Find a clinician who understands meditation-related difficulties
When it lingers or gets in the way of daily life, see a doctor or therapist — ideally one familiar with meditation — and know where urgent help is.
Why it works
Some meditation-related difficulties are brief; others last and affect work, relationships and self-care. In a study of an 8-week mindfulness program, lasting bad effects were associated with signs of dysregulated arousal, hyperarousal and dissociation, which clinicians can help with. A clinician who understands meditation is less likely either to dismiss what you describe or to pathologise all of it, and organisations now exist specifically to support people with these experiences.
How to do it
- See a doctor or therapist if fear, low mood, sleeplessness, feeling unreal, or intrusive memories carry on for more than a couple of weeks, or affect work, relationships or looking after yourself.
- When you book, ask whether they have experience with meditation-related or contemplative difficulties; a trauma-informed therapist may also be a good fit.
- Cheetah House, a US nonprofit, says it exists to support people experiencing meditation-related difficulties, and its website lists consultations, support groups and resources.
- Bring your meditation history with you: what practice, how much, on retreat or at home, and when things changed.
- If you have thoughts of harming yourself, or you feel out of touch with reality, call or text 988 in the US (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline), find a line in your country at findahelpline.com, or call your local emergency number now — do not wait for an appointment.
Evidence
Britton et al. (2021) assessed 96 participants in variants of an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy program: 83% reported at least one meditation-related side effect, effects with negative valence or negative impacts on functioning occurred in 58% and 37% respectively, and lasting bad effects occurred in 6–14% and were associated with signs of dysregulated arousal (hyperarousal and dissociation). Farias et al. (2020), reviewing 83 studies, report a total prevalence of adverse events of 8.3%, varying from 3.7% in experimental to 33.2% in observational studies, and note adverse events may occur in people with no previous history of mental health problems. Cheetah House describes its mission as providing support to those experiencing meditation-related difficulties. (observational)
Prevalence estimates vary widely with how adverse effects are defined and asked about, and the Britton study concluded such effects occur at similar rates to other psychological treatments. None of these studies tells you your own risk, and clinicians familiar with meditation are not available everywhere.
Sources
- Britton, W. B., Lindahl, J. R., Cooper, D. J., Canby, N. K., & Palitsky, R. (2021). Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs. Clinical Psychological Science, 9(6), 1185–1204.
- Farias, M., Maraldi, E., Wallenkampf, K. C., & Lucchetti, G. (2020). Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapies: A systematic review. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 142(5), 374–393.
- Cheetah House — a US nonprofit offering support to people experiencing meditation-related difficulties, and training for meditation teachers and clinicians (About Us page).
Common mistake
Waiting months for things to resolve on their own because the difficulty came from meditation — or, the other way round, assuming any clinician will understand without being told about the practice.
Practice this with IX Coach
More practices for Meditation-Related Challenges: When Practice Makes You Feel Worse
- Step back from formal sitting for now
Pause or sharply shorten formal meditation while things are unsettled — easing off is a legitimate response, not a failure.
- Ground through the senses, with your eyes open
Bring attention outward to the room, your feet on the floor and the weight of your body — not further inward.
- Move your body and do ordinary things
Swap stillness for ordinary movement and everyday tasks — a brisk walk, cooking, tidying — at a normal pace.
- Lean on sleep, food, routine and people
Treat regular sleep, proper meals, a simple daily rhythm and time with people you trust as part of what steadies you.
- Talk to a teacher who knows these experiences
Tell an experienced meditation teacher what is happening — ideally one who has helped students through difficulty before.
- Stop noting when things start dissolving and fear takes over
If close noting has turned into everything falling apart and terror, set the technique down and steady yourself first — the map can wait.
- Come back to solid ground when awareness practice makes things feel unreal
If looking for the mind or resting in open awareness leaves the world flat, dreamlike or far away, stop the inquiry and anchor in concrete, outward things first.
- Hold off on deciding what it means
Let the experience be unexplained for now, rather than forcing it into a story of spiritual breakthrough or of breakdown.
- Return to practice gradually, with guidance
If and when you feel steady, come back slowly — short, gentle sessions, agreed with a teacher, with a plan for stopping.
Related concepts
- Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness, Made Practical
Adapting mindfulness so it regulates rather than reactivates
- Grounding Techniques for Acute Distress
Fast sensory skills to come back to the present when distress spikes
- The Progress of Insight: The Stages of Insight in Vipassana
The Burmese insight map of what meditators say they pass through — read as a map, not a ladder
- The Dark Night of the Soul: John of the Cross
John of the Cross’s map of spiritual desolation and the practices that navigate it
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