I would be interested in finding out who funded the study and wouldn't be surprised with big-pharma behind it. I have been meditating for 7 years now. I would still consider myself an intermediate level meditator. It has literally re-programmed my mind. Having said that, I read the Pali Canon and follow instructions from Buddhist teachers all over the world.
Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
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Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#12This is probably oversimplified, but it does make some sense. Some people are happily trotting about in their objectively miserable lives. Sit them down and let them think on it, and they just might realize how empty their lives are and how little control they have over their situation. I've always been very "mindful" and depending on your inclination to cynicism, that inevitably means finding out that life is what i…
Ever read Zen In The Art of Archery[1]? In it, the author talks about how, when learning a brand new physical practice like archery, at first you just dive in and start doing it without knowing the fundamentals and, truly, how difficult it is. So you're kind of blessed by naivete. But as soon as you choose to learn it the right way, you're immediately sent back to basics and are faced with the fact that you know nothing and are likely the worst you'll ever be at this. But that's a necessary part of the journey.
This happened to me in golf. I was naturally decent at it without ever taking a lesson or watching a video about how to swing. That only got me so far. Now I'm taking lessons and relearning everything. I feel worse at the sport today than I was two years ago. But if I acknowledge the truth in that and push forward, I'll ultimately be much better than I could have been.
Same process with meditation. I've been practicing for 11+ years and right now my practice is pretty challenging. But that comes with the process.
[1] https://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Archery-Eugen-Herrigel/dp/037...
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#13I would be interested in finding out who funded the study and wouldn't be surprised with big-pharma behind it. I have been meditating for 7 years now. I would still consider myself an intermediate level meditator. It has literally re-programmed my mind. Having said that, I read the Pali Canon and follow instructions from Buddhist teachers all over the world.
It’s the same as 100 year olds saying their secret to longevity is eating marinated peaches - not statistically significant.
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#14It's not a cure or a treatment in the first place. Like one teacher said: meditation is just a shower for the mind, simple hygiene.
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#15I've been practicing meditation for several years now. The phenomenon described in the article is very obvious to every practitioner - it can happen that for some time you will feel worse (actually I'm surprised that it's only 8%). It is related to psychological mechanisms of repression, which is weakened during meditation practices. That is why during serious meditation retreats (like 10 days vipassana) some people…
I have never sat down and properly given meditation a go. That said I have encountered it in various walks - through yoga, martial arts and casual meditation sessions.
What benefits would you describe you feeling from getting past beginner stage?
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#16This is probably oversimplified, but it does make some sense. Some people are happily trotting about in their objectively miserable lives. Sit them down and let them think on it, and they just might realize how empty their lives are and how little control they have over their situation. I've always been very "mindful" and depending on your inclination to cynicism, that inevitably means finding out that life is what i…
What is the difference between an objectively happy life and an objectively miserable life?
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#17 They found that about 8 per cent
people who try meditation experience
an unwanted effect
That 8 percent of people who try meditation experience something "unwanted" within a certain time afterwards?
Is that different from a control group? Which control group? When you look at 100 random people people with the same situation and instead of letting them meditate let them go for a walk instead - what percentage will experience something unwanted?
We would need to look into the study to figure out if it has more info.
But the article seems to provide no link to the study. No DOI, no nothing.
Based on the name "Miguel Farias" mentioned in the article, it might be doi 10.1192/pb.bp.116.053686 from 2016:
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#18If you are stressed out from your job and turn to some capitalism mindfullness sponsered by Google(TM) with the (of course) unstated goal to have you functioning again I'm not surprised.
Meditation can be a delicate thing that has positive great effects if applied correctly but it's also a tool for sects since forever.
I really like the vipassana medition approach but the whole ideology around it and the things they'll tell you on the retreat turned me off.
Even if you do it for yourself without any objective target it can get worse as you may realize it's actually like in your surpressed fears.
Be careful what you subscribe to.
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#19This is probably oversimplified, but it does make some sense. Some people are happily trotting about in their objectively miserable lives. Sit them down and let them think on it, and they just might realize how empty their lives are and how little control they have over their situation. I've always been very "mindful" and depending on your inclination to cynicism, that inevitably means finding out that life is what i…
Ever read Zen In The Art of Archery[1]? In it, the author talks about how, when learning a brand new physical practice like archery, at first you just dive in and start doing it without knowing the fundamentals and, truly, how difficult it is. So you're kind of blessed by naivete. But as soon as you choose to learn it the right way, you're immediately sent back to basics and are faced with the fact that you know noth…
Tiger Woods himself went through something similar - he got a new coach to up his game, and at first, his results got way worse, but then it really paid off for him.
Re: Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety
#20I've been practicing meditation for several years now. The phenomenon described in the article is very obvious to every practitioner - it can happen that for some time you will feel worse (actually I'm surprised that it's only 8%). It is related to psychological mechanisms of repression, which is weakened during meditation practices. That is why during serious meditation retreats (like 10 days vipassana) some people…
>usually has positive effects in the long run
Yeah, citation needed for that. Because "people often have meltdowns and need professional therapy" isn't really encouraging.