Which meditation technique for whom? An experimental single-case study comparing concentrative, humming, observing-thoughts, and walking meditation

Abstract

Meditation encompasses a variety of techniques. To date, only few studies have investi-gated differential effects and individual fit in different techniques. Our explorative study com-pared four basic techniques using an experimental single-case research design: concentrative meditation, humming meditation, observing-thoughts meditation, and walking meditation. Forty-four healthy participants without meditation experience were randomly assigned to one of the four techniques and 42 completed the treatment. Following a baseline period of 2 to 4 weeks, participants learned and practiced their technique 20 minutes daily for 6 to 8 weeks and complet-ed daily online questionnaires throughout the entire study period. At pretest, we assessed partic-ipants’ motivation and personality. We analyzed the data visually and by conducting single-case meta-analyses, correlation and multivariate analyses. Walking meditation led to the smallest im-provements in decentering and mind-wandering, but the highest in body awareness and emotion regulation. Body awareness, decentering and emotion regulation improved reliably and continu-ously over time, for all four techniques. Thus, these processes could represent common mecha-nisms for novice meditators. Individuals varied in response to the treatment. The two “classic” techniques (concentration, observing-thoughts) led to more consistently positive multivariate response patterns and to better responses in participants high in neuroticism. In contrast, those high in extraversion benefitted more from the two unusual ones (humming, walking). We addi-tionally observed interesting interactions with different motivational reasons. With this study, we hope to contribute to theory building and answering two urgent questions in meditation research – what are central mechanisms of meditation and who benefits most from what kind of practice.