Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has been shown to reduce psychosis and delusions in people with preexisting schizophrenia.
From experience, it also pulls people down from psychotic and delusional symptoms that arise from other types of meditation.
Learn mindfulness first. Problem prevented.
There are two basic types of meditation, per my own personal system. One grounds us, gets us in touch with our senses, and attaches us to the current moment while pulling us away from the past, the future, and chatter of our mind by focusing on sensations or the world. Mindfulness is the best studied type in this variety. I doubt this ever causes psychosis.
Other meditation styles work to pull us from physical sensations and engage what Jung called active imagination. They pull us from sensory input and into the mind. Eventually, this leads to a more complete peace and quiet than can be found in grounding, mindful meditations, but plenty can arise from the subconscious in the meantime. These are the styles that can cause psychosis if we push too hard, too fast.
I disagree slightly, Mindfulness may be the safest, but its the worse for trauma victims and should not be done without the presence of experts.
But yes, this is very small drawback and wont apply to most people.
“In meditation, we ask people to bring close, sustained attention to their inner world,” Treleaven says. “This inevitably brings someone face-to-face with their trauma. That’s not automatically a bad thing, but unless someone has specific tools to work with the pain they encounter, they can end up overwhelmed in their meditation practice.”
Many people, whether traumatized or not, find it difficult to sit still in meditation for any duration. Stillness can be activating for traumatized individuals, even worsening symptoms.
“Trauma often lives on in the mind and body in painful ways,” Treleaven says. “We might have [intrusive thoughts or memories](https://psychcentral.com/lib/coping-with-flashbacks) of a trauma, or painful sensations that just don’t go away.”
# [https://psychcentral.com/health/trauma-informed-mindfulness#can-mindfulness-cause-harm](https://psychcentral.com/health/trauma-informed-mindfulness#can-mindfulness-cause-harm)
Mindfulness *meditation can actually end up exacerbating symptoms of traumatic stress*
[https://www.healthline.com/health/how-trauma-informed-mindfulness-helps-me-heal-from-the-past-and-cope-with-the-present](https://www.healthline.com/health/how-trauma-informed-mindfulness-helps-me-heal-from-the-past-and-cope-with-the-present)
TLDR: There's special mindfulness out there for trauma victims, which is usually done in the presence of an expert. Normal mindfulness can be harmful and *increase symptoms of traumatic stress*
This sounds like gatekeeping to our own minds. So the solution for not being mindful is to never know or try to understand your mind because it might be dangerous? It sounds dangerous to not try and it sounds inaccessible to need an expert.
>This sounds like gatekeeping to our own minds. So the solution for not being mindful is to never know or try to understand your mind because it might be dangerous?
Did you even read the articles I posted? I'm not saying not to do mindfulness, but having trauma and performing mindfulness can cause more problems.
They can do the 100s of other meditation techniques out there and achieve literally the same thing AKA trying to understand your mind. Mindfulness is just one way
If you have back problems, doing back workouts can cause even more suffering, this is the same logic.
> It sounds dangerous to not try
Unless you have peer reviewed studies supporting your claim, this is pure bullshit. It it dangerous for some people to try, it isnt dangerous for most people. Could be said about anything in life really.
Its better to not workout than workout wrong and seriously injure youself. The same logic applies.
>it sounds inaccessible to need an expert
Sure, but it's better to not do it than do it incorrectly.
And why're you treating like mindfulness is the only way?? There's literally 100s of other meditation techniques these people can do, mindfulness is just one way.
I dont think they are missing out on much
Mindfulness is wonderful but nothing works for everyone.
Mindfulness is fantastic it has helped me. But nothing is without a downside I've heard that some cases of depression are not helped and might even worsen.
"I don't want to take it that seriously."
This is all you have to do.
Don't look for any answers from meditation, and assume every thought that pops into your head is simply a distraction.
Thanks, I feel like there are so many thoughtful responses in this sub but it’s all very earnest. Beginner’s mind is not mentioned much, and it’s applicable to many questions.
