The Impact of the 6 Month Meditation Training Program on Practitioners’ Well-being and Subjective Happiness
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Objective: This observational study aimed to explore self-perceived changes in the holistic well-being and subjective happiness of practitioners following completion of a six-month intensive meditation course, the Meditation for Instructor Course (MIC).
Methods and Materials: This mixed-methods study used a single-group, retrospective pre–post (“then–now”) design. Quantitative data were collected from 1,123 graduates of the MIC (49th cohort) who completed a post-course questionnaire rating their current status and recalling their pre-course status on 15 single-item indicators across physical, mental, intellectual, and social well-being, plus subjective happiness (10-point scales). Qualitative data were obtained via in-depth interviews with 30 purposively selected key informants. Paired-samples t-tests were conducted with Cohen’s d and 95% confidence intervals, and qualitative data were analyzed using thematic content analysis.
Findings: Participants reported statistically significant improvements across all 15 outcomes (p<.001), with large effect sizes (d=0.78–1.65). Interview themes converged with quantitative results, highlighting enhanced self-awareness, improved emotional regulation, and greater interpersonal harmony.
Conclusion: Completing the MIC was associated with substantial perceived improvements in holistic well-being and subjective happiness. Given the single-group “then–now” design, self-report measures, and potential selection/recall biases, causal inferences are limited; controlled studies using validated multi-item instruments are recommended.
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