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Adverse effects
Predominantly, studies of meditation report positive effects. However,
some studies report that meditation may have adverse effects in certain
circumstances (Lukoff, Lu & Turner, 1998; Perez-De-Albeniz & Holmes,
2000). If practiced improperly or too intensely, meditation can lead to
considerable psychological and physiological problems. Serious and
credible teachers of meditation usually warn their students about the
possible pitfalls of a contemplative path (Trungpa, 1973).
Another issue concerns the adaptation of eastern meditative concepts to a
western culture, an adaptation that is often unfamiliar with the cultural
matrix in which the meditative concept originated. Eastern concepts of
meditation are often imported to a western setting within the popular
context of new religious movements, or within the context of popular
approaches to body and health. It is common for this popular context to be
unfamiliar with the broad range of adverse effects that might occur during
meditation, and to have limited tools for dealing with them when they do
arise. Since the practice of meditation may include a powerful
confrontation with existential questions, it is not considered wise to
engage in intense meditation techniques without an extended period of
psychological preparation, preferably in contact with a credible teacher
or clinician. In the case of Asian contemplative traditions (Hindu,
Buddhist), which has often originated within a monastic or reclusive
context, there often exist major challenges connected to the way the
particular meditation techniques are to be applied to a Western mindset
without causing harm to the practitioner, for example passivity.
A
growing body of clinical literature is now starting to address the
phenomenon of meditation-related problems (Lukoff, Lu & Turner, 1998;
Perez-De-Albeniz & Holmes, 2000). Several side-effects have been reported,
including uncomfortable kinesthetic sensations, mild dissociation and
psychosis-like symptoms (Craven, 1989). From a clinical study of
twenty-seven long term meditators, Shapiro (1992) reported such adverse
effects as depression, relaxation-induced anxiety and panic, paradoxical
increases in tension, impaired reality testing, confusion, disorientation
and feeling 'spaced out'. The possibility that meditation might trigger
strong emotional reactions is also reported by Kutz, Borysenko & Benson
(1985). Therefore, meditation might cause serious side effects, even among
long-term practitioners, and might even, in some instances, be
contraindicated. The tendency of meditation to release unconscious
material (Perez-De-Albeniz & Holmes, 2000) implies that the beginning
meditator should approach the practice with moderation.
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Particularly in the Chinese Qigong tradition, stories of unguided
practitioners or inexpertly guided students developing chronic mental and
physical health problems as a result of their attempts at meditation
training are not uncommon. English speaking practitioners and teachers of
Qigong and related disciplines note that the practice of this
contemplative exercise is sometimes accompanied by physical and
psychological distress. The identification of this syndrome has led to the
inclusion of a culture-sensitive category in the DSM-IV called Qi-Gong
Psychotic Reaction (American Psychiatric Association, 1994: Appendix 1).
Meditative traditions which include the use of drugs are generally
considered to be harmful to the practitioner. Additionally, as with any
practice, meditation may also be used to avoid facing ongoing problems or
emerging crises in the meditator's life. In such situations, it may be
helpful to apply mindful attitudes acquired in meditation while actively
engaging with current problems (see Hayes et al, 1999, chap. 3; Metzner,
2005).
Meditation and drugs
Some modern methods of meditation do not include the use of drugs due to
the known health problems associated with the use of some drugs. However,
the use of stimulants has been proposed by some as a means to provide
insight, and in some shamanistic traditions they are used as agents of
ritual. Some Native American traditions for instance emphasized the
smoking of a pipe containing tobacco, salvia divinorum or other plants.
Some Hindu traditions use bhang, East Asian traditions use tea and Middle
Eastern (and many Western) religions use coffee as an aid to meditation.
During the 1960s, eastern meditation traditions and LSD became popular
among many people, and many people suggested that LSD use and meditation
were both means to the same spiritual/existential end. However, many
people who had already been familiar with eastern traditions rejected this
idea, including many who had tried LSD themselves. In The Master Game, de
Ropp said that the door to full consciousness could be glimpsed through
with the aid of substances -- which is doubted by many others -- yet to
pass beyond the door required yoga and meditation.
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Editor's Choice of Books on Meditation
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