Incidence and Predictors of Meditation-Related Unusual Experiences and Adverse Effects in a Representative Sample of Meditators in the United States

Abstract

Estimates suggest that meditation use is comparable to mental-health-service access in the United States. Understanding meditation-related adverse effects (AEs) is therefore critical. We aimed to (a) estimate the incidence of meditation-related unusual experiences and AEs using different methods and (b) identify sociodemographic and health-related characteristics predicting their incidence. We conducted a cross-sectional, population-based survey of 886 U.S. adults (approximately representing population age, gender, and race/ethnicity) stratified by lifetime meditation experience and type. Of the participants, 96.6% reported an unusual experience, 58.4% reported an AE (Inventory of Meditation..