Is meditation dangerous?

Is meditation dangerous? It might seem like a silly question. Many people would put meditation on the short list of practices that are essential for good mental and spiritual health. Indeed, we’ve recommended meditation many times on this show as a powerful tool to use in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
In today’s episode of the Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers podcast we’re exploring the situations in which meditation could do more harm than good. We discuss different kinds of meditation, personal and contextual risk factors that could put the meditation practitioner in harm’s way, ways to mitigate these risks, research on the potential harms of meditation, and much more.
For those of you who are new to the show, welcome! Psychedelic Therapy Frontiers is brought to you by Numinus and is hosted by Dr. Steve Thayer and Dr. Reid Robison.

Learn more about our podcast at https://numinus.com/podcast/
Learn more about psychedelic therapy training opportunities at https://numinus.com/training/
Learn more about our clinical trials at https://www.numinus.com/clinical-trials
Learn more about Numinus at https://numinus.com/

Email us at [email protected]

Follow us on Instagram:
  / drstevethayer  
  / innerspacedoctor  
  / numinushealth  

00:00 Introduction and Announcements
01:55 Meditation in Modern Context
03:09 Personal Experiences and Definitions
05:49 Risks in Psychotherapy
08:38 Examples of Harmful Therapies
10:19 Balanced View and Research
13:21 Clinical Trials and Adverse Events
16:25 Adverse Effects of Meditation
20:51 Meditation Retreats and Their Risks
26:51 Challenges and Misconceptions in Meditation
28:53 Clinical Insights and Risks in Meditation
32:01 Preparation and Support in Meditation
35:13 Navigating the Layers of Consciousness
37:53 Mindset and Context in Meditation
40:55 Origins and Challenges of Meditation
42:46 Resourcing Strategies in Meditation
43:36 Experiences in Meditation and Breathwork
44:55 Breathwork and Its Implications
46:44 Mitigating Risks in Meditation
48:11 Final Thoughts and Resources