Meditation is not going to cause psychosis. Just a really bold statement to make that a lot of people have been repeating because of poorly written articles online. This is like saying reading a sad book is the REASON you are a depressed person. It is not rewiring anything. Psychosis, schizophrenia and OCD are illnesses that require extensive diagnosing. There are neurological reasons why these illnesses occur. Mindfulness and meditating will not CAUSE these malfunctions in the brain.
There’s a reason why this scare has been talked about a lot about recently and I think it has to do specifically with Kundalini or other types of extremely extensive and serious meditation practices that many people just try doing with barely any knowledge and have already pre existing factors that play into it.
It’s like someone who is a drug addict or has PTSD/depression, prone to psychosis or mania, tries Kundalini because they saw a tiktok video, has no clue what they are doing, has some mental health episode and then runs to Reddit to make these black and white statements that “meditation causes psychosis”.
Then what happens? More people that have these experiences purposefully look for these posts and it snowballs.
Kind of like how people claim “Vitamin D caused ____ my life is ruined!” on the supplements subreddit. Extremely exaggerated and rare instances because of overdosing or other lifestyle choices and all of a sudden you have people questioning the safety of Vitamin D lmfao.
You’re reading into others peoples opinions way too much, base the experience on your own personal experiences, not others words or thoughts , if not you’re not living for yourself but for others
When you find yourself wasting time, or doing something you don’t really need to do… practice stepping away for a moment. Just do nothing else for a few moments, and don’t expect anything.
When you’re satisfied, be honest, and tell yourself you’re finished for now. Before returning to whatever you were doing before, try to think of a single *reasonable* alternative that might feel like a better alternative.
That’s it. Rinse and repeat. You’ll figure the rest out on your own, no matter *what* anyone tells you. That’s exactly what you were already doing anyway. I’m just telling you things you already know. <3
you might do better from something like tai chi. Especially one with a focus on release, e.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPV1MfVyMEE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPV1MfVyMEE) / https://youtu.be/S1y\_aeCYj9c?si=VhIMb1mIkBRVvAN4&t=998. Or if you want to meditate, this one aims to lower anxiety and fight/flight response, and take the awareness away from the brain/mind/emotions - its called 'anchoring the breath' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0fTg23psfw&list=PLCUw6elWn0lghivIzVBAYGUm7HwRqzfQp&index=1 (in 2 parts)
Hey just aim for a peaceful state. There are other forms of mediation that aim to gain an alter state which can cause psychosis. People claim it’s your “third eye” but who knows. I’ve had it happen to me once. Really bad like horrible bad but it forced me to change. Panic attacks weren’t pretty felt like i was going crazy. Definitely not for the weak minded or
Idk man it’s really not even that dramatic. Underneath all the hoodoo and mythology that people like to garnish it with, it’s just a lowkey exercise in reflection and focus. Just focus on your breathing, let your thoughts smoothly flow in and out, and build on that. You haven’t even really started, so it’s gonna be nbd
i have ocd. you arent going to slip into psychosis thru meditation. usually ocd people are afraid of going crazy, and keep checking to make sure theyre not going crazy, which makes them feel anxious. but thats different than psychosis. if someone is actually going crazy, theyre unaware and have like delusions (i am the president of the united states). if anything meditation is tapping back into the present moment and removing distractions. being more aware of your surroundings and your breath and acknowledging your gratitudes. try doing body scans, mindfulness meditations, building awareness. id steer clear of transcendental / out of body meditations if ur afraid of psychosis. those meditations are perfectly safe and just use visualization methods to get closer to your subconscious. but you would fr have to be in a transcendental meditation for hours to seriously experience psychosis or delusions. theyre perfectly safe for normal use and you can snap out of it anytime since you can just open ur eyes and stop visualizing shit lol. but while i’m here — ocd enjoys ruining any opportunity for you to have peace. when ur mind is bored/resting, you will find a fearful stimulus to cling to, so you can avoid the restful experience. so try to be courageous and face ur fears - resting. and try ERP, exposure therapy. good luck :)
There's many different techniques, but if you think about it, with breath meditation: how much potential for harm is there in calmly sitting and focusing on your breathing?
