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I believe it, I personally experienced something like a psychotic episode while on a meditation retreat. Also a panic attack, a few hours before that. No prior
by titanomachy 4y ago
I believe it, I personally experienced something like a psychotic episode while on a meditation retreat. Also a panic attack, a few hours before that. No prior history of panic attacks or psychosis.
I actually think that some of the benefits of meditation are adjacent to psychosis, in a way: as you get closer to the "insight" that is the intended result of Buddhist meditation, you are also flirting with losing your grip on reality.
In my case, it went fine. I resolved the experience and integrated it. But I could see how it might go the other way for some.
Professor Britton at Brown has made a career of studying these kinds of experiences, plenty of examples here:
https://www.brown.edu/research/labs/britton/research/varieties-contemplative-experience https://www.brown.edu/research/labs/britton/research/varieti...
- bowsamic 4y agoYes really the whole point of it is to let go of your grip on reality
- titanomachy 4y agoYeah, I'm not sure what the difference is between the people who come away from the experienced more "enlightened" vs just more insane. It kind of feels like an all-or-nothing thing: once you start to "see through the illusion of self", you have to follow that through to its logical conclusion or you'll be stuck living with intense cognitive dissonance. I don't generally like to talk about this stuff too much because it sounds absolutely nuts to people who haven't experienced it.
- bowsamic 4y agoThe difference is that insane people don’t focus on compassion towards all beings