Every time something like this comes up, I say the following: mindfulness and meditation, as they cultivate an awareness of our embodiment and the ways that we are in an interdependent web of relations, can be extremely dangerous IF the folks doing it are not prepared. (1/n) https://twitter.com/newscientist/status/1294560523971956736

"Prepared" is the key here. For example, in discussing shinjindatsuraku as a part of dedicated zazen practice, Dogen emphasizes the need for serious practitioners to prepare themselves for the revelations brought about by their meditative praxis as it can be traumatic. (2/n)

This is distinct from the kinds of shinjindatsuraku (mind/body falling away) that happens in experiences of "flow," as emphasized by his example of a woman sweeping. In the former, one's entire relationship to the world and the self is radically transformed. (3/n)

Which is important for Dogen and the Buddhists. Meditation and mindfulness result in a kind of revelation about the self and the world one inhabits: not being prepared for the consequences of the revelation is extremely dangerous. So dangerous that there's a word for it. (4/n)

Hakuin Eikaku called this "zen sickness," and has a great account for it. Takuan Soho alludes to it in "the unfettered mind," and even Gautama speaks to it in some of the early Mahayana literature. Point being, from the Buddhist perspective, mindfulness is dangerous. (5/n)

As even the most basic modes of mindfulness force us to confront ourselves and the world in ways that transform our relationship with them, if we're unprepared for the transformation, existing problematic relationships can get worse. (6/n)

In my case, it took me a long time to do seated meditation without feeling as though I was losing control of my mind due to the pace of my thoughts vis a vis ADHD. Walking, or moving meditation was a much easier entry point given my embodiment. (7/n)

That is, because of the way I am embodied, the kinds of revelations about myself that emerged from seated meditation were actively harmful and would require additional work to address. Fortunately, my sensei at the time was attentive to this and found another option. (8/n)

(As an aside, that option was doing kata in a darkened, quiet room before class while concentrating on either my breathing. Of all the meditative practices I've done, that one has been the most effective at controlling my ADHD and occasional anxiety.)

The above is interesting, especially given the following:

"But sometimes when people are trying to still their thoughts, the mind can “rebel”, she says. “It’s like a backlash to the attempt to control the mind, and this results in an episode of anxiety or depression,” (9/n)

Now, if I'm reading this correctly, this is NOT what I would advocate for mindfulness: it's less about forcing the mind to "still," which is one way to enable the mind to get "stuck" in the words of Takuan Soho, but allowing thoughts to arise and flow through you. (10/n)

This is why every meditation/mindfulness thing I've done (and most of the literature in the Buddhist canon) starts with breathing, and not with "controlling" the mind: instead, it focuses on the conditions that give rise to thoughts, and thoughts as impermanent. (12/n)

In fact, I'd put "controlling the mind" as inimical to the objectives of mindfulness practice, particularly as in the Buddhist canon, Gautama explicitly warns against trying to "hold" thoughts, which is a form of clinging. They arise, we notice them, they pass. (13/n)

It's not that meditation and mindfulness are the problem: it's the way that they're deployed as mechanisms of control without preparing the practitioners for the minor revelations they might encounter. Again, these are practices that change our relationship with the world. (14/n)

If we're not attentive to how these changes will affect us, then we open ourselves to increased trauma. If we're focused on "controlling" thoughts, then we enhance the possibility of attaching to those thoughts and the mental states that come with them. (15/n)

All of this is to say that these motherfuckers need to read Hakuin or Dogen or Soho or anyone else that interrogates the possibilities for trauma that come with meditation. (fin)