What is the “Third Wave”?

While the origins of meditation are lost in time, there are archaeological and anthropological clues suggesting that humans have been practicing some form of meditation for 5,000+ years. Some years ago I started writing a meditation ‘timeline’ and over the years I’ve added little notes here and there as they fell into my path. I have loved researching and sharing the recent Art of Meditation series. I am currently working on a visual reflection .. hope to finish that soon.

But, just prior to going away recently for my winter wellness vacation, I found an exciting new article, that feels like a fitting final post for our series .. the concept of waves in meditation research.

In recent decades, modern research, in the context of labs and scientifically controlled studies, has evolved in three – waves:

  • First Wave (≈1995–2005): Clinical effectiveness … does meditation reduce stress, anxiety, depression?
  • Second Wave (≈2005–2020): Mechanisms … how and why meditation works, with methodological refinement.
  • Third Wave (emerging today): Exploring advanced states, challenging experiences, and their role in growth.

The first wave (1995–2005) asked: does meditation reduce stress, anxiety, and depression? The second wave (2005–2020) explored how it works, mapping brain changes and refining methods.

The third wave, which is emerging now, turns to the deeper, advanced stages of practice. These studies are not just about bliss and calm, but also the challenging experiences … the, restlessness, anxiety, even disorientation, that can arise in deep practice. These are no longer seen as problems, but as potential catalysts for growth and insight.

Personal reflection – in this “third wave” we are describing only the modern-lab-western scientific study of meditation. Spiritual traditions have been conducting their own scientific research for millennia – observing mind and consciousness, tracking transformation, and developing maps of experience. The Dalai Lama often refers to this as the “science of self-inquiry,” emphasizing observation, experimentation, and insight from within. These traditions remind us that meditation is both an inner science and a living practice, long before modern labs began measuring its effects.

Key Themes:

  • Advanced States: Researchers are tracking rare, profound experiences like deep absorption (jhāna), insight, and moments of self-transcendence.
  • Reframing Challenge: Experiences once labeled “adverse effects” are now viewed as part of the journey. Discomfort can signal transformation rather than failure.
  • Bridging Wisdoms: Science is learning from centuries-old contemplative traditions, showing that joy, struggle, and awakening are all part of the same path.

Why It Matters

The third wave adds nuance to meditation, moving beyond the idea that mindfulness is only calming, showing that meditation can take you through the full spectrum of human experience, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes uncomfortable, always instructive. This can assist both practitioners and clinicians understand meditation as a tool for deep personal and psychological growth, not just stress relief.

What’s Being Studied Now

  • Brain imaging of deep absorption states, revealing how attention and consciousness reorganize during advanced practice.
  • Differentiating growth from pathology, especially when intense symptoms like derealisation or anxiety arise.
  • Integrated frameworks mapping meditation as a continuum – from calm presence to profound insight and awakening.

Where Are We Heading

The third wave marks a time where meditation is being seen as a map of consciousness, showing how light and shadow, ease and challenge, can co-exist. Researchers are suggesting that as research deepens, meditation is going to be seen as a bridge between science and spirituality, challenge and transformation, ordinary life and extraordinary insight.

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Type of Meditation: Scientific Meditation Research – “Third Wave”
Root Tradition: Modern contemplative science (in dialogue with Buddhist, Yogic, and contemplative traditions)
Key Region: Global (with strong centers in the U.S. and Europe)
Rough Timeframe: 1995 – Present

Mountain of Light
Breath of the Beloved
Into the Silence
Letters of Light
Flowing Stillness
The Path of Insight
The Vedic Era
Whispers from the Ancient World
The Evolving Art of Meditation