Mindfulness often sounds like the perfect tonic for stress and mental health issues because it can be practiced for free at home.
Mindfulness is a type of meditation based on Buddhism that focuses on being aware of what you are feeling, thinking, and feeling in the present moment.
The first recorded evidence of this was found in India and is over 1,500 years old. The Dharmatrata meditation scripture, written by the Buddhist community, describes various practices and includes reports such as: symptoms of depression Anxiety that may occur after meditation.
It also details the cognitive abnormalities associated with episodes of psychosis, dissociation, and depersonalization (when people feel that the world is “unreal”).
The past eight years have seen an explosion of scientific research in this field. These studies show that adverse effects are not rare.
a 2022 surveyA study using a sample of 953 people in the United States who meditated regularly showed that more than 10 percent of participants experienced a significant negative impact on their daily life that lasted at least a month. It was done.
According to Looking back over 40 years Among studies published in 2020, the most common side effects are anxiety and depression. These are followed by psychotic or paranoid symptoms, dissociation or depersonalization, and fear or fear.
According to research, Bad influence It can occur in people who have never had mental health problems in the past or in people who have only experienced mental health problems. moderate exposure connected to meditation, long-lasting symptoms.
Evidence of these negative effects has long existed in Western countries as well.
In 1976, Arnold Lazarus, a central figure in the cognitive behavioral science movement, proposed that meditation should be used indiscriminately. may induce “Severe psychiatric problems such as depression, agitation, and even schizophrenic decompensation.”
There is evidence that mindfulness can make a profit people’s happiness. The problem is that mindfulness coaches, videos, apps, and books rarely warn people about the potential negative effects.
Ronald Purser, a business professor and ordained Buddhist teacher, wrote in his 2023 book: mcmindfulness Mindfulness has become a kind of “capitalist spirituality.”
In the US alone, meditation is worth US$2.2bn (£1.7bn). And executives in the mindfulness industry should be aware of the problems with meditation.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, the central figure behind the mindfulness movement, acknowledged this in an article. 2017 interview The Guardian says, “90 per cent of research [into the positive impacts] It’s below standard.”
in him preface In the 2015 UK All-Party Parliamentary Report on Mindfulness, Jon Kabat-Zinn argues that mindfulness meditation can ultimately transform us “as humans, as individuals, as communities, as a society, as a nation, as a species.” suggests that it can be done.
Its proponents share a religious enthusiasm for the power of mindfulness to transform not only individuals but the course of humanity. Even many atheists and agnostics practice mindfulness. believe in this custom It has the power to increase peace and compassion in the world.
The media discussion about mindfulness is also somewhat unbalanced.
In 2015, co-authored with clinical psychologist Katherine Wikholm, buddha pillincluded a chapter summarizing research on the negative effects of meditation. It was widely reported in media such as new scientist article and BBC Radio 4 documentary.
But in 2022, there was little media coverage. most expensive research in the history of contemplative science (funded with over US$8 million by the research charity Wellcome Trust).
The study tested more than 8,000 children (aged 11 to 14) in 84 schools in England between 2016 and 2018. The results showed that mindfulness failed to improve children’s mental health compared to a control group and may even have harmful effects. About people at risk of mental health problems.
ethical implications
Is it ethical to sell mindfulness apps, teach people meditation classes, or even use mindfulness in clinical settings without mentioning its negative effects? How diverse are these effects? Given the evidence that it’s common, the answer should be no.
However, many meditation and mindfulness instructors believe that these practices only have positive effects and are unaware of the possible negative effects.
The most common story I hear from people who have been negatively affected by meditation is that their teachers don’t believe them. They are usually said as follows continue meditating And then it disappears.
Research into how to practice meditation safely has only recently begun, and there is still no clear advice to give people. The broader problem is that meditation deals with abnormal states of consciousness, and we don’t have a psychological theory of mind to help us understand these states.
However, there are resources available to learn about these negative effects. These include websites created by meditators People who have experienced serious side effects, academic handbook There is a section dedicated to this topic.
In the United States, clinical services Led by mindfulness researchers, it is dedicated to people experiencing acute and long-term problems.
At this time, the public needs to be informed about the potential harms of meditation if it is to be used as a well-being or therapeutic tool.
Miguel FariasAssociate Professor of Experimental Psychology; coventry university
This article has been republished from conversation Under Creative Commons License. please read original article.
A previous version of this article was published in July 2024.