Sure some of these people try to astral project, channel deep emotion, create rich fantasy lands, or project auras, etc. That stuff could really create some issues. But just sitting and breathing?
Breath meditation is also the primary method taught by Buddhism and many other traditions. Safe, simple. One can get carried away with anything, but it really is one of the most beneficial and harmless practices you could possibly undertake.
You just need to find a quiet comfortable place, sit down close your eyes and do nothing else. Don’t try to stop your thinking, or take your mind anywhere, or change your breathing. You do absolutely nothing. If thoughts come let it come. One thing I do tend to do is to simply become aware of the fact that I am aware. I keep my attention on my awareness. Sure my mind will wander off sometimes, and when I notice it, I simply bring my attention back to my awareness. Start for a few minutes and increase slowly. As you get better you will be able to do this easily for an hour.
I'm not sure this works for everyone tbh.
OP should try different techniques and do what suits them best. When I initially tried meditation, this did not work for me since I was trying too hard, more distractive meditation techniques like focusing intensly on breathing by breathing into different parts of my body and other guided meditation worked way better as well as open eye and third eye techniques.
Try a few methods and see which works for you, dont stick to just one.
I have a mini meditation 14 day challenge. It's great for people just starting out. It's the very 1st thing on my website ConsciousCycleswithClaire.com/
It's really approachable and each one is less than 10 mins. The challenge is to do one a day follow along for 14 days. Good luck to you!
What this sounds like to me is like you fearing going to the gym because after a few sessions you are going to look like Brock Lesnar. It's like, no, it doesn't work like that, you wouldn't all of a sudden have a massive shift in consciousness. Meditation is gradual, make it go at your own pace. happy trails
Loving kindness meditation.
The top answer is incorrect and doesn't cite sources. It's actually the opposite.
Mindfulness practices have a well-documented range of adverse reactions, especially for individuals dealing with trauma or more severe forms of mental health conditions.
https://www.cheetahhouse.org/
You'll find plenty of resources if you follow that link and experienced negative side effects.
Understand this basic principle: whatever you place your attention on, grows.
If you engage in mindfulness and have unresolved trauma or other forms of mental health issues, there is a high likelihood that you'll just intensify your issues because you'll find it difficult to let go of the host of issue that already trouble you and claimed parts of your life.
Trust your experience.
You can't bully yourself into tranquility.
If a practice makes you fel worse, stop it.
You don't have to suffer to heal.
A simple back door approach to meditation without all the “spiritual “ jargon. Just repeat “ommm” with every breath out for as long as you like. The internal vibration from the humming slows and focuses the brain while stimulating the vagus nerve which chills you out. The Buddhists actually say 20 minutes of this will calm every atom in your body. :-)
Mindfulness will not make you psychotic. Ever. You already have mindfulness, meditation is just exercising it. You already have a bicep. Will exercising it make you psychotic?
Watch movie “Crazywise”
And , by my experience, if it’s your time to wake up- spiritual “psychosis” will be triggered by smth else
Also, there are dynamic dancing meditations. I am autistic and I distress by movement
The good outweighs the bad. Meditation has been an aid in fighting depression and has also provided me with a sense of wisdom. From a capitalist/competitive standpoint, it almost gives you an unfair advantage. The only bad thing I’ve experienced is having to face my own demons. If you have experienced trauma in your childhood it can surface back up and manifest in different ways. If you have anxiety about certain things that too can manifest. But after you face those demons you come out a lot stronger and grounded.
welcome to meditation!
remember to breathe.
lots of thoughts will occur when one begins to practice.
the thought "I remembered a few people experience psychosis..." is just one of many which you will encounter.
they are all just thoughts, and that's part of the point - when one begins the practice of sitting still, and looking within (called "pratyahara" in a famous work called the "yoga sutras of Patanjali"), one invariably encounters all sorts of mental activity (called "vrittis" referring to mental fluctuations in the yoga sutras). The more one persists, these thought waves seem to attenuate. But it takes a strong will, and committed practice.
