About Us
Cheetah House is a community invested in the recovery from, and reduction of, adversities resulting from meditation practices. Most of us have experienced them and know firsthand how difficult it can be to find expertise, community, or basic validation. We are working to change that!
Mission, Vision, and Values
Mission:
Cheetah House exists to provide support to those experiencing meditation-related difficulties, to train meditation providers in understanding and treating meditation adverse effects in a person-centered way, and to empower people to make informed decisions about the role of meditation in their lives. In a world in which claims about meditation are often overhyped, Cheetah House also aims to provide a balanced, realistic and informed perspective about the risks associated with meditation through the dissemination of research-based information.
Vision:
Our vision is to be a global gathering space for meditators in distress and to lead the conversation about the existence of, treatments for, and solutions to meditation-related adverse effects; we envision an environment where meditators-in-distress are adequately supported by communities and professionals who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to prevent and mitigate adverse meditation experiences.
Values:
Informed consent: We believe that individuals and organizations need access to the full range of evidence and information in order to make their best decisions.
Trauma-sensitive conduct: We acknowledge the unique experiences of each person and strive to approach our work with empathy, curiosity, and non-assumption.
Peer-Leadership: We believe the ongoing perspectives of those we serve are irreplaceable and serve as the basis of the services we provide.
Self-empowerment: We work to maximize the autonomy of individuals in their relationship with Cheetah House and beyond.
Freedom from systems of influence: We strive to critically assess the workings of power within meditation communities, academia, healthcare, and Cheetah House itself.
The Team
Willoughby Britton Ph.D.
Willoughby Britton Ph.D. is a an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University Medical School, an Associate Professor of Behavior and Social Sciences in Brown University’s School of Public Health and the Director of Brown’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory.
Dr. Britton earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Arizona. She completed her clinical residency in behavioral medicine and neuropsychology, and a 2 year NIH-sponsored post-doctoral fellowship in adult mood disorders treatment research at Brown University Medical School. She has received multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health to study the effects of meditation.
Her clinical neuroscience research investigates the effects of contemplative practices on the brain and body in the treatment of mood disorders, trauma and other emotional disturbances. She is especially interested in practice-specific effects, and moderators of treatment outcome, or in other words “Which practices are best or worst suited for which types of people or conditions and why”. She recently completed “The Varieties of Contemplative Experience” study which investigates the full range of experiences that can arise in the context of contemplative practices, including experiences that could be considered difficult, challenging or adverse.
As a clinician, she has been trained as an instructor in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and has taught mindfulness to both clinical and non-clinical populations. She has also completed three years of training for treating trauma and destabilized nervous systems. She now specializes in helping meditators who are experiencing meditation-related difficulties, and providing meditation safety trainings to providers and organizations.
Link to Dr. Britton’s care team profile, and availability for consultations here.
Scott Lippitt
My main motivation is to connect with meditators-in-distress and join them as a friend in their journey. I have 10 years of vipassana meditation experience and familiarity with most western buddhist philosophies and practices. I am trained as a peer supporter for Cheetah House, and have training and experience in helping others understand and work with adverse effects from meditation.
I have both benefited from and suffered from meditation practice over the years. I have lived experience with fear, anxiety, depression, dissociation, and changes in sense of self associated with meditation practice. In early 2020, I came to Cheetah House as a meditator-in-distress and benefited from the resources and direct support. I am moved to work with Cheetah House as a peer supporter, and I am eager to help those in distress know they are not alone.
Link to Scott’s care team profile, and availability for consultations here
Mandy Johnson
Mandy Johnson is a Relationship, Family & Recovery Coach with an undergraduate degree from University of Cape Town in South Africa in Industrial Psychology and Sociology. Mandy completed her Graduate Diploma in Counselling (Coaching) through Sacap (South
African College in Applied Psychology). She is credentialled as a Master Practitioner Coach (CMP), with COMENSA (Coaches and Mentors South Africa) and has completed her Post Graduate Certification in Mindfulness-Based Interventions at Stellenbosch University through the Faculty of Medicine. Mandy was a Director for the Institute for Mindfulness South Africa and a Supervisor on the Stellenbosch
University post graduate programme. She offers courses and supervision for mindfulness teachers, coaches and anybody interested in recovery and wellbeing. Mandy worked in organisations for 18 years in Sales and Management and knows first hand the pressures faced by Executives. After suffering a burn-out and cancer, she studied further to find ways to support and grow individuals struggling with stress, fear and anxiety. Her guiding principle for establishing Introspect Coaching & Facilitation, is to explore new ways to support healing through employing recovery principles.
