences and Lucid Dreams. A Cross-Sectional Study.
Frontiers in psychology January 1, 2022 Javier Garcia-Campayo, Rinchen Hijar-Aguinaga, Alberto Barceló-soler et al. 3 citations
People who meditate are more likely to report having had a peak experience—an intense moment of joy, unity, or transcendence—than those who do not meditate. In a survey of 237 Spanish adults, 71.8% of meditators reported at least one peak experience compared to 46.8% of non-meditators. However, among those who had such experiences, the number, intensity, and ability to self-induce them did not differ between the two groups. Meditators also scored higher on measures of non-dual awareness, mindfulness, and absorption, but not on all aspects of dream lucidity. Being a meditator predicted having had a peak experience but not lucid dreaming scores, suggesting meditation may facilitate peak experiences while its effect on lucid dreams remains unclear.