Summary: A new study reveals that altered states of consciousness (ASC), like those experienced during meditation, are more common than previously thought. 45% of respondents reported having undergone CSA at least once, often leading to positive results.
However, a significant minority also reported negative, even life-threatening, suffering, highlighting the need for better support and understanding of these experiences.
Highlights:
- 45% of respondents reported experiencing CSAs of non-pharmacological origin.
- ASCs are associated with both positive and negative well-being outcomes.
- Many who experience negative consequences do not seek help.
Source: General Mass
Yoga, mindfulness, meditation, breathwork, and other practices are growing in popularity because of their potential to improve health and well-being. The effects of these practices are mostly positive and sometimes transformational, but they are known to sometimes be associated with altered and empowering states of consciousness.
New research by a team including researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham Health System, reveals that altered states of consciousness associated with meditation practice are much more common than previously thought.
Although many people have reported positive, sometimes even considered transformational, outcomes from these experiences, for a significant minority the experiences have been negative. The results are published in the journal mindfulness.
“As more people engage in mindfulness, meditation, and other contemplative and mind-body practices, we reasoned that altered states and their effects might be common among the population in general.
“We conducted a series of international surveys to investigate and actually found that such experiences were widespread,” said lead author Matthew D. Sacchet, PhD, director of the Meditation Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical. School.
“Altered states were most often followed by positive, and sometimes even transformational, effects on well-being,” adds Sacchet. That said, negative effects on well-being have also been reported in some cases, with a small subset of individuals reporting significant suffering.
For the study, a panel of experts in psychiatry, neuroscience, meditation and survey design developed a questionnaire on the experience of altered states of consciousness.
Among 3,135 adults in the United States and United Kingdom who completed the online questionnaire, 45% reported experiencing altered states of consciousness of non-pharmacological origin at least once in their life.
This is much more than expected considering that 5% (US) to 15% (UK) of this population have undertaken mindfulness practice.
Experiences included derealization (the feeling of being detached from your surroundings), unitive experiences (a feeling of oneness or “oneness”), ecstatic thrills, vivid perceptions, changes in perceived size, body heat or electricity, out-of-body experiences. , and the perception of non-physical lights.
Respondents reported a mix of positive and negative well-being following altered states, with 13% reporting moderate or greater suffering and 1.1% reporting life-threatening suffering. Of those who suffered, 63% did not seek help.
“Rather than being extremely unusual and rare, our study revealed that altered states of consciousness are a common variant of normal human experience,” Sacchet said.
“However, we found that those who experience negative consequences related to these altered states often do not seek help and that clinicians are ill-prepared to recognize or support these types of experiences.”
“This has contributed to what could be considered a public health problem, in that a certain proportion of people have difficulty integrating their experiences of altered states into their existing conceptions of self and reality.”
Sacchet noted that additional studies are needed to identify individual characteristics associated with the experience of altered states of consciousness and the potential suffering associated with these states. He also emphasized the importance of applying this research to patient care.
“We should not dismiss meditation and other practices as inherently dangerous, but rather we need to better understand and support meditators to fully realize the potential of these practices,” he said.
“As with psychotherapy, pharmacology, and other therapeutic tools, it is important that we learn how to better implement and support people as they engage in these powerful practices. »
He added that “ancient meditation manuals from wisdom traditions can be helpful in classifying and understanding altered states of consciousness. They can provide advice on how to better manage altered states when they may be difficult. We clearly need more research to further investigate and understand this possibility.
“A clinical program on altered states of consciousness should be developed to better support clinicians who care for patients suffering from suffering related to these types of experiences,” added Sacchet.
“Additionally, those teaching meditation practices should ensure that participants are aware of potential risks,” he said.
“Together, these types of safeguards will help ensure that these very promising and powerful practices are safely taught and experienced.” »
About this consciousness research news
Author: Noah Brown
Source: General Mass
Contact: Noah Brown – General Mass
Picture: Image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original research: Free access.
“Altered states of consciousness are widespread and insufficiently managed clinically: a population survey” by Matthew D. Sacchet et al. mindfulness
Abstract
Altered states of consciousness are widespread and insufficiently managed clinically: a population survey
Goals
Adopting potentially consciousness-altering practices may lead to an increase in emergent phenomena (EP): unusual and sudden mental or somatic experiences, often interpreted as spiritual, mystical, energetic, or magical in nature. It is unclear how often these altered states of consciousness occur and what the clinical implications may be.
Anecdotal accounts and previous publications suggest that PE may be common, underreported, and followed by positive or negative changes in well-being. We sought to complement previous evidence on the prevalence and effects of PE in the general population with large-scale quantitative measurements.
Method
We measured the prevalence of PE, even without psychotropic substances, by completing online surveys among representative samples from three international communities (not= 3135). The communities sampled were UK-based Qualtrics online panelists, US-based MTurk workers, and readers of a popular rationalist blog. The samples were broadly representative of the underlying populations.
Results
Forty-five percent of participants reported experiencing non-pharmacological PE at least once in their life, including derealization (17%), unitive experiences (15%), ecstatic thrills (15%). , vivid perceptions (11%), changes in perceived size (10%), body heat or electricity (9%), out-of-body experiences (8%), and perception of non-physical lights (5%). Respondents reported a mix of positive and negative wellbeing outcomes after EP, with 13% reporting moderate or greater suffering and 1.1% reporting life-threatening suffering. Of those who suffered, 63% did not seek help.
Conclusions
PEs are prevalent among the populations studied and have the potential for both positive and negative outcomes, the latter of which do not appear to be adequately addressed through use in clinical practice.
News Source : neurosciencenews.com
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