The dark side of meditation

[Jeremy]

This was an interesting read to say the least and one reason why it's so important to stay grounded. Though I suspect these so called conditions could be the introduction of faithful opposition, one can't help but feel that these individuals allowed their thoughts to control them a bit too much 

http://upliftconnect.com/the-dark-side-of-meditation/

[auntiemable]

Wow! I'd never heard of negative effects of meditation. I wonder if the negative effects were drawn out somehow in the retreats? Perhaps, they were caused by STS entities using the meditative state as a means to exhibit control. Psychic attacks in my own life have caused health issues albeit in different ways in the physical realm, but I would venture to guess that they could effect the mental/emotional body as well. For me, crystals have thwarted further attacks and have cured the resulting negative health issues. I also say the Lord's Prayer before I meditate. So, just as Carla and Jim carefully prepared before each channeling session, maybe preparing before each meditation session should be considered.

Everyone is unique, so it is hard to say what caused these psychological issues. Of course, mainstream 'allopathic' medicine would never consider the metaphysical or spiritual realms but would rather just give medication to try and 'cure' the so-called problem under the limits of their knowledge of the paradigm as they were taught. It could also be a combination of issues with these particular people--ego, psychological imbalance, preincarnative choice, etc. could all play a role.

Thanks for the article, Jeremy. Interesting.

[Nau7ik]

Protect yourself before you enter the meditative state! One is leaving himself vulnerable without taking precaution. For me, I set my intentions first; "I seek to know myself. I seek to know the Creator. I seek to...". Then I use a pray for protection and guidance. There are many prayers that one can use but I created my own as I believe it has more power than using someone else's. (I pray to ask that this meditation be guided and protected in the Love and the Light of the One Infinite Creator. In the name of Jesus Christ and unconditional Love, for Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory forever and ever, Amen.) Then I invite the angels, guides, higher self, confederation, etc. Then I am all set to enter the meditative state. These ritualistic movements alert the deep mind and become more effective with time and use.

Imagine if Carla didn't tune or challenge before the channeling sessions. Negative entities would be right there waiting for you to slip. You are seeking the Light. You shine and they can see you.

[rva_jeremy]

Awesome find, thanks Jeremy.

Since meditation concerns itself with the mind, and western medicine has a psychological model of the mind that ties health to being able to manifest a self (I can't help but add: a self that can be productive in the capitalist economy and docile politically) it makes sense that academics who do research in our society have an interest in confining the serious exploration of the self to the relationship with a professional.

Getting in touch with yourself exposes you only to yourself. Yes, of course there is darkness there -- psychiatry is premised on this. And many meditation instructors (Chödrön for example) expressly suggest that certain students use therapy in tandem with meditation when necessary. So this whole idea that there is a special problem with mediation -- that there aren't TONS of things in our society capable of dissolving the self to our detriment, I mean look at these White Nationalists in Charlottesville and tell me they were always like that -- seems kind of a slightly dishonest "gee golly" argument designed to activate a smoke bomb and not a spotlight. There's nothing about meditation that creates effects that any philosopher or other deep thinker hasn't reckoned with.

This article isn't wrong that mediation can be dangerous. But that's because life is dangerous. The only guarantees manifest in the vastness of infinity, not in the promises of our society in a single third density incarnation. And relying on psychiatry and drugs is no guarantee either--we all know that, and nobody seriously suggests meditation for urgent, critical mental health issues. I guess it rubs me the wrong way to focus solely on the fact that people fail in life and that somehow looking at the self is the whole problem.

Yes, not everybody balances successfully in this life. We must be careful to recognize that this materialist model of life as a single moment in oblivion cannot deem this possibility acceptable. We have a different model, and what we can accept, balance, and love affects what we think is advisable. And fundamentally, while medicine will always seek to limit the risks of life, it is diving into the truly worthwhile risks that generates genuine spiritual growth. This is a question, ultimately, of values.

[GentleWanderer]

_________

[rva_jeremy]

I read the article again to make sure I could stand by what I had written. The example of Miss X sounds almost exactly like a friend of mine in college who took mushrooms one time and has never been the same since. Given that the Confederation compares the disciplines of mind to psychedelic drug use (the former is slower and safer, the latter is quicker and more dangerous) I suppose it's possible that accidents can happen.

I think I was a bit unfair to the article's author initially. My hackles are raised whenever I see a mainstream practitioner say anything negative about alternative practices like mediation. And the idea that you should be under observation or tutelage to use your own mind, well, nothing could be more offensive to me. But I concede that certain people may need more balance before diving into extremely reflection, and especially if you have unexamined traumas of course peeling back layers of mind can yield more than you bargained for.

My problem, I guess, is not with the idea of meditation being dangerous as much as with the idea authorities should supervise one's use of one's own mind.

[loostudent]

I still can't understand how could that negative entity almost kidnap Carla in negative time/space when she went in trance. That would be horrible! How can the Creator and the law of free will allow deceit with such catastrophic consequence?

[ches]

http://upliftconnect.com/the-dark-side-of-meditation/

Wow, this I definitely resonate with.. these grandiose delusions that I was on a mission .. unconditional love to everyone... no critical insight.. no discernment at all.

One of the most striking, written in 2001 by a British psychiatrist, told the story of a 25-year-old woman who, like Louise, had a serious mental health problem following meditation retreats. The first time she was admitted to hospital her symptoms included:

Thought disorder with flight of ideas, her mood was elevated and there were grandiose delusions including the belief that she had some special mission for the world: she had to offer ‘undying, unconditional love’ to everyone. She had no [critical] insight.

