The article is a review and an analysis of studies concerning usage of meditation techniques in psychiatry and psychotherapy. A brief history and characteristic of meditation is presented, with emphasis on mindfulness meditation, which is a variation most widely used for health reasons. On the other hand, potential „side effects” of meditational practices are also brought into attention. The authors focus mostly on meditation's links to psychosis, describing both conditions in which meditation may cause decompensation, as well as presenting research on the effects o  modified meditation techniques implementation among psychotic patients. In order to better understand the phenomena described the authors interpret meditation's effects using both psychodynamic and cognitive theories. Presented studies suggest that in certain circumstances meditation may trigger psychosis, but they also show that interventions based on mindfulness may play an important clinical role in the alleviation of symptoms during psychotic episodes.