Common Myths and Misunderstandings About Meditation

The details behind the table

Emptying the mind. A brain-imaging study of 14 meditators describes a natural cycle of mind wandering, noticing, shifting attention and sustained attention. [8] Returning attention is the exercise. See mind wandering and attention.

Same thing? Everyday language uses the words interchangeably, and researchers admit that mindfulness is difficult to define. [9] For the practical differences read meditation vs mindfulness and types of meditation.

Harmless? NCCIH says practice usually carries few risks, though few studies have looked for harm. [2] But adverse events were more often reported in observational studies (33.2 percent) than experimental ones (3.7 percent), and included anxiety, depression and cognitive changes, even in people with no earlier mental health history. [4] See adverse effects: what studies found.

Religion. Mindfulness-based programs such as MBSR and MBCT are described by program researchers and teachers as drawing on contemplative traditions, science, medicine, psychology and education. [5] Some scholars describe mindfulness as having been decoupled from its religious background as it spread in Western contexts. [10] People of any belief or none practice it. For tradition-specific descriptions see secular and religious meditation and Buddhist meditation traditions.

Proof. A 2014 review of 47 randomized trials with active controls found moderate evidence for anxiety, depression and pain, low evidence for stress and quality of life, and low or insufficient evidence for attention, sleep and weight. [7] That is modest, uneven support, not proof of broad benefit. See does meditation work?.

Brain scans. NCCIH says studies have looked for measurable differences in brain activity, but results are hard to interpret and the practical implications are unclear. [2] See what imaging shows.

Time. In a meta-analysis of meditation in non-clinical adults, experience only partially tracked long-term impact, and almost three quarters of the 595 studies first identified had to be excluded for methodological problems. [6] The evidence base is thinner than the number of papers suggests.

Versus treatment. NCCIH describes an analysis finding mindfulness approaches worked as well as established treatments for anxiety and depression. [2] "As well as" is not "better than". Do not stop treatment on this basis.

Another common idea: "you must sit cross-legged and silent"

Sitting is one option. The NHS says some people find a busy mind easier to handle during gentle yoga or walking, and mindfulness can be practiced by noticing sensations in daily life. [1] See walking meditation and meditation for beginners.