Mental Health Symptoms Do Not Increase Risk for Distressing Experiences During Intensive Mindfulness Meditation Training: Evidence from a Prospective Matched-Controlled Intervention Study

Objective: We aimed to test whether mental health problems are associated with distressing experiences during intensive meditation training and with the potential salutary and adverse impacts of these experiences following intensive training Method: A prospective matched-controlled study comparing 6-day insight mindfulness meditation retreats (n = 89) to daily living among matched controls (n = 44). Results: Unexpectedly, lower, and not higher, pre-retreat depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with greater endorsement of distressing experiences during the retreats compared to daily living among matched controls. Moreover, at 2-weeks follow-up, retreat participants with low and those with high pre-retreat anxiety symptoms reported more positive than negative impact of distressing experiences endorsed during the retreat. Conclusions: Findings challenge claims that common mental health symptoms are a risk factor for heightened distressing experiences during intensive meditation training or the adverse effects of these meditation-related experiences over time.