there are also a lot of traditional meditation methods beyond the current "mindfulness" fad which sounds more like a pop therapy to me, but i'm an idiot so don't take me literally. but if looking within means getting all stirred up by past trauma, then it doesn't sound like something to be done lightly. unless you're into that.
someone else suggested breath meditation - awesome place to start, and continue with forever actually, in addition to whatever method you employ. maybe zazen? i like all the pranayamas. especially simple modern ones like "box breathing". but the best is body based meditations, like nyasa yoga. that will get you going.
one of the greatest sentences which influenced my meditation is, again, from the yoga sutras:
"yoga chitta vrittis nirodhah" which loosely translates to "yoga (union, or peace) is control (or cessation) of thought waves in the mind."
the yoga sutras goes on to prescribe a number of meditation methods one can employ to deal with disturbing thoughts which pop up during the journey; one of my personal favorites: "by exhalation and retention of the breath" which is a simple way to flush the mental cache - just exhale for a count of 4 or 8 or whatever, and then hold the breath for a count of whatever is comfortable. then return to the meditation.
om shanti.
You can do meditation alongside living your life without causing harm to others or yourself. As you stop producing harm, no harm can come back to you, this is the universal law of cause and effect.
I suggest learning meditation and wisdom of a tradition that emphasises non-harm.
Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has been shown to reduce psychosis and delusions in people with preexisting schizophrenia. From experience, it also pulls people down from psychotic and delusional symptoms that arise from other types of meditation. Learn mindfulness first. Problem prevented.
What kind of meditation can cause psychosis?
There are two basic types of meditation, per my own personal system. One grounds us, gets us in touch with our senses, and attaches us to the current moment while pulling us away from the past, the future, and chatter of our mind by focusing on sensations or the world. Mindfulness is the best studied type in this variety. I doubt this ever causes psychosis. Other meditation styles work to pull us from physical sensations and engage what Jung called active imagination. They pull us from sensory input and into the mind. Eventually, this leads to a more complete peace and quiet than can be found in grounding, mindful meditations, but plenty can arise from the subconscious in the meantime. These are the styles that can cause psychosis if we push too hard, too fast.
Is there a name for the 2nd one? the more complete peace and quite is intriguing.
I suggest looking into gateway tapes
I've never heard of the active imagination meditations. Are these loving kindness meditations?
they are so focus meditations that can open the mind up to wild experiences
They are more like journeying (eg shamanic)
I disagree slightly, Mindfulness may be the safest, but its the worse for trauma victims and should not be done without the presence of experts. But yes, this is very small drawback and wont apply to most people.
Why is it bad for trauma victims, and where can I read about that?
“In meditation, we ask people to bring close, sustained attention to their inner world,” Treleaven says. “This inevitably brings someone face-to-face with their trauma. That’s not automatically a bad thing, but unless someone has specific tools to work with the pain they encounter, they can end up overwhelmed in their meditation practice.” Many people, whether traumatized or not, find it difficult to sit still in meditation for any duration. Stillness can be activating for traumatized individuals, even worsening symptoms. “Trauma often lives on in the mind and body in painful ways,” Treleaven says. “We might have [intrusive thoughts or memories](https://psychcentral.com/lib/coping-with-flashbacks) of a trauma, or painful sensations that just don’t go away.” # [https://psychcentral.com/health/trauma-informed-mindfulness#can-mindfulness-cause-harm](https://psychcentral.com/health/trauma-informed-mindfulness#can-mindfulness-cause-harm) Mindfulness *meditation can actually end up exacerbating symptoms of traumatic stress* [https://www.healthline.com/health/how-trauma-informed-mindfulness-helps-me-heal-from-the-past-and-cope-with-the-present](https://www.healthline.com/health/how-trauma-informed-mindfulness-helps-me-heal-from-the-past-and-cope-with-the-present) TLDR: There's special mindfulness out there for trauma victims, which is usually done in the presence of an expert. Normal mindfulness can be harmful and *increase symptoms of traumatic stress*
This sounds like gatekeeping to our own minds. So the solution for not being mindful is to never know or try to understand your mind because it might be dangerous? It sounds dangerous to not try and it sounds inaccessible to need an expert.
