Meditation provides calming solace — except when it doesn’t
Health Meditation provides calming solace — except when it doesn’t Researchers find ways to promote altered states of consciousness, reduce risks of distress that affect some Jacob Sweet Harvard Staff Writer July 7, 2025 5 min read Meditation is ascendant in the U.S. Clinicians recommend the practice to treat anxiety and depression without the risk of drug dependency, and millions practice meditation alone or on retreats. In 2022, the National Institutes of Health found that 17.3 percent of U.S. adults meditated, up from 7.5 percent two decades before. Its effects are largely positive, shown to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. Neuroimaging studies have explored the neurobiological effects that lead to improved self-awareness, emotional regulation, and attentional control. “These kinds of experiences are surprisingly widespread.”Matthew Sacchet But not every experience with meditation provides solace. Matthew Sacchet, director of the meditation research program at Harvard Medical School, has determined in recent studies that the practice can create suffering in some cases, an issue...