Mindfulness practices have provided relief to those who deal with various symptoms of anxiety and depression. However, it is important to remember that there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
For some people, practicing mindfulness techniques such as meditation can actually induce unwanted symptoms such as anxiety and depression. But mindfulness includes many different strategies. If you’ve tried a mindfulness technique and were unsuccessful, you may need to try a different approach. In this blog post, Mindfulness Strategies addresses the potential adverse side effects of meditation and how to counter them.
Mindfulness Meditation
Meditation is one of the most common mindfulness practices. The goal of meditation is to explore our personal experiences and our thoughts and feelings inwardly. Dr. John W. Denninger, Director of Research at the Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, says that “meditation trains the brain to achieve sustained focus, and to return to that focus when negative thinking, emotions, and physical sensations intrude.”
Although meditation may help alleviate unwanted sensations or allow you time to acknowledge and accept them, it may also amplify these sensations. During a 2019 University College London study, 25% of meditators reported that they experienced unpleasant effects when practicing meditation, primarily in those already subject to negative thoughts and behaviors.
Similarly, researchers at Brown University found that for participants in their 8-week mindfulness program, “meditation-related adverse effects with negative valences or negative impacts on functioning occurred in 58% and 37% of the sample, respectively.” In psychology, negative valences refer to specific emotions like fear, anxiety, and loss. As it turns out, these unpleasant experiences associated with mindfulness meditation are not as uncommon as people may think.
Anxiety, Depression, and Other Disorders
For those who regularly struggle with intrusive thoughts and feelings associated with anxiety, meditation may not be the best course of action. This mindfulness technique requires meditators to hone in on particular thoughts and feelings to train attention and awareness. Doing so can cause undesirable sensations as these thoughts and feels may be extremely uncomfortable and disturbing. Dr. Willoughby Britton, Assistant Professor at Brown University and Director of Brown University’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, says that this is due to the “neuroanatomical and neurochemical overlap between attention and arousal systems in the brain.”
In essence, too much attention on a particular sensation while practicing meditation may actually cause an influx in anxiety. Often, this is because the meditator’s attention becomes too focused on breathing patterns—resulting in a panic—or the meditator becomes hyper-aware of what they are feeling. These circumstances, however, can be avoided with the help of an instructor.
In Current Opinion in Psychology, a journal designed to keep up to date with various psychological subjects, Britton also says that practicing mindfulness may have a U-shaped trajectory. The U-shape suggests that while mindfulness reaches a positive effect at its peak, those effects may diminish with time and become negative.
If you find that meditation does not work for you, researchers suggest another form of mindfulness called outward contemplation. Instead of focusing on your internal energy, outward contemplation asks you to notice the sights and sounds around you. Another alternative to meditation is physical exercise which aids in decreasing muscle tension and increasing serotonin.
When practicing meditation, it is crucial to watch for signs of dissociation. Better Health defines dissociation as “a mental process of disconnecting from one’s thoughts, feelings, memories or sense of identity,” and it may contribute to feelings of numbness or detachment.
In an interview with CBC Radio, Dr. Miguel Farias, professor of psychology at Coventry University, detailed the experiences of one of his students, Louise. While attending a meditation retreat, Louise began to feel detached from her body. She had assumed that mindfulness meditation was at work, but her symptoms began to worsen even after the retreat concluded. As a result, Louise required long-term treatment, and Farias acknowledged that this experience could happen to anyone.
However, these extreme experiences belong to 7.4% of people. As with any provided solution to a problem, the benefits will not be universal, just as a prescribed medication does not work for all with the same diagnosis. It is essential to determine which methods work best for you, your mind, and your body.
Dr. Farias and Britton do not suggest dropping mindfulness practices altogether. Instead, both doctors agree that meditators should practice meditation alongside professionals in the field. Essentially, meditation (or other mindfulness practices) should be a case-by-case solution for symptoms of anxiety and depression rather than the go-to. As Dr. Farias says, “[meditation] will work wonderfully for some. It will do nothing for others. And it may be harmful for a few others.”
Being Mindful About Meditation
When it comes to mindfulness, you need to find a strategy that works for you. Further, it is essential to consult your healthcare provider if you're feeling symptoms of depression or anxiety.
If you're trying to create a mindfulness program for your organization, be sure to work with a professional mindfulness consultant. Moreover, ask for a variety of exercises so that your whole team can flourish.
At Mindfulness Strategies, we offer several guided mindfulness programs to help you and your team destress safely. Contact us today to find out more about what we have to offer or how we can help you get started on your mindfulness journey!