Adult development, meditation, wisdom, and unlearning: Toward a science of advanced meditation

Contemplative science is entering a “third wave” that investigates advanced meditative development, including the study of advanced states and practitioners and the phenomenology and neurocognitive correlates of enduring trait transformations (meditative development). This paper argues that these research directions would benefit from the systematic inclusion of adult cognitive-developmental theory. However, we identify structural limitations in current developmental models that privilege hierarchical, ascending growth while overlooking complementary dynamics of release or letting go emphasized in contemplative theory, wisdom traditions, and psychotherapy. We propose an expanded developmental framework that balances ascending integration with descending or apophatic processes of deconstruction or surrender. This bidirectional model illuminates persistent confusions in the field—such as distinctions between state and stage, characteristics of late-stage achievements (toward “awakening”), how spiritual adepts can be unethical, and potential adverse effects of meditation or premature transformation. By integrating contemplative science with developmental and psychological theory, we aim to provide a more complete account of human cognitive and spiritual maturation that adds conceptual tools to clarify empirical research questions, psychological assessments, and intervention design.