ArticlePloS one2017
Unwanted effects: Is there a negative side of meditation? A multicentre survey.
Article in PloS one, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 57 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Impact of Meditation on Bothersome Tinnitus
Pilot Study of the Acceptability and Feasibility of an 8-week Online Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Programamong Undergraduate Students: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Acceptability and Feasibility of an 8-week In-person Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Program in a University Population: a Quasi-experimental Pilot Study
Who cites it
57 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Mindfulness-Based Programmes for Work Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials.Stress and health : journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress · 2025Pooled it
- Individual differences in meditation interventions: A meta-analytic study.British journal of health psychology · 2022Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Mantra-Based Meditation on Mental Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Mindfulness-based programmes for mental health promotion in adults in nonclinical settings: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.PLoS medicine · 2021Pooled it
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions for People with Schizophrenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Pooled it
- An Internet-Based Mindfulness- and Compassion-Based Intercare Program for Reducing Parental Burnout: Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2026Trial
- Effects of mindfulness breathing meditation on stress and cognitive functions: a heart rate variability and eye-tracking study.Scientific reports · 2025Trial
- Easing the burden: a pilot study on the impact of mindfulness on the mental health of Brazilian medical students.BMC medical education · 2025Trial
- Mindfulness-Based Eating Solution (MBES) for Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating Attitudes in Nutrition Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Randomised Clinical Trial.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Trial
- Do mindfulness interventions cause harm? Findings from the Learning to Apply Mindfulness to Pain (LAMP) Pragmatic Clinical Trial.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2024Trial
- Altered states of consciousness caused by a mindfulness-based programme up to a year later: Results from a randomised controlled trial.PloS one · 2024Trial
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- Trial
- A cross-sectional survey on depersonalization/derealization and meditation-induced alterations of the self.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Meditation: Philosophical Foundations and its Role in Managing Common Noncommunicable Diseases.Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine · 2026Article
- Learning to attenuate myself: a predictive processing account of body-scan meditation and the dissolution of bodily boundaries.Neuroscience of consciousness · 2026Article
- Psychoneuroimmunology of Mindfulness: What works, how it works, and for whom?Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2025Article
- Meditation expertise influences response bias and prestimulus alpha activity in the somatosensory signal detection task.Psychophysiology · 2025Article
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation.Imaging neuroscience (Cambridge, Mass.) · 2025Article
- Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Qigong Training for Self-Healing in patients with Hwabyung and depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesDespite the long-term use and evidence-based efficacy of meditation and mindfulness-based interventions, there is still a lack of data about the possible unwanted effects (UEs) of these practices. The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of UEs among meditation practitioners, considering moderating factors such as the type, frequency, and lifetime duration of the meditation practices.
methodsAn online survey was developed and disseminated through several websites, such as Spanish-, English- and Portuguese-language scientific research portals related to mindfulness and meditation. After excluding people who did not answer the survey correctly or completely and those who had less than two months of meditation experience, a total of 342 people participated in the study. However, only 87 reported information about UEs.
resultsThe majority of the practitioners were women from Spain who were married and had a University education level. Practices were more frequently informal, performed on a daily basis, and followed by focused attention (FA). Among the participants, 25.4% reported UEs, showing that severity varies considerably. The information requested indicated that most of the UEs were transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance. They were more frequently reported in relation to individual practice, during focused attention meditation, and when practising for more than 20 minutes and alone. The practice of body awareness was associated with UEs to a lesser extent, whereas focused attention was associated more with UEs.
conclusionsThis is the first large-scale, multi-cultural study on the UEs of meditation. Despite its limitations, this study suggests that UEs are prevalent and transitory and should be further studied. We recommend the use of standardized questionnaires to assess the UEs of meditation practices.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.