OBJECTIVE: Despite consistent evidence for the beneficial effects of meditation on mental health, little is known about the mechanisms that make mindfulness meditation effective.

The gap

Consensus across the literature

Supporting evidence — 6 representative gaps

• ORIGINS OF MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION INTERPLAYOF EASTERN & WESTERN PSYCHOLOGY (2011) · doi

  “The East and the West must unite to provide one another with what is lacking” Abdu'l Baha in Sinha & Sinha, 1997 Mindfulness & meditation are gaining popularity in the West­ern psychological practice in the past 4-5 decades, especially within psychotherapeutic approaches, health promotion, and stress reduction.

  Keywords: west sinha east must unite provide lacking abdu baha mindfulness meditation gaining popularity psychological practice
• Differences and Similarities in the Use of Nine Emotion Regulation Strategies in Western and East-Asian Cultures: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (2024) · doi

  Future comparison studies across Western and East-Asian cultures should consider focusing on the use of self-compassion, acceptance, distraction, and mindfulness, which are understudied in the field of emotion regulation.

  Keywords: future comparison across western east asian cultures consider focusing self compassion acceptance distraction mindfulness understudied
• Mindfulness in Thailand and the United States: a case of apples versus oranges? (2009) · doi

  Recently developed self-report measures of mindfulness were derived from Western operationalizations and cross-cultural validation of many of these measures is lacking, particularly in Buddhist cultures.

  Keywords: measures recently developed self report mindfulness derived western operationalizations cross cultural validation lacking particularly buddhist
• Self‐compassion, meaning in life, and experiential avoidance explain the relationship between meditation and positive mental health outcomes (2020) · doi

  OBJECTIVE: Despite consistent evidence for the beneficial effects of meditation on mental health, little is known about the mechanisms that make mindfulness meditation effective.

  Keywords: meditation objective despite consistent evidence beneficial effects mental health little known mechanisms make mindfulness effective
• Social Workers' Narratives of Integrating Mindfulness into Practice (2015) · doi

  Mindfulness is increasingly important as a professional intervention in social work; however, little is known about how practitioners integrate a practice of eastern origins into a western context.

  Keywords: mindfulness increasingly important professional intervention social little known practitioners integrate practice eastern origins western context
• A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: Effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction (2007) · doi

  BACKGROUND: Although mindfulness meditation interventions have recently shown benefits for reducing stress in various populations, little is known about their relative efficacy compared with relaxation interventions.

  Keywords: interventions background mindfulness meditation recently benefits reducing stress various populations little known relative efficacy compared