Mindfulness Training Encourages Self-Transcendent States via Decentering

Self-transcendence is theorized to be a core mechanism of mindfulness. Yet, no known empirical study has investigated the process by which self-transcendent experiences emerge in novice practitioners. To address this gap, this study explored whether changes in decentering in response to mindfulness training translated into increases in self-transcendence over the course of five mindfulness training sessions. Participants (N = 26) were randomly allocated to either a mindfulness training condition or an active listening condition. Results indicated that mindfulness training increased both decentering (p = .023) and self-transcendence (p = .001) relative to the active listening condition. Furthermore, greater decentering at the midpoint of training predicted greater self-transcendence at the training's end, suggesting that those participants that become better able to nonreactively observe their thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations while meditating were also more likely to experience self-transcendence. This study provides the first empirical evidence that mindfulness training can cultivate self-transcendent experiences through the process of decentering from internal phenomena.