When meditation goes wrong: part two

Meditation sickness, meditation-related adverse effects or meditators in distress – you probably haven't heard these terms, even if you do meditate.

Yet research finds adverse effects occur in half of all meditators. For one in 10, it impairs their functioning or lasts more than a month.

Experts say many people can benefit from meditation, but it can also come with harms.

Today, the second episode of a two-part special on the research into those harms and the personal stories of those who've experienced them. You can hear part one of the series here.

Guests:

Willoughby BrittonAssociate Professor, Brown University Medical School; Director of the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Lab

Nicholas Van DamAssociate Professor, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences; Director of the Contemplative Studies Center at the University of Melbourne

Willem KuykenProfessor of Mindfulness and Psychological Science, University of Oxford

Jane ReedExperienced adverse effects from meditation and the author of First Telling

SueExperienced adverse effects from meditation

Credits:

• Presenter: Sana Qadar
• Reporter/Producer: Fiona Pepper
• Senior Producer: James Bullen
• Producer: Rose Kerr

Extra info:

• Defining and measuring meditation-related adverse effects in mindfulness-based programs
• The varieties of contemplative experience: A mixed-methods study of meditation-related challenges in Western Buddhists
• Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of universal school-based mindfulness training compared with normal school provision in reducing risk of mental health problems and promoting well-being in adolescence: the MYRIAD cluster randomised controlled trial
• Cheetah House

To explore more great episodes from the award-winning psychology podcast All in the Mind with host Sana Qadar, download the ABC Listen app (Australia) or search 'ABC All in the Mind podcast' wherever you get your podcasts. There you'll find more episodes on mental health, trauma, attachment theory, wellness hacks, and family relationships. You'll also hear interviews with experts like Esther Perel, Billy Garvey and Ethan Kross. All in the Mind is created for ABC's Radio National by specialist journalists and reporters at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.