Not all meditations are equally useful

The "side effects" of meditation can last for decades

Anna Stavina, XX2 century, based on the materials of Brown University: Study documents range of challenging meditation experiences

The practice of meditation is becoming increasingly popular in the West. Many people use it to cope with everyday stresses, relax and, as they say, "calm their nerves." At the same time, some doctors and psychologists recommend meditation to people suffering from feelings of anxiety, low mood and other symptoms of depression. Presumably, meditation – by itself or in combination with psycho- or pharmacotherapy – can help to cope with depression, post-traumatic disorders and similar problems. It is generally believed that meditation is safer than pills, because it does not cause side effects, addiction and addiction. However, according to a new study, everything is not so rosy at all.

The authors of the work, the results of which were published in the publication PLOS ONE, decided to focus on the negative consequences of meditation, because the positive ones have been repeatedly described in both popular and scientific literature. Interestingly, in religious literature, in particular, in the records of Tibetan Buddhists and adherents of Zen Buddhism, references to the painful and unpleasant consequences of meditation are quite common, there are even special terms for them. Representatives of the Tibetan branch call such effects nyams, and Zen Buddhists - makyō.

"Many of the effects of meditation are well known. Some practitioners begin to pay more attention to their thoughts and emotions, feel calmer and generally improve their quality of life," says lead author of the study Jared Lindahl from the Kogut Center for the Humanities Brown University. – But the range of possible effects of meditation is much wider. How exactly the practice will affect a particular person depends on a number of personal and interpersonal characteristics, as well as on environmental factors."

As part of the study, scientists interviewed about 100 people. Among the respondents were both those who simply practiced meditation and teachers of this practice. Representatives of the three main branches of Buddhism took part in the work: Tibetan, Teravada and Zen Buddhism.

The scientists interviewed all the volunteers, encoded the answer options and processed them using qualitative analysis methods. The work also used causality criteria applied by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

All the volunteers noted that they had repeatedly encountered unforeseen consequences of meditation, for example, hypersensitivity to light or sound, sleep disturbances, the appearance of involuntary movements, an increasing sense of anxiety, fear or panic, or loss of emotions. The duration of such undesirable effects varied from several days to months and decades. With the "side effects" of meditation, 29% of respondents encountered already in the first year of practice, and over 10 years of classes, the proportion of those who experienced certain undesirable consequences of meditation increased to 45%.

The interview also mentioned situations when the feeling itself, which appeared as a result of meditation, was desirable, but too strong or prolonged, which eventually led to a feeling of helplessness or confusion. And the results of meditations conducted during retreats could worsen performance after the end of the retreat and return to normal life. "An experience that is positive and desirable in one situation can become a burden in another," explains Lindahl.

The scientists noted that the same practice in different people could lead to completely different results. Apparently, the effect of meditation is influenced by many different factors – personal, interpersonal and external. At the same time, the authors of the new work could not determine the specific causes of undesirable consequences. However, the researchers expressed hope that if this is done in the future, it will also be possible to change approaches to teaching meditation in such a way as to reduce the frequency of "side effects" and alleviate the condition of those who had to face them.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  02.06.2017