2015/07/08 by Lynne Shaner, Lisa Kelly, Donna Rockwell +1 · 1 citation
Medicine · Psychology · #Alternative medicine #Child Therapy and Development #Compassion #Interpretative phenomenological analysis #Meaning (existential) #Medicine #Meditation #Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions #Music Therapy and Health #Psychology #Psychotherapist #Qualitative research #Social psychology #Social science #Sociology #Spirituality #Superordinate goals #Theology
paper · doi:10.1177/0022167815594556
openalex publication_date 2015/07/08 · openalex created_date 2016/08/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Various aspects of meditation have been studied for more than 50 years, but little research has explored the lived experience of meditation in long-term meditators and examined what meaning this practice holds for the meditators. This interpretative phenomenological study examined the lived experience of the practice of meditation in the lives of six women who have practiced meditation daily for more than 10 years. This study addressed the questions of how the long-term practice of meditation is experienced and adhered to, how long-term meditators are motivated, what benefits practitioners receive, and what meaning they attribute to their practice. Data were gathered using telephone interviews and analyzed using the interpretative phenomenological process. Eight superordinate themes arose including (a) consistent and mindful adherence to ritual and technique; (b) role of a teacher/mentor; (c) cultivation of self-awareness; (d) increased equanimity, compassion, and acceptance of self and others; (e) transcendent, peak experiences; (f) cultivation and deepening of personal spirituality; (g) life purpose and meaning; and (h) challenges and barriers to meditation. This study provides descriptions of the challenges and benefits of maintaining a long-term meditation practice. It points toward the potential of regular, long-term meditation to serve as a complementary healing modality.