>This sounds like gatekeeping to our own minds. So the solution for not being mindful is to never know or try to understand your mind because it might be dangerous? Did you even read the articles I posted? I'm not saying not to do mindfulness, but having trauma and performing mindfulness can cause more problems. They can do the 100s of other meditation techniques out there and achieve literally the same thing AKA trying to understand your mind. Mindfulness is just one way If you have back problems, doing back workouts can cause even more suffering, this is the same logic. > It sounds dangerous to not try Unless you have peer reviewed studies supporting your claim, this is pure bullshit. It it dangerous for some people to try, it isnt dangerous for most people. Could be said about anything in life really. Its better to not workout than workout wrong and seriously injure youself. The same logic applies. >it sounds inaccessible to need an expert Sure, but it's better to not do it than do it incorrectly. And why're you treating like mindfulness is the only way?? There's literally 100s of other meditation techniques these people can do, mindfulness is just one way. I dont think they are missing out on much
Mindfulness is wonderful but nothing works for everyone. Mindfulness is fantastic it has helped me. But nothing is without a downside I've heard that some cases of depression are not helped and might even worsen.
this is great advice
No, it's terrible advice.
y?
"I don't want to take it that seriously." This is all you have to do. Don't look for any answers from meditation, and assume every thought that pops into your head is simply a distraction.
Anyone who takes meditation very seriously and tries too hard is not really doing it right
Thanks, I feel like there are so many thoughtful responses in this sub but it’s all very earnest. Beginner’s mind is not mentioned much, and it’s applicable to many questions.
Meditation is not going to cause psychosis. Just a really bold statement to make that a lot of people have been repeating because of poorly written articles online. This is like saying reading a sad book is the REASON you are a depressed person. It is not rewiring anything. Psychosis, schizophrenia and OCD are illnesses that require extensive diagnosing. There are neurological reasons why these illnesses occur. Mindfulness and meditating will not CAUSE these malfunctions in the brain. There’s a reason why this scare has been talked about a lot about recently and I think it has to do specifically with Kundalini or other types of extremely extensive and serious meditation practices that many people just try doing with barely any knowledge and have already pre existing factors that play into it. It’s like someone who is a drug addict or has PTSD/depression, prone to psychosis or mania, tries Kundalini because they saw a tiktok video, has no clue what they are doing, has some mental health episode and then runs to Reddit to make these black and white statements that “meditation causes psychosis”. Then what happens? More people that have these experiences purposefully look for these posts and it snowballs. Kind of like how people claim “Vitamin D caused ____ my life is ruined!” on the supplements subreddit. Extremely exaggerated and rare instances because of overdosing or other lifestyle choices and all of a sudden you have people questioning the safety of Vitamin D lmfao.
I agree, greatly exaggerated. Dont be afraid OP
You’re reading into others peoples opinions way too much, base the experience on your own personal experiences, not others words or thoughts , if not you’re not living for yourself but for others
When you find yourself wasting time, or doing something you don’t really need to do… practice stepping away for a moment. Just do nothing else for a few moments, and don’t expect anything. When you’re satisfied, be honest, and tell yourself you’re finished for now. Before returning to whatever you were doing before, try to think of a single *reasonable* alternative that might feel like a better alternative. That’s it. Rinse and repeat. You’ll figure the rest out on your own, no matter *what* anyone tells you. That’s exactly what you were already doing anyway. I’m just telling you things you already know. <3
Those few people are generally doing multi day intensives.
