Dear colleague,

I read part of your article, since some areas of the same are illegible. Nevertheless, both the methodology and the results seem well put being the article an important add to the field.

It is possible that some information is already of your knowledge, nevertheless, I dare to express some considerations.

The 60's and 70's were the peek on psychophysiological research on meditation, as you know, and meditation's side effects were particularly studied by Prof. Patricia Carrington. Her work with Clinically Standardized Meditation is the earliest in depth clinical research on meditation if we discard its initial application to psychotherapy by Roberto Assagioli in the first decade of the 20th Century.

The book "Freedom in Meditation" (1977) by Patricia Carrington is, in my opinion, the most complete informed clinical guideline for meditation and deals with possible side effects and corresponding procedures for easing them.

Problems relating with altered (modified) states of consciousness are dealt by the slav psychiatrist and professor at John Hopkins Medical School, Stanislav Grof.

The book "Spiritual Emergency" edited by Prof. Grof is a major reference of spiritual practice's side effects.

There is, however, lack of communication between transpersonal psychologists and (American) psychologists of 'spirituality' being the Psychology of Spirituality (American School) dominated by religious research lines - that are not focused in altered states of consciousness. Therefore, it is understandable the lack of studies in this matter.

Personally, I only faced a client who had physical reactions to hypnosis such as headaches and therapy was rearranged.

In this matter I rely on the works of both Patricia Carrington and Stanislav Grof, due their details in clinical practice.

Best regards,

João P. Da Silva

Dear João Silva

Thank you very much for your answer.

I didn't understand why you said "some areas of the same are illegible". Because you don't understand or because you can't open the full text? Or why?

I don't know Patricia Carrington's work. Thank you very much for the reference.

I have read texts of Assagioli, Grof, and others transpersonal authors. But I believe they don't have rigorous studies (or I don't know these).

Sometimes I see the reaction of headaches in patients with hypnosis, but it disappeared with therapy or after some time. In one situation it was a resistance to look inside himself.

Best regards,

María Isabel Rodríguez

Dear Prof. María Rodríguez,

When I tried to read the full tex, some parts of the article were blurred. I suppose it was due some software error. Meanwhile I re-openned the text and the blur vanished.

In fact, I have the impression that transpersonal authors tend to publish more books than research articles with randomised controlled trials, which is a pity. I consider that Grof has quite good insights on altered states which came from his psychiatric training. Other authors seem more theoretical which is the case of Assagioli and adapting the information to clinical practice is up to the reader.

I suppose there is still some academic prejudice toward psychologists and psychiatrists who works the limits, or the fringe of their fields in order tho stretch the threshold of scientific inquiry - that may be the case with indexed journals with impact factor. Sometimes I find colleagues that have scorns toward this field; ones with singular responsibilities.

Well, I had few consultations with the client and the headache was recurrent after the clinical hypnosis session. The client opted by regular psychological counselling. In this case the client came purposely for hypnosis for quick results, and I agree with you, it was emotional resistance. Eventually, counselling was detrimental to elicit the essential tools for the therapeutic goals.

In my work with hypnosis, in few occasions clients present some sort of resistance. Some other cases relates with Grof's model of bad trip: there's an emotional mess that would erupt suddenly to the mind of the client materialising itself in toxic scenarios or characters. By the norm processing the emotional content by resignifying it would lead to new pathways of self discovery and original material emerge. I remember of one situation that the same would happen with Schultz autogenic relaxation.

Best regards,

João P. Da Silva

Maria, my work on the affects of psychotropic drugs have revealed-through my clients and through reading-a whole spate of horrendous reactions and consequences. All of which psychiatry denies occurs.

Feelings of emptiness is commonly reported

Lack of attachment to the world in general

personality alteration, including sexual promiscuity and violence.

Lack of inhibition and subsequent poor judgement

Lessening of cognitive ability

Stanley Wilkin , but taking psychotropic drugs it is not exactly an spiritual practice, I think it is a chemical practice...

It is interesting the list of side effects you describe with psychotropic.

Thanks!

Sorry Maria, I was going by the nature of your question.

