Meditation is often described only in terms of calm and benefit. Researchers have also documented a range of difficult experiences during or after practice, from ordinary restlessness to anxiety, distressing memories or a changed sense of self that lasts beyond the session.
Knowing this is useful rather than alarming. It helps you tell a passing, ordinary difficulty from something that deserves a pause, a change of method or outside support. This guide summarises the research and offers a practical way to respond. It does not diagnose anything or replace a conversation with a health professional.
Ordinary discomfort
Many beginner difficulties are a predictable result of sitting still and paying attention: an aching back or knees, restlessness, boredom, sleepiness, frustration at a wandering mind, or noticing emotions that were easy to ignore while busy. These usually change when you adjust the posture, shorten the session, open the eyes, or switch to a more active focus such as walking.
This kind of discomfort is worth adjusting for, but it is not in itself evidence that something is wrong.
What research has documented
Three studies give a sense of the range and frequency, each with clear limits.
A 2017 qualitative study by Lindahl and colleagues interviewed 60 Western Buddhist practitioners and 32 meditation experts, deliberately seeking out people who had reported challenging experiences. The researchers described 59 kinds of meditation-related experience across seven domains: cognitive, perceptual, affective, somatic, conative (motivation and will), sense of self, and social. Because participants were selected for having had difficulties, the study shows what can happen, not how often.
A 2020 systematic review by Farias and colleagues pooled 83 studies with 6,703 participants and estimated that 8.3% of participants experienced an adverse event, with large differences between types of study. Anxiety and depression were the most commonly reported. The authors concluded that such events are not uncommon and may occur in people with no previous history of mental health problems.
A US survey by Goldberg and colleagues, published in 2021–2022, asked 434 adults who had meditated about specific adverse effects. 32.3% endorsed a general question about them and 50.0% reported at least one specific effect; 10.4% reported effects lasting a month or more, 10.6% reported some functional impairment, and 1.2% reported impairment lasting a month or more. The survey was correlational and recruited online, so it cannot show that meditation caused these effects.
Reading these figures carefully
The numbers vary widely because the studies ask different questions. A brief unsettling moment and weeks of impaired functioning are very different things, and surveys that count both will produce higher figures than trials that only record serious events. Experimental trials also tend to screen out people with existing difficulties.
NCCIH summarises the position as follows: meditation usually is considered to have few risks, but few studies have examined harmful effects, so definite statements about safety are not possible. That is a fair place to start: low risk for most people, not zero, and not well measured.
Signals that a practice needs to change
These are not diagnostic criteria, but they are reasonable reasons to stop the current practice and reconsider.
- Anxiety, panic or dread that builds during sessions rather than passing.
- Distressing memories or images that return repeatedly or feel overwhelming.
- Feeling detached from yourself or your surroundings, or that things seem unreal, especially if it persists after practice.
- Changes in sleep, mood or concentration that you link to starting or intensifying practice.
- Difficulty carrying out ordinary daily activities.
A practical response
These steps are general suggestions for difficulties that arise during or after practice.
- Stop the session. You do not need to finish the recording or the timer.
- Reorient with ordinary activity: open the eyes, look around the room, feel your feet on the floor, move, drink something, talk to someone.
- For the next few days, reduce the dose: shorter sessions, eyes open, or a more outward focus such as walking, listening to sounds, or a simple everyday task done attentively.
- If a specific technique keeps producing the same difficulty, stop using it. Long silent retreats and intensive practice are not a remedy for difficulties that arose during practice.
- If symptoms persist, return or interfere with daily life, talk to a health care provider and mention your meditation practice. If you learned from a teacher, ask whether they have experience with these difficulties.
Before starting or intensifying practice
Goldberg's survey found childhood adversity was associated with a higher likelihood of adverse effects. If you have a history of trauma or a current mental health condition, it is reasonable to discuss meditation with your clinician before beginning or before attending an intensive programme, and to choose a teacher who asks about this.
NCCIH advises telling your health care providers about any complementary approaches you use and asking about an instructor's training and experience.
Where to find specialised information
Cheetah House, a nonprofit associated with meditation researcher Willoughby Britton, provides information and support for people experiencing meditation-related difficulties, and trains meditation providers. Britton's lab at Brown University publishes a Meditation Safety Toolbox of screening and monitoring protocols aimed at people who run mindfulness programmes. Neither replaces urgent care: if you are in crisis, contact local emergency services.
Sources & Classical References
- Lindahl et al. (2017), The varieties of contemplative experience, PLOS ONE — Qualitative interview study describing 59 kinds of meditation-related experience in seven domains; not designed to measure frequency.
- Farias et al. (2020), Adverse events in meditation practices and meditation-based therapies: a systematic review — Pooled estimate of adverse events across 83 studies and the most commonly reported types.
- Goldberg et al. (2021), Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States — Survey figures for adverse effects, their duration and impairment, and associated factors.
- NCCIH: Meditation and Mindfulness: Effectiveness and Safety — Summary of what is and is not known about meditation safety, and advice on instructors and health care providers.
- Cheetah House — Nonprofit offering information and support for meditation-related difficulties.
- Brown University Britton Lab: Meditation Safety Toolbox — Protocols and guidelines for screening and monitoring in mindfulness programmes.
