Psychotherapy Research
June 2, 2021
Simon B. Goldberg, Sin U Lam, Willoughby B. Britton et al.
110 citations
Meditation-related adverse effects (MRAE) are common, even among people with modest meditation experience. In a population-based survey, 32.3% of participants reported MRAE on a general item, and 50.0% reported at least one specific adverse effect. Anxiety, traumatic re-experiencing, and emotional sensitivity were the most common. Functional impairment occurred in 10.6% of participants, lasting at least one month for 1.2%. Childhood adversity was associated with higher risk for MRAE. Despite these effects, participants who reported MRAE were equally glad to have practiced meditation as those who did not. The findings suggest that transparency about possible risks and trauma-sensitive approaches are warranted.
JMIR mental health
April 28, 2023
Sin U Lam, Qiang Xie, Simon B Goldberg
29 citations
Among US adults who have ever meditated, more than half (58.8%) have used a meditation app at least once, and 21.7% use one weekly or daily. Younger age, higher anxiety, and a mental health motivation for meditating were linked to having used a meditation app. Active users were younger, less likely to be men or non-Latinx White, had lower income, and were more likely to have started meditating for spiritual reasons. Concerns about cost, effectiveness, time, technical issues, and user-friendliness were more common among app users. Desired features include practice tips, reminders, mini-practices, and mental health content, while social features were less popular. Headspace and Calm were the most used apps.
November 3, 2023
Qiang Xie, Rachel L. Dyer, Sin U Lam et al.
1 citation
preprint
Brief, informal meditation practices done during daily activities may help make meditation-based interventions more effective and accessible. Interviews with 17 participants after a 4-week smartphone meditation program revealed four themes: reported benefits, how they integrated practice into daily life, barriers to practice, and recommended facilitators. Barriers included lack of reminders and social support; facilitators included personalized app features and repeating intervention content. Addressing these factors could increase engagement with informal practice.