I feel so overwhelmed, and there is so much information, where should I start?
To learn more about meditation-related difficulties:
Start by reading (or listening to) David Treleaven’s book Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness, which will explain how and why meditation can cause certain problems and what to do about it.
Next check out The Varieties of Contemplative Experience research study, which is the most comprehensive study to date on meditation-related challenges. If this academic journal article is too dense and technical, you can watch a video of Dr. Britton explaining the study.
To find help:
Go to the Get Help tab, and browse help options.
You can also schedule a consultation with a member of the Care Team who can suggest other resources that are specific to your situation.
Where can I find the scientific articles about meditation-related difficulties by Dr. Britton and her team?
What is the history of Cheetah House?
Cheetah House was originally founded in 2008 by Brown University Professor Willoughby Britton as a “Contemplative Studies House” to support Brown University Contemplative Studies students who wanted to live more contemplative lifestyles than typical dormitories offered. Students (and non-students) could live at Cheetah House while transitioning into or out of monastic lifestyles, or preparing for or integrating after long silent retreats.
As the Varieties of Contemplative Experience study gained momentum and notoriety, more and more Cheetah House residents became meditators who were experiencing meditation-induced difficulties, often after retreats. Thus, Cheetah House became a residential “half-way house” and community for recovering meditators. Cheetah House had residential capacities from 2008-2013. In 2013, Cheetah House transitioned from residential to an online presence, and expanded its services to include research-based information, support groups, and referrals.
Cheetah House residents
Why is it called “Cheetah House”?
“Cheetah” is a play on the Sanskrit and Pali word “citta” which can be translated as “mind”, “consciousness” and “thinking”, as well as “heart” and the center of emotion. The English word “cheetah” is an animal famous for its focus and speed. As described above, Cheetah House was originally an actual physical house to support contemplative practice.
The multifaceted meaning of Cheetah House is perhaps best depicted by the drawing on the right, by local Providence artist and acupuncturist Sanford Lee.: The Citta (Chinese character, center) balances between the mind and transcendent dimensions of contemplative practice (depicted as clouds or heaven above an upward-pointing arrow) and our embodied, biological, and emotional nature (depicted as an animal below a downward-pointing arrow). Thus, Cheetah House signifies the balance between the transcendent dimension of consciousness and the immanent dimension of embodiment and physicality.
Artwork by Sanford Lee
What kinds of difficulties does meditation cause?
The Varieties of Contemplative Experience Study catalogued 59 different types of meditation-related experiences that can be distressing or associated with impairment in functioning. The most common meditation-related adverse effects typically reflect signs of dysgregulated arousal (hyperarousal and dissociation) (Britton et al., 2021).
Signs of hyperarousal can include anxiety/panic; insomnia; perceptual hypersensitiivity, repetitive, disturbing and intrusive thoughts or memories; emotional lability; involuntary movements.
Signs of dissociation can include emotional flattening or blunting; loss of interest or enjoyment in things you used to enjoy (anhedonia); loss of motivation and meaning; loss of sense of self, sense of embodiment, agency or identity; loss of thoughts or ability to use concepts; visual changes where the world appears dreamlike and objects look 2-dimensional, unreal or cartoon-like (derealization).
Has anyone else developed problems from using the Sam Harris Waking up App?
Yes, we are getting many reports of problems from this app.
What is the frequency of meditation-related difficulties?
Current research estimates that approximately 1 in 4 meditators reports negative or unwanted effects from meditation (Cebolla et al., 2017; Schlosser et al., 2019). Ten percent of people who have ever tried meditation even once develop adverse effects that impair their ability to function (Goldberg et al., 2021). In an 8-week mindfulness-based intervention, one study found that 75% of participants reported unpleasant meditation-related experiences, and 7% reported being harmed or worse off than if they had not participated (Baer et al., 2020). Another study of mindfulness-based interventions found that 6% developed adverse effects that impaired functioning for more than a month (Britton et al., 2021). The frequency depends on many factors, including how you define negative effects, and how you measure them.
How do you know that meditation is the cause?
In the Varieties of Contemplative Experience Study, causal attribution to meditation was assessed according to the causality assessment criteria that regulatory agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) use to make health policy decisions .
I wrote a long message to Dr. Britton, but haven’t received a response
Dr. Britton receives a high volume of calls and emails from meditators-in-distress, so will not be able to respond to your emails. If you would like to speak to Dr. Britton, you will need to schedule a consultation. If you are a meditator-in-distress, then schedule a meditator consultation. If you are a researcher, clinician or just have a non-crisis idea topic you would like to discuss with Dr. Britton, you can schedule a professional consultation.
My loved one is in the hospital for meditation-induced psychosis. Can I make an appointment for them with a member of the Care team?
You may book an consultation with a member of the care team to talk to YOU as a concerned friend or family member. We cannot accept appointments made on someone else’s behalf. Individuals who have been recently hospitalized must be out of the hospital for at least 1 month, in a stable condition, and under the care of healthcare professional before seeking services at Cheetah House. We do not have the capacity to manage acute mental health crises.
I suggested my book as a resource but don’t see it listed in the resources tab
All resources on the Cheetah House website are vetted by meditators-in-distress. Books, articles, websites, approaches that were consistently found to be helpful by meditators-in-distress will be listed as resources, and ones that were found to be unhelpful or harmful will not be listed as resources.