[Sprout]

http://upliftconnect.com/the-dark-side-of-meditation/

Wow, this I definitely resonate with.. these grandiose delusions that I was on a mission .. unconditional love to everyone... no critical insight.. no discernment at all.

One of the most striking, written in 2001 by a British psychiatrist, told the story of a 25-year-old woman who, like Louise, had a serious mental health problem following meditation retreats. The first time she was admitted to hospital her symptoms included:

Thought disorder with flight of ideas, her mood was elevated and there were grandiose delusions including the belief that she had some special mission for the world: she had to offer ‘undying, unconditional love’ to everyone. She had no [critical] insight.

Is there something wrong with that delusion?

[ches]

Is there something wrong with that delusion?

Sounds like a wanderer to me

[Infinite Unity]

Is there something wrong with that delusion?

Sounds like a wanderer to me

I believe Ra makes it very clear, that meditation and energy work, especially kundalini work. Is potentially very dangerous. I honestly believe this mental illness from meditation and energy work. Is actually very common, and is a form of catalyst itself.

My advice is to not take spiritual or life to hard. Take it lightly, and like a fun game. When you come to a point in meditation, were you feel this is as deep as I need to go. That is were you stop. Do not keep pushing. Do not force unconditional love to take root. With the Right medium it flowers naturally. Do not push, but flow.

Just a few hours ago in meditation myself, I came up against this wall, or pressure of depth. Were I needed to stop. In the past I would have pushed through. Flow do not push.

[ches]

I believe Ra makes it very clear, that meditation and energy work, especially kundalini work. Is potentially very dangerous.  I honestly believe this mental illness from meditation and energy work. Is actually very common, and is a form of catalyst itself.

My advice is to not take spiritual or life to hard. Take it lightly, and like a fun game. When you come to a point in meditation, were you feel this is as deep as I need to go. That is were you stop. Do not keep pushing. Do not force unconditional love to take root. With the Right medium it flowers naturally. Do not push, but flow.

Just a few hours ago in meditation myself, I came up against this wall, or pressure of depth. Were I needed to stop. In the past I would have pushed through. Flow do not push.

I agree, because I'm still trying to get to some kind of stability after pushing-past my boundaries (even though I'm doing a lot better than I was 3 years ago).. I'm ever getting the message to just take it step-by-step - that we're at where we're at and there is no rush-to-advance, we're exactly where we need to be, but it took a while for me to get the message

I do think that she sounds like a wanderer though and I wonder if they are blaming meditation when maybe if she had other people around that understood what she was going through, that she wouldn't of felt so crazy because.. I can't imagine any hospitals being cool with most of the forum topics here or the LOO material, yet a shaman, or someone familiar with spiritual awakenings or spontaneous kundalini-psychosis etc. or similar might of been able to balance her and help her understand and get stable & grounded in a healthier way than what pharmaceutical drugs and mainstream-counselling may of done. There's a place for all, yet I just wonder how many people are labelled "insane" or "mentally ill" when they could be having a spiritual awakening and just have no guidance or point of reference.

I felt crazier because I couldn't speak about my experiences with anyone. I felt "wrong" and I wanted to be 'stable and sane', so the one-ness and unconditional love things and all the other "crazy".. (especially the save-the-world vibe!) had to go, but how do you make something go away when it's there. Not fun to try and navigate spiritual with the everyday, and not knowing which is which because I think for me it was both, not so simple to figure out by yourself and I don't think a doctor would've made the journey any easier, and nothing like this is taught in mainstream schooling or by western-parents. We have lots of other labels for "spiritual emergencies" and I think it's sad that we probably develop more mental illness and psychosis because we are ignoring the other possibilities of what's going on, and sad also that there is that fine-line between spiritual-bypassing/actual un-dealt with trauma and actual spiritual emergencies - it's hard to decipher when you're "in it" because it's a combination - they are entangled and entwined and possibly all part of the same thing; like you mentioned "a catalyst".

But I definitely agree to take it "as we're shown, as we're ready" and not push. (You learn this through hindsight though!)

I also had a 2-hr meditation earlier at the park and when I felt like I was done.. I just got up & continued on my walk.. I was done, very much taking it gently & easy lately, the only reason I did it for 2 hours was because it was a beautiful day today and it was enjoyable; "not a task". Sometimes I only meditate for 10minutes, on an 'as-called-for' basis... like I get rejuvenated by doing it (or calmer if I'm overwhelmed.. which sometimes happens when trying to catch-up on reading this forum or the LOO material heh).

[Infinite Unity]

Exactly, I honestly made the connection, through speaking and answering others questions. I would be ready to pour out like Niagara Falls, and they would be basically begging for me to stop. I was overwhelming these people energetically, and was one of the major lessons in the life for me. I must respect others free will. However through connection, I realized at Times I would do the very same thing to my energy network.

I feel the same about meditating, there is no set parameters. Each session goes differently.

[ches]

2 related articles to the Kundalini-awakening / psychosis experiences that were just recommended on the lightworkers' facebook group are very related I think (especially the comments section). Lots of people experiencing exactly what the OP's article experienced (and myself):

http://theyogalunchbox.co.nz/suggestions...awakening/

and

http://realization.org/p/a-d/when-kundal...block.html

[FractalWanderer]

As far as I have seen, there are many dangers to be associated with any particular action or nonaction that one may take in life. I think many people are taught or encouraged to meditate without any safety protocol at all, resulting in a learning experience for them and us. Many things can "go wrong" with meditation, as it is an interface for us to have a chance to learn and grow. Some of these can be from outside influences, but I think most are from one's self. I would suggest maintaining sensitivity during meditation and be able to pull out when necessary, and also knowing some techniques to deal with negativity from within and without before beginning.