Internet-based Meditation for Mental Health

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: Stanford University

Must not be taking: Psychiatric medications

Disqualifiers: Psychiatric disorders, Neurological disorders, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 24

What You Need to Know Before You Apply

What is the purpose of this trial?

This trial explores how online meditation can reduce stress and anxiety. Participants will practice a specific type of meditation called SOS meditation daily. The study aims to determine if increased meditation leads to better mental health outcomes. It suits individuals who are not regular meditators, are free from psychiatric conditions, and can follow basic instructions. Participants will either begin meditating immediately or after a short delay to compare results. As an unphased trial, this study offers a unique opportunity to explore meditation's benefits without prior experience.

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial requires that participants are not currently on psychiatric medications, so you would need to stop taking them to join the study.

What prior data suggests that this meditation technique is safe for mental health?

Research shows that participants generally find meditation easy to handle. Studies involving meditation, including the SOS Meditation technique, rarely report negative side effects. For example, a study on the Mindfulness-SOS approach, similar to SOS Meditation, found it safe and practical for participants, with no major safety issues. Additionally, meditation has been shown to reduce stress and improve emotional well-being without causing harm.

Overall, meditation practices like the SOS technique are considered safe for most people. However, as with any activity, participants should pay attention to their feelings during practice and report any unusual experiences to the study team. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

Why are researchers excited about this trial?

Researchers are excited about the SOS Meditation technique because it offers a novel, internet-based approach to improving mental health. Unlike traditional treatments such as medication or in-person therapy, SOS Meditation can be practiced online, making it more accessible to a wider audience. This method focuses on a specific type of focused-attention meditation, which may enhance mental well-being and cognitive function by training individuals to concentrate better and manage stress more efficiently. The ease of integrating a short, 10-minute daily practice into one's routine also makes it an appealing option for those seeking flexible mental health support.

What evidence suggests that SOS Meditation might be an effective treatment for stress and anxiety?

Research shows that regular meditation can help reduce stress and anxiety. In this trial, participants in the meditation group will practice the SOS meditation technique, which studies indicate improves well-being. During the COVID-19 lockdowns, regular meditation lowered stress and improved emotional health. People who meditated more often reported better mental health and well-being. These findings suggest that SOS meditation, practiced by participants in this trial, could effectively manage stress and anxiety. ^{4 5 6 7 8}

Who Is on the Research Team?

Manish Saggar, PhD

Principal Investigator

Stanford University

Are You a Good Fit for This Trial?

This trial is for adults over 18 living in the USA who can follow instructions and are not regular meditators. It's not for those with severe vision or hearing issues, under psychiatric treatment, hospitalized for psychiatric disorders within a year, non-English speakers, or diagnosed with psychiatric/neurological disorders.

Inclusion Criteria

Able to follow basic instructions for prescreening and scheduling

Compliant with investigator instructions during the consent process and participation in the study

I do not regularly practice meditation.

Exclusion Criteria

Hospitalized for psychiatric disorders in the past year

People with a current diagnosis of psychiatric or neurological disorders

I am under 18 years old.

Timeline for a Trial Participant

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Meditation Intervention

Participants in the meditation group practice SOS meditation for 10 minutes daily, with assessments of mental health and well-being

8 weeks

Daily practice, assessments at baseline and week 8

Waitlist Control

Participants in the control group receive no intervention but are assessed for baseline mental health and well-being

8 weeks

Assessments at baseline and week 8

Follow-up Meditation

Participants in the control group begin SOS meditation practice, while the initial meditation group continues self-reported meditation

8 weeks

Daily practice, assessments at week 8 and week 16

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in mental health and well-being after the intervention

4 weeks

What Are the Treatments Tested in This Trial?

Interventions

• SOS Meditation

Trial Overview The study tests if online SOS Meditation can reduce stress and anxiety in healthy people. It also looks at how different amounts of daily meditation practice affect mental health outcomes.

