4 ms·
There are often first-hand comments about the dangers of mindfulness practice here on HN. But when the commenters describe their practices they are so extreme t
by ycombinete 4y ago
There are often first-hand comments about the dangers of mindfulness practice here on HN. But when the commenters describe their practices they are so extreme that it was almost inevitable that they had negative effects.
- threatofrain 4y agoIt also makes me wonder whether it’s unusual people who select themselves into such extreme activities, and not that meditation is dangerous.
- coffeebeqn 4y agoThere’s quite a spectrum between a 10-20min almost daily habit and trying to actually reach “enlightenment”. These 10 day silent retreats are a lot closer to the Bodhidharma sitting in a cave end of the spectrum. Probably not the first people to go a little crazy attempting that in Buddhist history. Given the context I would imagine it’s mostly overachievers but that is not really a healthy approach to religion or mental health (going hard as a mf)
- ycombinete 4y ago> Probably not the first people to go a little crazy attempting that in Buddhist history During the signup process for a 10 day Vipassana retreat, they ask for a lot of details about your psychological health. Even warning against doing the retreat if you’re not in a good mental place. So I’m sure you’re right.