Clinical Psychological Science, Ahead of Print.
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 Experiences), 78.3% endorsed one or more items on the Meditation-Related Adverse Effects Scale, 31.4% endorsed experiencing a challenging/difficult/distressing experience, and 9.1% reported functional impairment because of AEs. In a robust multiple regression, psychological distress, psychoticism, unusual beliefs, and meditation-retreat participation were positively associated with unusual experiences and AEs. It is essential that (a) potential meditators are informed about possible experiences, (b) providers consider risk factors, and (c) AEs are routinely and actively monitored.