How Is the Trial Designed?

Group I: Waitlist control Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Baseline to week 8: Subjects will be place in a control group which receives no intervention. However, several measures (questionnaires, cognitive tests, and physiological measurements) will be obtained to assess baseline mental health and well being scores. Week 8 to week 16: Subjects will be trained to meditate for 10 minutes daily, and several measures (questionnaires, cognitive tests, and physiological measurements) will be obtained to assess the efficacy of daily meditation practice on mental health and well being. Focused-attention meditation technique will be used to train participants. Specifically the SOS meditation technique will be employed.

Group II: Meditation group Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Baseline to week 8: Subjects will be trained to meditate for 10 minutes daily, and several measures (questionnaires, cognitive tests, and physiological measurements) will be obtained to assess the efficacy of daily meditation practice on mental health and well being. Focused-attention meditation technique will be used to train participants. Specifically the SOS meditation technique will be employed. Week 8 to week 16: Subjects will self report if they choose to continue SOS meditation and several measures (questionnaires, cognitive tests, and physiological measurements) will be obtained to assess the impact of continued meditation practice on mental health and well being.

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

Stanford University

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,527

Recruited

17,430,000+

Institute for Meditation and Inner Harmony

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

300+

Feldman Foundation CA

Collaborator

Trials

1

Recruited

300+

Published Research Related to This Trial

In a 21-day mindfulness-based intervention with 82 participants, 87% reported at least one momentary adverse effect during meditation, primarily anxiety, indicating that mindfulness practice can sometimes lead to temporary increases in anxiety.

Despite these momentary effects, 25% of participants experienced sustained adverse effects in daily life after the intervention, but these were not linked to the momentary effects during meditation, suggesting that increased awareness of internal states may contribute to these post-intervention challenges.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

First, do no harm: An intensive experience sampling study of adverse effects to mindfulness training. Aizik-Reebs, A., Shoham, A., Bernstein, A.[2021]

While mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) are known for their benefits, the potential for harm has not been thoroughly investigated, indicating a need for more research in this area.

The study identifies three key factors that may contribute to harm in MBPs: program-related factors, participant-related factors, and clinician-related factors, suggesting that understanding these can help improve safety and effectiveness in future mindfulness practices.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Doing no harm in mindfulness-based programs: Conceptual issues and empirical findings. Baer, R., Crane, C., Miller, E., et al.[2023]

A systematic review of 83 studies involving 6703 participants found that 8.3% experienced adverse events (AEs) related to meditation, with higher prevalence in observational studies (33.2%) compared to experimental studies (3.7%).

The most common adverse events included anxiety (33%), depression (27%), and cognitive anomalies (25%), indicating that meditation can lead to negative effects, even in individuals without prior mental health issues.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapies: a systematic review. Farias, M., Maraldi, E., Wallenkampf, KC., et al.[2021]

Mindfulness meditation (MM) can have side effects, particularly related to mental health, physical health, and spiritual well-being, highlighting the need for safety considerations in research.

The paper provides practical tools for researchers, including screening procedures to assess participant contraindications and guidelines for MM training, based on a review of 17 primary studies and 5 secondary reports on meditation side effects.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mindfulness meditation research: issues of participant screening, safety procedures, and researcher training. Lustyk, MK., Chawla, N., Nolan, RS., et al.[2022]

A self-guided, Internet-based mantram repetition program (MRP) was found to be feasible for undergraduate students, with 88.3% completing all modules and 76.7% responding to follow-up questions.

Participants reported practicing the mantram repetition an average of 4.46 days per week and 3.26 times per day, indicating a strong engagement with the program, which suggests potential for managing mental health challenges in this population.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The feasibility of a brief, Internet-based mantram repetition program for undergraduate students. Vannini, MBN., McLean, CL., Bormann, JE., et al.[2022]

Web-based mindfulness interventions were effective in reducing depression and anxiety in clinical populations, with significant improvements noted in overall anxiety (g=-0.433) and in the anxiety disorder subgroup (g=-0.719) based on a systematic review of 12 studies involving 756 participants.