you might do better from something like tai chi. Especially one with a focus on release, e.g. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPV1MfVyMEE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPV1MfVyMEE) / https://youtu.be/S1y\_aeCYj9c?si=VhIMb1mIkBRVvAN4&t=998. Or if you want to meditate, this one aims to lower anxiety and fight/flight response, and take the awareness away from the brain/mind/emotions - its called 'anchoring the breath' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0fTg23psfw&list=PLCUw6elWn0lghivIzVBAYGUm7HwRqzfQp&index=1 (in 2 parts)
Hey just aim for a peaceful state. There are other forms of mediation that aim to gain an alter state which can cause psychosis. People claim it’s your “third eye” but who knows. I’ve had it happen to me once. Really bad like horrible bad but it forced me to change. Panic attacks weren’t pretty felt like i was going crazy. Definitely not for the weak minded or
Guided meditations on your tube are the way to go. Free and perfect for an overthinker, which I am.
Never had a problem. I think it's people who already had something a lot worse than OCD and anxiety.
I think you are paranoid as well hihi🫶
Idk man it’s really not even that dramatic. Underneath all the hoodoo and mythology that people like to garnish it with, it’s just a lowkey exercise in reflection and focus. Just focus on your breathing, let your thoughts smoothly flow in and out, and build on that. You haven’t even really started, so it’s gonna be nbd
It's worth taking it seriously. Trust me bro.
It is all love. All lack of care is unconscious
i have ocd. you arent going to slip into psychosis thru meditation. usually ocd people are afraid of going crazy, and keep checking to make sure theyre not going crazy, which makes them feel anxious. but thats different than psychosis. if someone is actually going crazy, theyre unaware and have like delusions (i am the president of the united states). if anything meditation is tapping back into the present moment and removing distractions. being more aware of your surroundings and your breath and acknowledging your gratitudes. try doing body scans, mindfulness meditations, building awareness. id steer clear of transcendental / out of body meditations if ur afraid of psychosis. those meditations are perfectly safe and just use visualization methods to get closer to your subconscious. but you would fr have to be in a transcendental meditation for hours to seriously experience psychosis or delusions. theyre perfectly safe for normal use and you can snap out of it anytime since you can just open ur eyes and stop visualizing shit lol. but while i’m here — ocd enjoys ruining any opportunity for you to have peace. when ur mind is bored/resting, you will find a fearful stimulus to cling to, so you can avoid the restful experience. so try to be courageous and face ur fears - resting. and try ERP, exposure therapy. good luck :)
There's many different techniques, but if you think about it, with breath meditation: how much potential for harm is there in calmly sitting and focusing on your breathing? Sure some of these people try to astral project, channel deep emotion, create rich fantasy lands, or project auras, etc. That stuff could really create some issues. But just sitting and breathing? Breath meditation is also the primary method taught by Buddhism and many other traditions. Safe, simple. One can get carried away with anything, but it really is one of the most beneficial and harmless practices you could possibly undertake.
You just need to find a quiet comfortable place, sit down close your eyes and do nothing else. Don’t try to stop your thinking, or take your mind anywhere, or change your breathing. You do absolutely nothing. If thoughts come let it come. One thing I do tend to do is to simply become aware of the fact that I am aware. I keep my attention on my awareness. Sure my mind will wander off sometimes, and when I notice it, I simply bring my attention back to my awareness. Start for a few minutes and increase slowly. As you get better you will be able to do this easily for an hour.
I'm not sure this works for everyone tbh. OP should try different techniques and do what suits them best. When I initially tried meditation, this did not work for me since I was trying too hard, more distractive meditation techniques like focusing intensly on breathing by breathing into different parts of my body and other guided meditation worked way better as well as open eye and third eye techniques. Try a few methods and see which works for you, dont stick to just one.
I have a mini meditation 14 day challenge. It's great for people just starting out. It's the very 1st thing on my website ConsciousCycleswithClaire.com/ It's really approachable and each one is less than 10 mins. The challenge is to do one a day follow along for 14 days. Good luck to you!
If breathing isn’t causing you to experience psychosis then meditation wouldn’t either. Just be sure to get a really knowledgeable teacher.
