Meditation, an ancient Eastern spiritual practice, is increasingly being practised in the West where its benefits for mental and physical health have been established. Extreme mental states that can be encountered in the context of meditation have also been reported and often have been labelled as psychosis or spiritual emergency. This study aimed for more nuanced understanding of the phenomena.

• Language: English
• Target / Subjects: Participant T1 was a Theravada Buddhist monk who taught Vipassana mediation classes and a mindfulness-based stress-reduction course, and led silent meditation retreats. The second participant (T2) was a Kundalini yoga teacher who ran group and individual Kundalini classes and was undertaking training in psychotherapy. Participant T3 was a Zen Buddhist nun who taught meditation and led zazen (traditional Soto Zen meditation) groups.
• Author: Justina Kaselionyte and Andrew Gumley
• Date Published / Reference: Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 2017 - VOL. 20, NO. 10, 986?1001 - https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2017.1422237
• Covered Diseases: Phenomenology, Spiritual Emergency, Psychosis