Kundalini/
Meditation Induced Psychosis Mitigation
There can be adverse affects to meditating. Meditation can lead to psychosis. On this website, I have provided references to educational articles, personal stories, and educational support links (for medical professionals, meditation teachers, and meditation students). Enjoy!
Meditation Induced Psychosis Resources
Meditating in Safety
Raising awareness of mental health issues in relation to meditation practice
This website, out of compassion for all who practise meditation, was created by a Buddhist, Damcho Pamo, in consultation with Dr. Miguel Farias, a research psychologist. Read about their respective backgrounds here.
There is growing evidence, as can be seen from the research and story pages of this website, that some people can develop serious mental health problems in association with meditation practice. In view of this we have created a leaflet for meditation and mindfulness students and one for teachers and retreat leaders that provides guidelines on how to recognise the development of such mental health problems, how students can go about seeking help and how teachers/retreat leaders can provide appropriate first aid and thus give support to the students affected in this way.
By clicking on the two links below you can read the text of the two leaflets and also download and print them. Do print off as many leaflets as you require and do pass them on to others whom you think would be interested.
To print select Print on two sides and Flip on short side.
Damcho Pamo is the editor of this evidence based website.
About Us
Cheetah House is a community invested in the recovery from, and reduction of, adversities resulting from meditation practices. Most of us have experienced them and know firsthand how difficult it can be to find expertise, community, or basic validation. We are working to change that!
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Community
Those experiencing meditation-related adversities often feel profoundly isolated and ashamed, thinking they are the only ones who have ever had negative effects from meditating. The Cheetah House support groups brings together people from around the world to tell their stories, share resources, provide hope, community and friendship.
Currently, Cheetah House offers several types of support groups
Cheetah House Community Support Group with the Cheetah House Care Team
The CH Community Support group provides Zoom-based support for those who have experienced, or are currently experiencing meditation-related difficulties. Difficulties often include physical and mental health symptoms, social/occupational impairment, spiritual/religious abuse, and/ or general loss of stability, community, identity and meaning.
The CH Community Support group meets twice per week for 90 minutes on Zoom, and are led my a member of the Cheetah House Care Team. All potential group members are required to schedule a session with a Care Team Member to make sure the group is a good fit. Fees are based on a sliding scale according to household income.
SCHEDULE A SESSION WITH A MEMBER OF THE CHEETAH HOUSE CARE TEAM TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE SUPPORT GROUP
Cheetah House Facebook Support Group:
This chat-based group is free and open to anyone who identifies as a meditator-in-distress. Peer-led, with periodic input from Cheetah House administrators.
GO TO CHEETAH HOUSE FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP
Training Programs
Cheetah House Professional Trainings
The following professional trainings in meditation-related difficulties, meditation safety and trauma-sensitive mindfulness are available to meditation teachers, clinicians, educators , mindfulness/meditation organizations.
Brown University - Meditation Safety Toolbox
The original Safety Toolbox has been updated to accompany the "First, Do No Harm" Meditation Safety Trainings". The full 20-hour First Do No Harm Training can be accessed here. An abbreviated 3-hour version with available CE credits can be found here.
The toolbox contains documents, protocols and best practice guidelines from the UMASS Center for Mindfulness, Bangor and Oxford Mindfulness Centers, and other mindfulness researchers.
Personal Stories
Meditationg In Safety - Personal Stories
This section has examples from people who have experienced adverse mental effects in association with meditation and mindfulness practice. When people have such experiences it is really important for them to make sense of it all and tell their story as they see it. Their interpretation of events is obviously subjective but none the less valid.
The love affair with the breath went on for about 5 years. Then one day it all changed. My breath betrayed me.
Mindfulness: Connection or Disconnection?
…it was a natural progression, that over time, and many many repetitions, undermined my ability to hear my own body’s messages for me.
I felt psychologically and existentially disorganized, unmoored.
I finally managed to get rid of the noise, but the silence is that of a tombstone.
It seemed that what had previously been unseen, unfelt, unmet, unloved, and unhealed surfaced so it could be seen, felt, met, loved, and healed.
Our primary identity may really be vast awareness, but we are also so unavoidably human…
Rising, Rising, Falling, Falling
“My whole being felt like it split apart”
Is the Truth really True?
Is bare attention more like a light that reveals things or a mold that shapes them?
Thank Goodness
“I would have never thought life could become so great again after suffering from Depersonalization. But it can.
Meditation techniques are widely practised across the world. Originally being spiritual practices to develop calm and insight, they are now used in schools, hospitals, city councils and the workplace to promote well-being. There is evidence that the practice of meditation brings health benefits and Health Serv- ices currently use mindfulness meditation-based techniques to treat depression and anxiety.
Articles
Cheetah House - Articles in Press
Meditating Into Safety - Media Articles
This section is for a variety of media articles on this topic. Whilst these articles may not necessarily be based on rigorous academic research they do give an indication of what people are experiencing and what happens to them.
Google Scholar Searches:
Meditation Induced Psychosis Articles
… after meditating. A literature search for psychotic states related to meditation was carried out … patient is described who developed an acute and short-lived psychosis during meditation. …
Adverse Effects of Meditation Articles
[PDF] Adverse Effects ofMeditation: A Preliminary Investigation ofLong-Tenn Meditators
DH Shapiro Jr - International Journal of Psychosomatics, 1992 - deanehshapirojr.org
… In this study, 75% ofsu bjeets with 105 months meditation experience repofted adv('rse cHeers,
com pared to 40% of those with 16.7 mOlHhs cxperience. At first glance these data appc:ll…
MK Lustyk, N Chawla, RS Nolan… - Advances in Mind …, 2009 - meditatinginsafety.org.uk… meditation with possible adverse reactions are reported in the literature. Yet participant
screening procedures, research safety … The goal of this paper is to summarize safety concerns of
