Given that the practice of mindfulness can be undertaken at home without financial cost, it frequently presents itself as an ideal remedy for stress and various mental health challenges.
Mindfulness is a derivative of Buddhist contemplative traditions, focusing on cultivating awareness of one’s present sensory experiences, cognitive processes, and emotional states.
The earliest documented references to such practices, originating from India, date back over 1,500 years. The Dharmatrāta Meditation Scripture, a work compiled by a Buddhist collective, elucidates diverse techniques and concurrently reports on manifestations of depression and apprehension that may emerge subsequent to meditation.
Furthermore, it delineates cognitive aberrations linked to episodes of psychosis, dissociation, and depersonalization, a state characterized by a feeling of unreality regarding one’s surroundings.
Over the span of the last eight years, scientific inquiry into this domain has experienced a substantial acceleration. These investigations indicate that adverse outcomes are not an infrequent occurrence.
A 2022 investigation, surveying 953 individuals in the United States who engaged in regular meditation, revealed that more than 10 percent of the participants encountered deleterious effects that significantly impaired their daily functioning and persisted for a minimum of one month.
According to a comprehensive review encompassing over four decades of research, published in 2020, the most prevalent adverse consequences include anxiety and depression. Following these are psychotic or delusional symptoms, experiences of dissociation or depersonalisation, and sensations of fear or terror.
Research has also established that adverse reactions can affect individuals without a prior history of mental health conditions, those with only a moderate degree of exposure to meditation, and these effects can precipitate prolonged symptomology.
The Western world has also possessed awareness of these detrimental effects for a considerable duration.
Harking back to 1976, Arnold Lazarus, a pivotal figure in the advancement of cognitive-behavioural science, posited that meditation, when implemented without careful consideration, could precipitate “serious psychological disturbances, such as depression, agitation, and even schizophrenic decompensation.”
There exists empirical evidence supporting the notion that mindfulness can contribute positively to individuals’ welfare. The prevailing issue lies in the fact that mindfulness facilitators, instructional videos, applications, and literature seldom apprise individuals of the potential negative repercussions.
Ronald Purser, a professor of management and an ordained Buddhist instructor, expounded in his 2023 publication, McMindfulness, that mindfulness has evolved into a form of “capitalist spirituality.”
In the United States alone, the meditation industry boasts a valuation of US$2.2 billion (£1.7 billion). Furthermore, prominent figures within the mindfulness sector ought to be cognizant of the inherent challenges associated with meditation.
Jon Kabat-Zinn, a central architect of the modern mindfulness movement, acknowledged in a 2017 dialogue with The Guardian that “ninety percent of the research [examining positive impacts] is of inferior quality.”
In his introductory statement for the 2015 UK Mindfulness All-Party Parliamentary Report, Jon Kabat-Zinn suggested that mindfulness meditation possesses the potential to ultimately transform “who we are as human beings and individual citizens, as communities and societies, as nations, and as a species.”
This almost religious fervor surrounding the transformative capacity of mindfulness, extending beyond individual betterment to encompass the trajectory of humanity, is a common sentiment among its proponents. Even many individuals identifying as atheists or agnostics who engage in mindfulness articulate a belief in this practice’s ability to foster global peace and compassion.
Discussions of mindfulness in the media have also tended towards an imbalance.
In 2015, my co-authored book with clinical psychologist Catherine Wikholm, titled Buddha Pill, included a chapter that summarized the existing research on the adverse effects of meditation. This content garnered considerable media attention, including a feature in New Scientist and a broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
However, there was notably limited media coverage in 2022 concerning the most substantial study ever conducted in the field of meditation science (receiving over US$8 million in funding from the Wellcome Trust research charity).
This study involved over 8,000 children (aged 11-14) across 84 educational institutions in the UK, conducted between 2016 and 2018. Its findings indicated that mindfulness did not yield improvements in children’s mental well-being when compared to a control cohort, and it may have even exerted detrimental effects on those identified as being at risk for mental health issues.
Ethical Considerations
Is it ethically justifiable to market mindfulness applications, conduct meditation instruction sessions, or even integrate mindfulness into clinical settings without disclosing its potential adverse effects? Given the evidence of their prevalence and diversity, the answer should unequivocally be no.
Nonetheless, a significant number of meditation and mindfulness instructors hold the conviction that these practices are exclusively beneficial and remain unaware of the potential for negative consequences.
The most recurrent account I receive from individuals who have endured adverse meditation experiences is that their instructors dismiss their concerns. They are typically advised to simply persist with their meditation practice, with the assurance that the issues will resolve themselves.
Research dedicated to promoting the safe application of meditation is a relatively recent development, meaning that definitive guidance for individuals is still in its nascent stages. A broader challenge arises from the fact that meditation engages with atypical states of consciousness, for which our current psychological frameworks of the mind are insufficient to provide a complete understanding.
However, resources are available for individuals seeking to educate themselves about these adverse effects. These include digital platforms curated by meditators who have navigated significant negative experiences, as well as scholarly compendiums that feature dedicated sections addressing this subject matter.
Within the United States, there exists a specialized clinical service catering to individuals who have experienced acute and long-standing difficulties, spearheaded by a prominent mindfulness researcher.
For the present, if meditation is to be utilized as a tool for promoting well-being or as a therapeutic modality, the public must be adequately apprised of its inherent potential for harm.
Miguel Farias, Associate Professor in Experimental Psychology, Coventry University