These interventions also enhanced quality of life and mindfulness skills, particularly benefiting those with clinical anxiety, although they showed limited effectiveness for depression specifically in the depression disorder subgroup.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Web-Based Mindfulness Interventions for Mental Health Treatment: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sevilla-Llewellyn-Jones, J., Santesteban-Echarri, O., Pryor, I., et al.[2020]

A 9-week online mindfulness-based meditation program (Integral Meditation) significantly improved mental wellbeing and reduced anxiety in healthy adults with higher baseline trait anxiety, as shown by self-reported questionnaires.

The study involved 84 participants divided into treated and control groups, and while the program was effective for those with higher anxiety, it did not significantly impact perceived stress levels.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Online Short-Term Mindfulness-Based Intervention During COVID-19 Quarantine in Italy: Effects on Wellbeing, Stress, and Anxiety. Fazia, T., Bubbico, F., Nova, A., et al.[2022]

A study of 98 veterans with psychiatric disorders showed that while attendance in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) was low (average of 4.87 out of 8 sessions), those who attended had a significant reduction in psychiatric hospitalizations after the intervention.

Despite the challenges in implementing MBCT due to high dropout rates, the results suggest that MBCT could be beneficial for veterans at high risk for psychiatric hospitalization, warranting further prospective studies.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Treatment Engagement and Outcomes of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Veterans with Psychiatric Disorders. Marchand, WR., Yabko, B., Herrmann, T., et al.[2020]

A study involving 177 participants found that an internet-based mindfulness and metta-based trauma therapy (MMTT) was perceived as a credible and helpful intervention for improving self-regulation and reducing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression.

Participants rated guided and non-guided meditation practices as more beneficial than journaling, suggesting that MMTT could serve as a valuable adjunct to traditional treatments for trauma and stress-related disorders.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Mindfulness and Metta-based Trauma Therapy (MMTT): Initial Development and Proof-of-Concept of an Internet Resource. Frewen, P., Rogers, N., Flodrowski, L., et al.[2021]

Citations

1. sciencedirect.com sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2212144724000954

Surrendering to thrive: Evaluating the psychometric ... State of Surrender (SoS) scale showed acceptable reliability and validity. · SoS was correlated with well-being, while controlling for psychological flexibility.

2. sos.org sos.org/benefits-from-meditation/

Benefits of Meditation: Unlock The Power of Your Mind and ... Research has shown that that spending regular, accurate time in meditation can reduce stress and anxiety.

3. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11222080/

A Review of Current Digital Mental Health Care ... Increasing research is done on the effectiveness of mobile DTx in improving mental health conditions such as insomnia, panic, and depression.

4. braindynamicslab.github.io braindynamicslab.github.io/papers/sos-covid/

Abstract - brain dynamics lab Conclusions: Regular meditation practice appears to mitigate the negative impact of lockdown on mental health, reducing stress and promoting emotional well- ...

5. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12336962/

Dose–response effects of reported meditation practice on ... Participants who opted in were slightly older, had more practice experience, better mental health and wellbeing scores, and were higher in trait ...

6. clinicaltrials.gov clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06014281

Study Details | NCT06014281 | Examining the Effects of ... This is a 16-week study with an 8-week meditation intervention, with a requirement of a minimum of 10 minutes of meditation practice each day.

7. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12494159/

Nonrandomized Open Trial of a Mindfulness - PubMed Central This study tested the feasibility of Mindfulness-SOS for Refugees, a novel lay- and minimally guided mobile health mindfulness- and compassion-based ...

8. frontiersin.org frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1573407/full

The role of meditation in coping with stress during ... Conclusions: Regular meditation practice appears to mitigate the negative impact of lockdown on mental health, reducing stress and promoting emotional well- ...