
The Problem with Mindfulness - dnetesn
http://nautil.us/blog/the-problem-with-mindfulness
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steeeeve123123
For the first year of my mindfulness practice, I cheerily recommended
meditation to acquaintances who were struggling with anxiety and a lack of
joy. After a harrowing experience of dissolution that lasted for several
weeks, I realized that mindfulness isn't just calm and pleasant experiences. I
still continue to practice and it does bring me joy but I no longer recommend
this particular practice to anyone who has a rocky past and a limited support
system and just wants to feel 'good'. For that, I think diet, exercise, and
sleep are safe bets.

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news_to_me
Do you mind elaborating on your "harrowing experience of dissolution"? I've
been practicing for less than a year now and I'm curious about your
experience.

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steeeeve123123
It happened while i was meditating for 1-2 hours a day sitting up and then
lying down on my couch and practicing for another hour or two. At some point,
I looked at my feet at the end of the couch and I didn't recognize them as
'mine'. I felt in to my body and no longer identified with the sensations. Not
particularly unpleasant on its own, but it was coupled with a sensation of
doom that was similar to coming up on a hallucinogen and hearing news that
someone you knew died. The fear and sensation of pressure and stress lasted
for about 2-3 weeks, all day, every day. It was an inescapable sense of doom.
I did not feel any sense of compassion or joy that I had heard arise in
conjunction with my other symptoms. Eventually, the feeling passed. Now I make
sure to explicitly cultivate a sense of self-compassion and my 'lows' have
been a lot less fearful. I do have a history of depression and have been
diagnosed with ptsd so if you're relatively healthy and generally feel okay
about life I wouldn't be too worried about such an experience in everyday
practice. I also remembering that maybe the event was something meaningful and
'dove in'. I kept meditating in isolation. In hindsight I could have pulled
back a little bit. While I have had one or two episodes similar to that since,
I understand they're momentary and instead of meditating, I distract myself
with tv or something similar.

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unixhero
I really think this, your incidents here are something you need to go and
discuss with a nice psychologist. You shouldn't have to bear these kinds of
things alone, and there are healthy solutions to this.

Take care.

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Anand_S
This happens when the person is not calm/tranquil enough to handle the
realization of no self (emptiness). One should also develop tranquility /
calmness by doing samatha meditation (like anapana). With having developed
tranquility the realization of no-self and emptiness are easier to handle.

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SteveLAnderson
I lead a small group of people twice a week in mindfulness practice. I agree
wholeheartedly with what this article is saying. Mindfulness has been sold as
the latest snake oil, a cure for all ills. It is not, and it should not be
taught that way. Mindfulness is the benefit of practice, not the salve for our
wounds.

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Lost_BiomedE
Yes. Mindfulness is not about just being present during pleasurable moments. A
lot of the value, to me, is being present when my mind or expectations
conflict with the world around us. That leads to an examination of ourselves,
insight, and ultimately growth. This is very different than the withdrawl into
feel good moments, which is what is often sold to us.

