mindfulness & staying safe

There has been some recent news articles by Dawn Foster in the Guardian, and Willoughby Britton in the Atlantic, which have questioned the benefits of mindfulness, In this short article I take a look at staying safe while practicing mindfulness. 

​For some people mindfulness can trigger uncomfortable and sometimes harmful experiences. Dawn describes having a panic attack, and David, a participant in Willoughby Britton's research describes how he experienced frightening voices during a prolonged period of mindfulness meditation. These harmful mindfulness experiences are very similar to those that can be triggered by traumatic events. The risk of them happening increases with longer practice times, and a previous history of trauma, and/or mental health problems. 
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Tips for staying safe
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• ​Find a reputable teacher. This is something of a minefield, as there are multiple bodies offering mindfulness courses, and there is little standardisation. MBSR (mindfulness based stress reduction) developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn and MSC (mindful self-compassion) developed by Kristen Neff and Christopher Germer are the most widely known and taught. Ask around for recommendations. Check your teacher's qualifications, and which professional bodies they belong to. Many are also psychologists and counsellors or psychotherapists, and they will have professional registrations you can verify. 

• Take account of your personal history. If you have a past history of trauma, panic attacks, PTSD or mental health problems, consider carefully whether the mindfulness may re-trigger something for you. You may want to consider limiting the length of your practice, discussing your needs with your teacher, and avoiding some forms of mindful practice.

• During practice. If you start to feel uncomfortable,  particularly if you feel rising anxiety, do not assume your feeling is a barrier to break through, because this is likely to make things worse. Stop your practice. Open your eyes, and look around the room. Move your body, shake, fidget, rub your skin, get up and walk around. Say to yourself "I am OK, this feeling will pass, I am safe now." Let your teacher know. If they have a psychology or counselling background they should also be trained in helping people to cope with these kinds of experiences. 

• After practice.  If you have a strong feeling of panic or anxiety, it may leave you feeling strange for a considerable period afterwards. You may have feelings of disorientation, being in a fog, unreality, your body feeling distorted, or a sense of floating. You may also have these kinds of feelings after a pleasant mindful experience. Take extra care, especially if you are considering driving or performing complex tasks. 

• Seek help. If the strange feelings do not subside, or you experience further troubling episodes of anxiety or intrusive thoughts/images. 

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For the vast majority of people mindfulness is safe and effective. It shifts us from our future thoughts and worries,  drawing us towards our present moment awareness.  It invites us to notice what is there, to hear the whole of ourselves, and if this self is loudly saying "I don't like this," then we owe it to ourselves to take notice of this voice.  

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My follow-up article When mindfulness goes wrong explores in detail the relationship between mindfulness and traumatic experience.

Title image by ​miamiamia