Are there adverse effects associated with mindfulness?
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Until recently, only a few overview and opinion papers on the potential types of distress associated with meditation in clinical research and practice have been published.
“Until recently, only a few overview and opinion papers [71–76] on the potential types of distress associated with meditation in the context of clinical research and practice have been published.”
From Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations (2019) · cites this paper as [76]
Recommendations on the adaptation of mindfulness programs for people with psychosis were cautiously looked into.
“recommendations on the adaptation of mindfulness programs for people with psychosis were cautiously looked into [21, 32].”
Cites
A qualitative analysis of experiential challenges associated with meditation practice
Lomas, T., Cartwright, T., Edginton, T., & Ridge, D. (2015) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-014-0329-8 · Cited by 229 · see citing works
For whom may participation in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program be contraindicated?
Dobkin, P. L., Irving, J. A., & Amar, S. (2012) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-011-0079-9 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., Dunn, T. J., Singh, N. N., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-014-9513-2 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Self-citationIncreased False-Memory Susceptibility After Mindfulness Meditation
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Do mindfulness-based therapies have a role in the treatment of psychosis?
Shonin, E., Van Gordon, W., & Griffiths, M. D. (2014) · Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry · doi:10.1177/0004867413512688 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Self-citationShonin, E., Gordon, W. V., & Griffiths, M. D. (2013) · International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction · doi:10.1007/s11469-013-9460-3 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Self-citationConfessions of a mind-wandering MBSR student: remembering social amnesia
Purser, R. E. (2015) · Self & Society · doi:10.1080/03060497.2015.1018668 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
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Self-citationFirst, do no harm: An intensive experience sampling study of adverse effects to mindfulness training
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“Few published reviews have compiled studies employing differentmethods (viz., case descriptions, cross-sectional interviews, online survey) to study the ill effects associated with meditation (Van Gordon et al. 2017; Baer et al. 2019).”
BackgroundEkici, Ç., Garip, G., & Gordon, W. V. (2018) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-018-1063-4 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
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Glynn, B. A., Khoo, E., MacLeay, H. M. L., Duong, A., Cantave, R., & Poulin, P. A. (2020) · Mindfulness · doi:10.1007/s12671-020-01380-z · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“…of inadequate understanding and teaching practices from instructors, thus warranting a need for future research to explore participant experiences and the conditions that create greater risk for adverse effects with careful consideration of the participant population (Van Gordon et al. 2017).”
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“86 Some notable AEs reported in the literature include psychotic symptoms and an increased susceptibility to false memories associated with mindfulness, 87 as well as musculoskeletal injuries linked to yoga.”
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“Recent reviews emphasize that adverse effects may be reported mainly during silence retreats or intensive meditation trainings, and in the context of programs that have not been adapted to people with psychosis (19, 20).”
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“Claims have emerged that using mindfulness in this manner may underly emerging reports of adverse effects owing to participating in an MBI, such as false memory susceptibility, reality distortion issues and asocial behavior (Van Gordon et al., 2017).”
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PreprintPreprint
Schlosser, M. (2018) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/bsfqz
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“70,71 74 Interestingly, no primary researchers reported the adverse effects during mindfulness practice.”
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“…be shaped by moderating factors highlighted in the DMP literature, such as participants’ prior preparation, intervention duration, the availability of therapeutic support, and differences in population characteristics (Lamas-Morales et al., 2025; Lindahl & Britton, 2019; Van Gordon et al., 2017).”
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- Authors
- Van Gordon, W., Shonin, E., & Garcia-Campayo, J.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Psychological Research, University of Derby, Derby, UK
- Awake to Wisdom Centre for Meditation and Mindfulness Research, Ragusa, Italy
- Miguel Servet University Hospital, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
- ORCID
- Shonin, Edo
- Venue
- Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2017-07
- Volume
- 51
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 977-979
- ISSN
- 0004-8674 (ISSN-L)
- 1440-1614
- OpenAlex
- W2733703624
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 7
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 4
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Derby Online Research Archive. (University of Derby) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Keywords
- mindfulness, adverse effects, mindfulness-based interventions
- MeSH terms
- Mental Disorders, Humans, Iatrogenic Disease, Meditation, Mind-Body Therapies, Mindfulness
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