The surprising risks of meditation deserve consideration

Meditation, widely regarded as a harmless or entirely positive activity, can, in fact, have adverse effects. This revelation was as much a surprise to me as it might be to many of you.

In a recent interview, Professor Willoughby Britton of Brown University shed light on this lesser-known aspect of meditation. She not only assists meditators experiencing difficulties but also provides meditation safety training. She also runs Cheetah House, a unique facility supporting those recovering from meditation-related challenges.

My attempt to discuss this information with my support group was met with a disappointing response. Instead of engaging in a meaningful conversation, I encountered laughter, skepticism, and even ridicule at the notion that meditation could carry risks. This reaction was a striking example of how people, regardless of their usual openness, can sometimes cling to their established beliefs.

Initially, I had assumed that such meditation-related problems were primarily linked to psychedelic use. However, further investigation revealed a more complex picture: only 20% of Cheetah House’s clients had self-reported a history of using psychedelics. This underlines the powerful nature of meditation—it has the capacity to transform lives, but not always in the ways we expect.

The initial criticism I faced highlights a broader point: the importance of being open to new information. A member of the support group reached out to me, expressing gratitude for bringing this issue to light. She had personally experienced negative adverse effects from meditation and felt ashamed about it. Discussing the potential meditation risks (inability to work, inability to engage in society, inability to stop traumatic memories from playing in a never-ending loop, etc.) isn’t about discouraging its practice but about ensuring its utmost benefit. Like any potent tool, meditation requires a thoughtful and informed approach to harness its positive effects wisely.