Thoughts on “the dark side” of meditation
I read an article yesterday called “The Dark Side of Mindfulness” that struck a nerve for me, and I wanted to share it (and my reflections) with you. This link is a gift link so it should get you past the paywall. (Trigger warning: mentions of suicide and self-harm, research using animal subjects, discussion of mental health and PTSD. This is not a light article!)
The article details the “dark side” of mindfulness and meditation: "Over time, she would find that meditation, a multibillion-dollar industry that is promoted as a treatment for anxiety, chronic pain, alcohol abuse, addiction, and many other ailments, can sometimes, for some people, cause severe and lasting side effects: depression, anxiety, even acute psychosis." Woof! There's also mention of the positive impacts meditation can have, too. But I have some thoughts after reading the article.
First, let's quickly touch on study design, since the article opens with a study: a sample size of 26 people is a SMALL study. While getting any study approved, funded, and underway is a challenge, this is not some landmark, giant study. (I'm having flashbacks to my days of getting IRB approval when I wrote my Master's thesis over a decade ago.) Later in the article, much larger studies are mentioned, including one of 1,300 regular meditators.
But. My main takeaway from the article is something we talk about all the time at HOW Yoga: everyone experiences every practice differently.
A class that's easy, calming, or chill for you may be incredibly challenging for the person next to you in class. A breath practice that is anxiety-inducing for you may be the only thing that helps someone else to breathe deeply. There is no one right way to practice yoga, and more than that, there's no single universal experience from practicing yoga. What matters to us is that you're able to observe how different practices affect you and make choices about how you move through your practice to make it what you need in that moment.
Two of our studio values are agency and education, and this is exactly why we care about those so much. We want you to understand why we're practicing certain things and give you the information to choose what works for you in the moment. It's a way we can be as inclusive as possible, too - another of our studio values.
At the end of the day, there's no single right answer for anything: meditation, medication, movement - there's so many answers out there, and part of the challenge of living is figuring out what works for you. Here are a few tips that may be helpful to you as you navigate the world of trying new things (like meditation, therapy, new workouts, and the like.)
If something hurts, don't do it. This is a baseline for me all the time.
Remember your intention for a practice and note warning signs for yourself. If you start to feel more anxious after something you're hoping will relieve anxiety, that is clearly not achieving your goal - so it's time to pivot!
Don't be afraid to ask questions, and expect to get substantive answers. If the answer is just “well you're not trying hard enough” - that is a red flag!
If you don't like doing something, you don't have to do it. There's enough things in life that we HAVE to do (like trips to the DMV, taxes, flossing, the list goes on…) so let's remember what is optional or what we're electing to do
Yoga and meditation are not replacements for physical and mental health care. There are a lot of experts in a lot of fields that you can seek out for additional help and support. It's often a case of “both/and” - what is supportive to you?
I really appreciated that the article closed with this quote:
“The Buddha taught that people should pursue a “middle way” between decadent indulgence and rigid austerity—to not live mindlessly, but to not be so ascetic as to immiserate yourself.”
Or in the words of the author of the study mentioned at the beginning:
“'Treat meditation like any other relationship,' she said. ‘If you feel like shit with that person, maybe it’s time to break up.’”
Amen to that!