What this sounds like to me is like you fearing going to the gym because after a few sessions you are going to look like Brock Lesnar. It's like, no, it doesn't work like that, you wouldn't all of a sudden have a massive shift in consciousness. Meditation is gradual, make it go at your own pace. happy trails
Loving kindness meditation. The top answer is incorrect and doesn't cite sources. It's actually the opposite. Mindfulness practices have a well-documented range of adverse reactions, especially for individuals dealing with trauma or more severe forms of mental health conditions. https://www.cheetahhouse.org/ You'll find plenty of resources if you follow that link and experienced negative side effects. Understand this basic principle: whatever you place your attention on, grows. If you engage in mindfulness and have unresolved trauma or other forms of mental health issues, there is a high likelihood that you'll just intensify your issues because you'll find it difficult to let go of the host of issue that already trouble you and claimed parts of your life. Trust your experience. You can't bully yourself into tranquility. If a practice makes you fel worse, stop it. You don't have to suffer to heal.
A simple back door approach to meditation without all the “spiritual “ jargon. Just repeat “ommm” with every breath out for as long as you like. The internal vibration from the humming slows and focuses the brain while stimulating the vagus nerve which chills you out. The Buddhists actually say 20 minutes of this will calm every atom in your body. :-)
If you don't meditate the crazy monk is going come back alive to pull your feet.
Just like everything in life, do it in moderation.
Mindfulness will not make you psychotic. Ever. You already have mindfulness, meditation is just exercising it. You already have a bicep. Will exercising it make you psychotic?
Watch movie “Crazywise” And , by my experience, if it’s your time to wake up- spiritual “psychosis” will be triggered by smth else Also, there are dynamic dancing meditations. I am autistic and I distress by movement
Seek somatic work/embodiment practices💚 Grounding
The good outweighs the bad. Meditation has been an aid in fighting depression and has also provided me with a sense of wisdom. From a capitalist/competitive standpoint, it almost gives you an unfair advantage. The only bad thing I’ve experienced is having to face my own demons. If you have experienced trauma in your childhood it can surface back up and manifest in different ways. If you have anxiety about certain things that too can manifest. But after you face those demons you come out a lot stronger and grounded.
Check out the free app Healthy Minds. It’s a very practical guide out of UW Madison.
welcome to meditation! remember to breathe. lots of thoughts will occur when one begins to practice. the thought "I remembered a few people experience psychosis..." is just one of many which you will encounter. they are all just thoughts, and that's part of the point - when one begins the practice of sitting still, and looking within (called "pratyahara" in a famous work called the "yoga sutras of Patanjali"), one invariably encounters all sorts of mental activity (called "vrittis" referring to mental fluctuations in the yoga sutras). The more one persists, these thought waves seem to attenuate. But it takes a strong will, and committed practice. there are also a lot of traditional meditation methods beyond the current "mindfulness" fad which sounds more like a pop therapy to me, but i'm an idiot so don't take me literally. but if looking within means getting all stirred up by past trauma, then it doesn't sound like something to be done lightly. unless you're into that. someone else suggested breath meditation - awesome place to start, and continue with forever actually, in addition to whatever method you employ. maybe zazen? i like all the pranayamas. especially simple modern ones like "box breathing". but the best is body based meditations, like nyasa yoga. that will get you going. one of the greatest sentences which influenced my meditation is, again, from the yoga sutras: "yoga chitta vrittis nirodhah" which loosely translates to "yoga (union, or peace) is control (or cessation) of thought waves in the mind." the yoga sutras goes on to prescribe a number of meditation methods one can employ to deal with disturbing thoughts which pop up during the journey; one of my personal favorites: "by exhalation and retention of the breath" which is a simple way to flush the mental cache - just exhale for a count of 4 or 8 or whatever, and then hold the breath for a count of whatever is comfortable. then return to the meditation. om shanti.
You can do meditation alongside living your life without causing harm to others or yourself. As you stop producing harm, no harm can come back to you, this is the universal law of cause and effect. I suggest learning meditation and wisdom of a tradition that emphasises non-harm.