Spiritual Emergency and Meditation Sickness
The term, “Meditation Sickness”, was not just made up. It’s a translation from words in ancient Buddhist texts. It refers to psychological and physical problems that may arise during Buddhist meditation. It includes severe problems like extreme states that create an urge to suicide.
As a pioneer and counselor in the field of Spiritual Emergency I was drawn to understand more about the term meditation sickness, i.e. where did it originate, what did it cover, where do you find a guide to help you out of meditation sickness?
I have been with individuals who were deeply disturbed and unable to perform daily tasks (cooking, childcare, personal hygiene) as a result of intensive Buddhist practice of meditation. Their spiritual emergency was a result of disorientation that originated in intense spiritual experiences that uncovered contents of the subconscious mind. They felt deeply distressed and sometimes unable to keep up with daily tasks. Ancient Buddhist texts give prescribed antidotes for practitioners who run into these types of problems. Some religious historians and researchers are unearthing these texts and advices in order to offer some help to those with meditation sickness. Still, the researchers question if these old recommendations fit into current culture in the USA, Europe, and other “developed” countries. They wonder, what can effectively address the problems today when secular practitioners and mindfulness teachers are no longer aware of the wisdom and practical information embedded in the ancient texts?
What’s The Problem?
Mindfulness practices originated in Oriental Buddhism but have been simplified and popularized outside the Orient as secular approaches to gain more peace and moderate pain (physical and emotional). As more conventional religion rapidly loses membership in developed countries, meditation with religious overtones, including prayer, has become less appealing. Could it be that the secular mindfulness practices, detached from their religious roots, are leading some practitioners down an unexpected path to emotional disturbance or physical imbalance?
Britton and Lindahl have now produced a number of qualitative and clinical studies that have identified a spectrum of potential negative side effects [of mindfulness meditation]. These range from gastro-intestinal disorders to anxiety, depression, psychosis, delusions, terror, dissociation/depersonalization, and even suicidality. (1) …Britton et al.(2) found that adverse effects “with durations of 1 day to 1 week were reported by 11 (14.1%) participants, with durations of 1 week to 1 month by seven (9.0%) participants, and with durations of 1 to 5 months or ongoing by five (6.4%) participants.”
Their study drew from a relatively small cohort; however, don’t you think it is still alarming that almost 15% of these practitioners identified adverse effects in the study? The authors believe practitioners should be cautioned that adverse effects may occur and taught how to manage them. Based on the study they advise: Mindfulness meditation is not a guarantee to cultivate more peace.
Many readers of this study accept the notion that all meditations can cause adverse effects in a sizable portion of practitioners even though the researchers uniquely chose mindfulness meditators for their study.
Meditation Sickness Does Not Occur in All Types of Meditation
One example illustrates: As a practitioner of Yogananda’s techniques of meditation which is currently shared in an international community of at least 30-40,000 people, I do not hear about anything akin to meditation sickness. A nun authorized to counsel practitioners in this tradition who seek advice about their meditation practice agrees. Practitioners in this tradition do not experience meditation sickness or spiritual emergency.
Paramahansa Yogananda was recognized worldwide as being Self-realized. He brought a series of very specific meditation techniques to the USA in 1920 conferred on him by his teachers in Yogic philosophy and practice. Over the next 32 years Yogananda translated and gave commentaries to the Bhagavad Gita (the Bible of Hindu thought) and Yogananda’s teachings were published in several books by the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF), including lessons given to incoming students. SRF’s teachings do not make up a conventional religion but are familiarly called “the church of all religions” as the teachings are simply about finding peace and happiness, the ultimate goal of all religions and spiritual groups. But, the ancient teachings brought by Yogananda remain central and important for all practitioners to find a path of balance in life.
After 55+ years of meditation it is obvious to me that disturbing psychological experiences may arise as a result of meditation as one opens to the territory of the subconscious mind. For example, one may reconnect with traumatic experiences from earlier in life. However, nothing akin to a chronic disorder, dissociation or suicidality reported by mindfulness practitioners has been reported by those practicing SRF techniques of meditation. It seems appropriate then to clarify that not all meditation techniques will evoke adverse experiences for practitioners.
