"The Silence You Weren't Expecting: Why Meditation Isn't a Universal Remedy"

 

Meditation can be harmful. Meditation is not a panacea for mental distress.

Swami Vivekananda says meditation is not for the masses. Dhyana is for the chosen under a trained guru. Mediation is for spiritual attainment and not for mere mundane benefits.

It is a common practice among mental health practitioners to suggest meditation as a way of calming the agitating mind. Also, yoga teachers advocate meditation as a way of mind body wellbeing.  Meditation is recommended as a way for mindfulness.

Everybody in the gathering is advised to sit quiet for 20 minutes with eyes closed and ears open to a mild music or a mantra. Participants almost say they feel a sense of calm.

While it is true for the person at that time as a change from the taxing thoughts in the head, now recent research says that prolonged practice of meditation, forcing oneself to sitting quiet causes serious mental illness.

I have noticed in people who sit for meditation on a regular basis a sort of dullness on their face, they seemed to have lost the sense of humor in life, also they develop a sense of guilt. Some become eccentric in fulfilling their suppressed desires.

Research into meditation and mindfulness has found that while many benefit, a significant number of practitioners—ranging from 8% to 60% depending on the study—experience adverse or unwanted effects. 

Findings on the negative effects include:

• Psychological Distress: The most commonly reported issues are increased anxiety, panic attacks, and depressive symptoms.
• Dissociative Experiences: Some practitioners report depersonalisation (feeling detached from oneself) or derealization (feeling the world is unreal).
• Traumatic Re-experiencing: Meditation can sometimes trigger the sudden recall of forgotten traumatic memories or flashbacks, which can be highly destabilizing without clinical support.
• Cognitive and Somatic Issues: Reported effects include insomnia, dizziness, muscle pain, hallucinations, and confusion or disorientation.
• Social and Motivation Changes: Practitioners may experience social alienation, a "lack of life orientation," or a loss of motivation toward previously important personal and career goals.
• Functional Impairment: Approximately 9% to 10% of meditators report effects severe enough to interfere with their daily work or social life. 

The likelihood of experiencing these negative effects increases with certain factors:

• Intensive Practice: Those attending long, silent meditation retreats are more prone to functional impairment.
• Pre-existing Conditions: Individuals with a history of mental health symptoms or emotional distress in the 30 days prior to meditating are at higher risk.
• Inadequate Guidance: Practicing without a trained instructor may lead to worse outcomes. 

Swami Vivekananda’s caution

Swami Vivekananda did not caution against meditation itself—which he called the "nearest approach to spiritual life"—but rather against its unprepared or forced practice by the masses, especially when pursued without the necessary mental and moral foundation. Swami Vivekananda says meditation is not for the masses. Dhyana is for the chosen under a trained guru. Mediation is for spiritual attainment and not for mere mundane benefits.

The "Maddened Monkey" Mind: Swami Vivekananda frequently compared the human mind to a "maddened monkey" drunk on desire and stung by jealousy. He cautioned that trying to force such a mind into silence without first understanding its movements through gradual practice like Pratyahara (withdrawal) and Dharana (concentration) can lead to frustration or mental instability.

Caution Against Forced Meditation: Following the views of his guru, Sri Ramakrishna, he acknowledged that forcing meditation can sometimes lead to mental derangement or vanity.

Do you want to offload overthinking?

Do you want to tame your mind? Do you want to move away from menacing thoughts? Do you want to stop the chronic negative thinking? Do you want to offload overthinking?

Safe way to sanity. Neuro Linguistic Program has enough tools to give you peace of mind, say a RESOURCEFUL STATE of mind in NLP parlance, The tools of NLP have no side effect at all.

You can learn the tools of NLP for effective mindfulness.

In my 20 years of experience in guiding people to gaining mental health, I found NLP is handy and swift in giving mental strength.

VRanganathan, NLP Master Trainer & Coach
www.vrnlp.com