Meditation. Can it harm you?

Why Meditation Can Sometimes Make Things Worse (And What to Do Instead)

I used to think meditation was a cure-all — sit quietly, breathe deeply, and suddenly, peace would arrive like a guest at my door.
It didn’t.
Some days, sitting still felt like being trapped in a room full of screaming thoughts. My mind didn’t quiet down — it got louder. I felt more anxious. More lost. More like I was failing at something I was supposed to be good at.
Turns out… I wasn’t broken.
I was trying to skip ahead.

Meditation can be messy

There’s a quiet truth buried in ancient wisdom — one that modern science is finally catching up to:  

 "You have to become somebody before you can become nobody.”  

 Dr. John Engler, psychiatrist and meditation researcher

What does that mean?

It means if you’re still wrestling with self-doubt, shame, or deep loneliness — if you don’t yet feel safe inside your own skin — asking your mind to “let go” of everything can feel less like liberation… and more like abandonment.
For some people, Meditation doesn’t erase pain.  

It reveals it.

And for people carrying trauma, depression, or chronic anxiety, sitting in silence can feel like opening a door to a basement they’ve spent years locking shut.

A 2017 study found that **8% of meditators experienced worsening anxiety, dissociation, or even trauma flashbacks**. Another review in the *Journal of Clinical Psychiatry* warns that meditation can sometimes worsen obsessive thinking or deepen withdrawal — especially when someone hasn’t first built a stable sense of self.

This isn’t failure.  

It’s a sign.

Your mind is saying: *“I’m not ready to let go… because I haven’t been held yet.”*

So what do you do?

Stop trying to become nobody.

Start becoming *yourself* — messy, tired, overwhelmed, and completely human.

Try this instead:

- Walk barefoot on grass. Feel the earth under your toes.  

- Hold a warm cup of tea. Notice its weight. Its steam. Its smell.  

- Whisper to yourself: “It’s okay if I don’t want to sit still right now.”

There are mindfulness affirmations on this Blog. Take what feels true. Leave the rest.

Mindfulness isn’t about emptying your mind.  

It’s about filling your heart with kindness — toward the part of you that’s still afraid.

You don’t need to dissolve into stillness to be whole.  

You just need to show up — exactly as you are.

The goal isn’t to become a reclusive monk.  

It’s to become a quiet, compassionate human.

“Don’t do meditation if you’re using it to escape yourself.

Do it — gently — if you’re using it to meet yourself.” 

“The goal of mindfulness isn’t to become a perfectly calm, unflappable monk. It’s to become more deeply, authentically, and sometimes messily human.” 
That’s the truth.

So instead of putting more details about risks of meditation ,let us focus on the easy, reliable path.

And sometimes?  

That means putting down the cushion…  
and picking up a walk.  
A journal.  
A friend.  
A therapist.
You don’t have to become nobody to find peace.  
You just have to stop running from who you already are.

Refer to the Mindfulness cards in this Blog.
Make a bookmark for it, keep visiting ....

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Sources:  

- Lindahl, J. R., et al. (2017). *PLOS ONE*: [The varieties of contemplative experience](https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0176239)  

- Engler, J. (1984). *Journal of Transpersonal Psychology*: [Therapeutic aims in psychotherapy and meditation](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2719544/)  

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P.S. If sitting still feels unsafe — you’re not failing.  

You’re protecting yourself.  

And that’s the bravest kind of mindfulness there is.