If a practitioner has an excellent guide who has reached “Self-realization” (as Yogananda did), or can speak to a nun or monk at SRF with profound experience of Yogananda’s meditation path, there is always help when challenging experiences occur. Three components of SRF offer a safe structure to practitioners: the free guidance from a qualified teacher, the clear map of the journey of Self-realization spelled out in Yogananda’s lessons, and the particular meditation techniques.
There are Others
Yogananda is not the only teacher and SRF is not the only path that will save a practitioner of meditation from so-called meditation sickness. There are others. However, excellent meditation teachers are few and far between in my experience. Perhaps the issue here is: We need to understand that fully-prepared teachers are necessary when we participate in paths of meditation in order to gain deeper peace. Challenging experiences may arise as one expands consciousness. Access to a qualified guide is essential.
Unfortunately, well-known authors of books and articles that study meditation sickness shy from giving due recognition to the fact that other meditation paths, not Buddhist, may cultivate very different experiences that avoid the problems they have seen in Buddhist meditation. Sorry to say, they are potentially scaring people away from spiritual practices that can bring people to the furthest reaches of Self-realization without spiritual emergency or meditation sickness.
Please leave a comment below if you would like to share your perspective. Thank you.
Author Bio
Emma Bragdon, PhD. (Transpersonal Psychology) is the Executive Director of IMHU.org. She was a member of the San Francisco Zen Center from 1967-1971 under the guidance of Suzuki Roshi prior to his passing in 1971. She has been a follower of Yogananda’s teachings via Self Realization Fellowship since 2012. She was licensed as a Marriage, Family, Child Therapist in 1989. She maintains private practice in Vermont, specializing in supporting people in spiritual emergency. EmmaBragdon.com
FOOTNOTES
- Lindahl, Jared R, et al. “The Varieties of Contemplative Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study of Meditation-Related Challenges in Western Buddhists.” PLoS One, vol. 12, no. 5, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176239
- Britton, Willoughby B, et al. “Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs.” Clinical Psychological Science: A Journal of the Association for Psychological Science, vol. 9, no. 6, 2021, pp. 1185–1204. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702621996340
Further Reading:
Lutkajtis, A. (2020) The Dark Side of Dharma: Meditation, Madness and other Maladies on the Contemplative Path. Aeon
Salguero, CP. (2023) “Meditation Sickness in Medieval Chinese Buddhism and the Contemporary West” Journal of Buddhist Ethics. Vol. 30. ISSN 1076-9005
https://blogs.dickinson.edu/buddhistethics/files/2023/08/Salguero-Finalized-ms-for-publication47.pdf
Yogananda, P. (1995) God Talks to Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita, Royal Science of God-Realization. Self-Realization Fellowship.
A course at IMHU speaks to the issue of understanding Kundalini, for those who are attempting to raise the kundalini energy and attain Self-realization:
Great article and important topic! I find the Internal Family Systems perspective to be enormously helpful in understanding and navigating what’s called meditation sickness; often viewed and treated as temporary psychosis. From the multiplicity of mind/IFS perspective (similar to polypsychism in shamanism) we look at this as exiled ‘parts’ (young, vulnerable ones carrying heavy emotional burdens and extreme beliefs) of a person and/or firefighter (reactive protectors) getting triggered and flooding/overwhelming the system. When we work with our parts (i.e. subpersonalities) before, during and after intensive meditation or other deep spiritual practices (including psychedelic journeys) it can go a LONG way in mitigating such overwhelm or flooding.
Interesting topic that I can relate to. I’d theorize it has something to do with an unwillingness to feel anger.
People who are on a spiritual path, those commonly practicing meditation, may be dismissing their own anger. They may experience it but don’t want to feel it and even deny that they have anger. I’ve met people like this and I’ve also done it myself. “Denying one’s dark side or shadow self,” is another way of putting it.
