Meditation and neurofeedback: A systematic scoping review, synthesis, and future directions
Imaging Neuroscience January 1, 2026 Hagar Tal, Winson F. Z. Yang, Matthew D. Sacchet
Neurofeedback (NF) has been proposed as a tool to support meditation practice, but a systematic review mapping the field across clinical and non-clinical contexts reveals that most studies are proof-of-concept and vary widely in design, implementation, and outcome measures. While NF consistently modulates neural activity, evidence for corresponding improvements in behavior, phenomenology, or transferable meditative skills remains limited. The review concludes that additional research is essential to determine whether NF can help practitioners overcome common meditative barriers, such as anxiety and self-doubt, and accelerate meditative development from novice to advanced meditators.