Impact of mantra meditation on health and wellbeing: A systematic review protocol

Introduction: A growing body of empirical, systematic research points to the efficacy of meditation as an aid to relieve stress and promote psychological wellbeing in both clinical and non-clinical populations. Mantra meditation however (the repetition of a word or phrase, silently or aloud), has yet to be evaluated with such rigour. Given this, a systematic review will be conducted to explore and synthesise existing research investigating the impact of mantra meditation on the health and wellbeing of those who engage in the practice. Methods: The protocol for the systematic review is conducted according to the PRISMA-P (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-Analysis Protocols) guidelines. Electronic searches will be performed in the PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PUBMED and Scopus databases. Hand searches of the reference lists of identified studies will supplement the database search. Eligible articles will be independently assessed against inclusion criteria including but not limited to: the use of a control group, a non-clinical population, written in the English language and published in a peer-reviewed journal. Results: Data analysis will be completed and synthesised into a systematic review. The review will combine the existing literature on mantra meditation to date and offer insights about the effectiveness of mantra meditation programmes from a pragmatic perspective. Conclusion: This protocol will promote transparency of methods and research integrity in the systematic review, which will ultimately progress research in the field of mantra meditation.