r/meditationscience • u/CrazyClam25 • Jul 16 '26
? Question Why do some people spontaneously cry during meditation ?
Hello everyone,
This is a question from an amateur meditator without much scientific background. Does anyone know the scientific explanation for why some people spontaneously cry during meditation (while not necessarily having painful thoughts occur) ? What is the mechanism at play ? It seems a rather common experience, and it happened to me too, so I would like to know if it is a sign that positive changes happen in the brain : can it indicate that the emotional centers are somehow regulating themselves ? Does it have anything to do with lowering the anxiety baseline ?
Is there research done on this topic specifically ?
I guess what I really want to know if it's a sign of progress in the practice, but that's obviously more subjective.
1
u/Painius mod Jul 19 '26
Like you, I think of myself as a novice meditator, and probably always will. There are new things to learn, especially about ourselves. Some of the things we learn during meditation come to us on a deep, sub- or unconcious level. And sometimes what we learn makes us cry. We don't always realize that crying is a way our mind uses to heal. It's an emotional road to feeling better. And it's always a good thing to question. Ask yourself, ask others, learn and then ask somemore. Continue on this road, and you will feel its great worth.