Prof. Willoughby Britton of Brown University does work in this area.

https://vivo.brown.edu/display/wbritton

Article Somatic Energies and Emotional Traumas: A Qualitative Study ...

And you may know, various meditative traditions have words for difficult experiences and material that can be encountered through, especially, intensive contemplative practice, including Transcendental Meditation's "unstressing"; Centering Prayer's "the unloading of the unconscious"; Goenka-style Vipassana's "the storm"; and the Zen tradition's "Zen sickness."

Dear Maribel Rodríguez Fernández

Thank you for your question and also your interesting paper which is well researched. Yes I do have experience with side effects of meditation - both from teaching a method of meditation known as Arka Dhyana (Intuitive Meditation) (this method has certain similarities with Prayer of the Heart) and as a cranio sacral therapist where I some times attend people with crisis often arising from unexpected spiritual awaking.

What I missed in your article (and maybe in many articles on meditation), is a real understanding regarding the goals of meditation - however one answers this, will in the end direct the energies. It would have been an interesting question (goal of each individual) to have included in your survey. I have researched the method I teach - and have two articles on it and my thesis. You can see them on RG. As the method I teach is involved with knowing one's true essence or Self, anything that impedes this has to come to the light. This is well known in Indian spirituality. The first sheath around the physical body one will access, is the emotional body. And with a quick glance at your research I would like to suggest that many of the participants seem to be stuck here.- even negation of emotions is, in my humble opinion, is not to be fully open to the deeper Self.

To be truly spiritual, one has to be emotional - but to get to the true emotions one has to go through all the dross of the surface layers. This, I warn my students, is not easy. But having been through that layer myself, in my courses I often act not only as a meditation teacher, but as a therapist. Most feel this really helps them. The IM method involves certain level (the Six Man levels of Consciousness - Srinivas Arka 2013). The journey is from the thinking mind to the emotional heart to Pure Consciousness. Once the pupil has gone through the emotional sheath, the rest of the sheaths are much easier. (at least that has been my finding to date, with still more of the journey to unfold.) Also in Intuitive Meditation it is not about the death of the ego (maybe related to Buddhist practices) but to humbling the ego.(except in the experience of Cosmic or Christ consciousness there is no ego, but this vision is Grace - not brought about by the "desire" of the practitioner nor the practice in itself)

In my research I was careful not to put all methods into the same basket as they differ in many fundamental ways!

If you would like more information, please contact me - I also live in Spain.

Warm regards Tina

Tina Lindhard I agree in the naming of the uncomfortable experiences as part of the process and appreciate hearing your view on it as an early stage which opens to greater ease once accomplished. Contextualizing the process is likely what most people need to know. No doubt discomfort can arise and some people can live there for a long time without the correct processes for growth.

Maribel Rodríguez Fernández I believe in light of the above, the discomfort being a part of the process toward greater realization of the self, naming the experiences as side effects negates the relevance of the suffering as being relevant information to the individual person to progress in their personal evolution. You may however appeal to an audience, with your terminology, specifically tearing discomfort as a side effect, who are familiar with the general view of GPs and the medical system and therefore assist some people in their journey to integrate holistic wellbeing practices into their lives. In contrast, you may also cause a wide selection of people to fear processes which if better informed and equipped can transcend the discomfort and enter more evolved states and experiences. In a field with so little coverage, thank you so much for addressing the phenomena and I wish you success with your work.

Dear Joshua Costar

Thank you for drawing attention to this import aspect of meditation. I also agree with Maribel Rodríguez Fernández it might cause different reactions to this knowledge in different people including fear.

However talking from personal experience when the kundalini first aroused strongly in me, I had no idea of how this would change my reality including my bodily experiences ..

I feel if I had known more at the time, my fear of the process itself would have been much less. I never realized it would awaken virtually everything that has not been integrated in my life (and even beyond it).

I now invite my pupils to see this awakening to their world of inner experiences which at times includes discomfort as a blessing and encourage them to 'surf' whatever is arises.

I have written a paper with the same name

Article Surfing the Deeper Levels of Consciousness, Emotions, and Me...

With kindness Tina