Mandy has taught many mindfulness courses including Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. She has recently been part of a new 8-week Feeling Tone course, designed by Mark Williams, the Professor of Clinical Psychology and past Director of the Oxford Mindfulness Centre and Principal Research Fellow in the University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry. Mandy has been in recovery for over 20 years and
her focus is primarily geared towards supporting recovery from codependency and the adult child syndrome. During a 30-day silent retreat in 2018, Mandy faced a crisis of confidence with mindfulness, suffering a reactivation of old trauma, which resulted in an intense period of two years, re-building herself back up and into balance. Through the support offered by Cheetah House and by Willoughby Britton, she was able to make meaning of the crisis and is now very determined to make sure that trauma-informed ways of teaching are at the forefront of all mindfulness programmes. Mandy, through her work, highlights the dangers of long retreats for traumatised individuals, especially when working with the adult child syndrome and its many manifestations, including addiction and codependency.
Mandy’s wrote a book about her journey, which can be found here
Link to Mandy’s care team profile, and availability for consultations here
Nathan Fisher Ph.D.
Dr. Fisher recently received his PhD in Religious Studies and Cognitive Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara. He graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2011 and then joined the Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at Brown University where he managed the 'Varieties of Contemplative Experience' (VCE) study from 2012-2015. Before starting graduate school, he was a visiting scholar at the Mind and Life Institute—where he organized a small conference on Abrahamic contemplative traditions—and lived in Jerusalem for 2 years to explore some of the living traditions of Jewish mysticism and meditation.
At Brown, Nathan began a replication study of the VCE project investigating meditation-related difficulties in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic contemplative traditions, and has continued this research project into his PhD program. The first paper based on the study, "Dark Nights of the Soul in Abrahamic Meditative Traditions," was published in 2019 and the second was published in 2022, “Flavors of Ecstasy: States of Absorption in Islamic and Jewish Contemplative Traditions.” Both papers focus on traditional appraisal processes related to challenging experiences, whereas in his dissertation he presents phenomenological data from the study and proposes a person-centered cultural psychological framework that can be used by clinicians and teachers to provide better care for those suffering from these experiences. His other research interests include: Jewish and Comparative Mysticism, Differential Diagnosis at the intersection of Spirituality and Clinical Practice, and the emerging interdisciplinary field of Contemplative Science.
Nathan’s own journey includes contemplative practice in Jewish, Theravada, Christian and Chinese Internal Martial Arts communities—and experiencing tangible benefits and distressing challenges in all of them. After taking a sabbatical from contemplative practice and study, he is excited to be exploring safe and ‘sifted’ approaches to re-engaging with what he has found to be nourishing and resourcing within these traditions.
Link to Nathans care team profile, and availability for consultations here
Our Approach:
The unifying foundation of our work is the belief that no singular framework - for personal growth or for recovery from distress - will be ideal or even beneficial for every person. Therefore, we work to understand each person’s experience, interpretive frameworks, and goals, and thereby support them in moving forward on their terms.
We understand deeply and personally that meditation-related difficulties can cause an overwhelming cascade of difficulties, and for some this includes grappling with worldviews, spirituality, and some of the most impactful questions of being a person. We respect each person’s right to make sense of their own experience, while recognizing that complete neutrality on our part is not possible or desirable. Cheetah House welcomes everyone, but may be the best fit for those looking to explore alternatives to spiritual or meditative interpretations of their distress. Our work is generally rooted in empirical, trauma-oriented, social-psychological, and biological/somatic frameworks.
What is not part of our approach:
- We do not start from an assumption that every individual would benefit from some form of meditation/mindfulness.
- We do not assume that positive results of meditation could not be achieved in other ways.
- We do not assume that those who approach us all have the same goals.
- We do not assume that Cheetah House is the ideal resource for everyone who has experienced meditation adversity.
More about our range of resources, who may benefit the most from Cheetah House, and alternate resources, can be found on the “Is Cheetah House for Me?” page (page under development).
Inclusivity
Intrinsic to our functioning is the inclusion of the voices of those we serve. That said, we know the spectrum of those who could be served by our work is much broader than those who typically access it, and that numerous barriers of power – historical and systemic – prevent access. We work to make finances as little a barrier to care as possible, and as we expand we are committed to putting systems in place that help expose diverse audiences to the knowledge and resources of adverse meditation awareness and recovery.
Cheetah House strives to provide a safe space for all persons, from all cultures, and of all identities. Cheetah House acknowledges and strives to undo the nature of systemic oppression and seeks to provide safe and decolonized spaces of care and support for all persons. If you have any questions or concerns about the Cheetah House space, please write to CheetahHouse.org@gmail.com
Institutional Courage
We embrace the concept of Institutional Courage developed by Dr. Jennifer Freyd. In keeping with those principles, please feel free to contact us or submit feedback, with the option to remain anonymous.