Examining the Occurrence and Clinical Impact of Difficult Experiences that Emerge during a Mindfulness-Based Intervention among Individuals at High-Risk of Suicide.

Objective: Experiences of difficulty (e.g., anxiety, difficult emotions) can occur during mindfulness practice. This study characterized the occurrence of such difficulties, defined as abnormal distress, dysregulation or agitation, among high suicide risk participants during a mindfulness-based intervention. The study also evaluated whether mindfulness difficulties were associated with baseline differences or poorer outcomes during follow-up. Method: Participants ( Results: 18% of participants had difficulty during mindfulness practice, which mostly included experiences of anxiety or hallucinations. Those experiencing difficulty showed several diagnostic differences at baseline, but were not at significantly greater risk of a suicidal event, Conclusions: Difficulties during mindfulness practice were common, but did not show increased risk of serious clinical outcomes in participants at high-risk of suicide. Preregistration: This study reports findings from a secondary analyses of a randomized clinical trial that was preregistered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01872338).