Questions (IQ): Meditation Side Effects: What Everyone Needs to Know (IQ. 283)

Last week, I shared my own unexpected experience with meditation.

I had practiced meditation for years—and I genuinely loved it. It felt peaceful, spiritual, and incredibly good. But over time, I began realizing that I had also experienced some unexpected side effects that I hadn't recognized at first.

And throughout the years, as I've worked with more and more people, I've seen some of these same types of experiences come up again and again.

That's one reason I periodically like to talk about meditation-related side effects.

In my own life, it did not feel good to eventually realize that I had become increasingly detached and disconnected from life. And if sharing my experience and this information can help even one person recognize something sooner than I did, then to me, it's worth talking about.

That does not mean I'm telling people to meditate or not to meditate.

It simply means:

Be aware. Be informed. Pay attention to what your mind is doing.

Last week, I shared some of the unexpected side effects I personally experienced. And interestingly, almost every time I talk publicly about this subject, I hear from some people who teach meditation asking me not to talk about the potential side effects because they're concerned it will scare people away from meditation.

But I see it differently.

I don't believe honesty and transparency should scare people away from something.

I believe transparency empowers people and builds trust.