Re:Does Meditation Have Detrimental Effects?

Yes it is possible to have such side effects but it shows only an immature approach to the subject, without understanding the true meaning of the concept.
Side effects surface only in a weak psychee where one takes up meditation eighther for escaping from reality or with an aim to attain some supernatural state as promised by many cults.
The fault also lies in relatively not well informed meditation teachers and books whose primary motivation is eighther cultistic belief, money making or gaining popularity. Often such preachers are far away from actual regular practice and self-earned insights of meditation. It is like many psychotherapists who have subclinical psycho-pathological traits themselves and trying to teach mental hygine!
Structured meditation practices often disregard the integration of deepening self awareness with practicalities of day to day life thereby creating a confused mind.
Meditation means trying to develop an understanding of the principles and modus-operandi of mental processes and trying to put them in order. Just like one studies a car machine to fix its disorders and do preventive maintenance servicing. With this understanding so obtained, one lives life with a fully aware, sensitive and practical approach.
Thereby no question of above mentioned side effects arises.
A dedicated meditation practitioner has to be a critical psychoanalyst of his/her mental state/experiences. This becomes increasingly important with deepening states of meditation where truly one has to face the sub/unconcious currents. But only a few can reach that state. Here it is like "only a good swimmer must attempt to dive into deep waters", who will you blaim if you dont know how to swim and jump deep to drown...just because someone said "you will gain Enlightenment!"

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