I find that even when you know what the shadow is, and do “shadow work,” it’s surprisingly easy to avoid your shadow. I want to be a spiritual person, all love and light, right? Wait… I remember, I’m living in a dualistic world, by choice. “You got to feel it to heal it,” as they say. For many, it’s easier said than done and I admit, I struggle as well.
In contrast, I notice some people get angry, they take action and the anger passes through them quickly. They may take a negative action in the heat of the moment, but they don’t ruminate about the situation because their action moves the anger through them. They might find themselves on a spiritual path without actually “choosing it,” if that makes sense. They are generally not introspective people, unlike those who might choose a more spiritual path.
If you’re human, you experience anger. I think we’re often taught since childhood that anger will cause us trouble and some personalities will choose not to feel it—dismissing or disowning it. More introspective people on a spiritual path, might feel guilt about the thoughts that anger brings. Unwillingness to experience and feel it, just means the energy won’t complete its cycle and will remain in the body and later activate the mind with negative thinking. These patterns can even be subconscious and I can see how meditation would bring the residing energy up.
I’ve also heard people who lift weights and do other forms of rigorous exercise say they find strenuous activity to be a good outlet for anger. Yoga or martial arts could be good because these engage the body and mind. I remember Thich Nhat Hanh does a good anger meditation that can be searched for. Personally, I find that writing a negative comment or review expressing anger can actually be therapeutic.
All these activities involve a willingness to accept ones self in a wholistic sense while living a dualistic experience. Uncomfortable emotions such as anger and experiencing the thoughts that anger brings without identifying with or judging, can be a huge challenge—but experiencing this is part of being human!
Thank you for this very interesting article Emma. Mindfulness meditation feels rather like an extraction from the original source, a bit like artificial vanilla essence as opposed to the pod, created (with good intentions) to serve the secular ‘spiritual non-religious’ demographic. Although the techniques help with managing day to day noise, maybe their intentional lack of attachment to something greater, means they never satisfy on as deep a level, they can open the door but not provide the psycho spiritual container required to feel held.
Personally I do not ascribe to any religion but instead have realised the spirit of Earth and as part of nature myself, realise the spirit that also resides within me.
HELLO- I WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT ON MEDITATION/SICKNESS ARTICLE ABOVE. I WONDER IF PEOPLE ARE INADVERTENLY OPENING UP THE CHAKRAS AND KUNDALINA ENERGY? I ONCE EXPERIENCED A VIBRANT – ALMOST EXPLOSIVE- FEELING THAT PULSED THROUGHOUT MY ENTIRE BODY. IT WAS VIBRANT AND I FELT BOUNDLESS ENERGY. I HAD THE STRONG FEELING IT WAS TO BE USED FOR GOOD. I DID TAKE A BIT OF TRAINING IN CHAKRAS SO WAS ABLE TO CLOSE OFF THE ENERGY AS I FELT IT WAS TOO OVERWHELMING AND I WAS NOT PREPARED TO DO THE WORK TO KEEP THE ENERGY GOING. IF CHAKRAS ARE NOT CLOSED DOWN AFTER MEDITATION A PERSON CAN FEEL EXHAUSTED, HYPER-SENSITIVE TO OTHER PEOPLE’S ENERGY AND THEY NEED TO CLOSE DOWN CHAKRAS. DOREEN VIRTUE HAD A CD ON CHAKRA CLEARING
This is a very broad and rich topic, and I’m aware of the inadequacy of meeting it with comments in a chat box format.
Having said this, I continue, situating myself as a long term meditator, but neither from the Buddhist or from the Yogananda tradition.
I very much concur with Emma that a consistent meditation practice needs the guidance from a qualified instructor, a consistent and clear map of the journey, and solid meditation techniques. Not by chance, meditation has been associated with wisdom traditions, aged spiritual-cultural containers that can offer a safe and fertile ground for the practitioner.
To classify effects of the meditation as “negative” is tricky. Meditation is often a pathway for what is known in the west as purificatio (purification). Therefore, the conjugation of meditation and spiritual emergence and/or emergency are better assessed case by case and with a lot of context – which scientific studies, unless decisively qualitative in their methodology – might miss altogether.