PloS one
January 1, 2024
Erik Jönhagen, Tim Wood, Maria Niemi et al.
5 citations
Mindfulness practice can produce intense experiences that for some individuals resemble psychotic-like experiences, according to a qualitative study of 13 mindfulness teacher trainees. Over four months, participants submitted fortnightly meditation reports. Most practitioners frequently described intense experiences during meditation, and in some cases these experiences were similar to psychotic-like experiences. The findings suggest that adverse effects, including intense and potentially psychosis-like experiences, can occur as a natural part of mindfulness practice, raising concerns for both clinical and non-clinical settings.
Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress
December 1, 2025
Maris Vainre, Tim Dalgleish, Tia Bendriss-Otiko et al.
2 citations
Mindfulness-based programmes (MBPs) modestly improve task performance—the quantity and quality of completed assigned work—immediately after the intervention compared with doing nothing, but not compared with other active activities. The meta-analysis of 99 studies with 16,054 participants also found benefits for adaptive and contextual performance, and effects may persist for months. However, confidence in these results is very low due to limitations in the evidence. Employers and universities subsidize MBPs to boost work performance despite previously unclear evidence.
Mindfulness
May 19, 2026
Tim Wood, Merle Kock, Nicholas T van Dam et al.
Intense meditation-related experiences (IMREs) can suddenly alter a person's sense of self, worldview, and emotions, but their meaning often shifts as meditators reflect and interpret them over time within their social and cultural context. Through in-depth interviews with 13 participants, four themes emerged: watching the self and world transform; emotional explosions leading to insight; deciding whether to share the experience or remain silent; and developing new perspectives and agency. Most participants found that the meaning of their IMREs became clearer through conversation with others, using concepts from science and meditation traditions. These experiences were transformative, offering new ways of perceiving and acting in the world.
Current Psychology
December 1, 2025
Nandini Karunamuni, Tim Wood, Julieta Galante
The mind-brain relationship problem is a key philosophical issue with significant implications for mental health research and practice. This article explores the nature of subjective first-person experiences, which help define the mind, and contrasts them with third-person scientific understandings of the brain. The first-person and third-person perspectives are presented as two distinct but equally valid epistemological frameworks: first-person insights cultivate self-knowledge and wisdom, while third-person analysis illuminates the workings of the world. The mind is described as a dynamic system of constantly changing sensory encounters and mental processes involving past, present, and future, to be regarded as a distinct variable. The article advocates for a broader, more inclusive approach to mental health research and treatment without denying neurobiological correlates of mental states.