ScienceAlert exposes overlooked risks and adverse effects of mindfulness practice

A decades-spanning body of research and recent commentary have sharpened attention on the harms that can follow meditation and mindfulness practice. A 2020 review covering more than 40 years of studies ranked adverse effects by frequency: anxiety and depression were most common, followed by psychotic or delusional symptoms, dissociation or depersonalisation, and episodes of fear or terror. The review also concluded these effects can occur in people without prior mental health problems, after only moderate exposure to meditation, and can be long‑lasting.

The concern is not new. In 1976 Arnold Lazarus, a formative figure in cognitive-behavioural science, warned that meditation used indiscriminately could induce "serious psychiatric problems such as depression, agitation, and even schizophrenic decompensation". More recently, critics of modern mindfulness culture have argued that the practice has been repackaged. Ronald Purser, a professor of management and ordained Buddhist teacher, wrote in his 2023 book McMindfulness that mindfulness has become a kind of "capitalist spirituality", a phrase used to question how commercialisation shapes what practitioners are told about risks.

Contemporary commentators with academic standing have urged clearer public information. Miguel Farias, an Associate Professor in Experimental Psychology at Coventry University, wrote that "For now, if meditation is to be used as a wellbeing or therapeutic tool, the public needs to be informed about its potential for harm." That call echoes language from a recent feature noting: "There is evidence that mindfulness can benefit people's well-being. The problem is that mindfulness coaches, videos, apps, and books rarely warn people about the potential adverse effects."

The reporting and review material also document how these harms emerge in different settings. The 2020 review reported adverse reactions not only among long-term retreatants but also among people with only moderate practice exposure, a finding that complicates common assumptions about who is at risk. The historical quote from 1976 and the 2020 synthesis together suggest the issue has persisted across clinical and popular domains for decades.

Public discussion has moved beyond journals into online communities. A crosspost on the r/skeptic forum carried the headline "Meditation And Mindfulness Can Have a Dark Side That We Don't Talk About : ScienceAlert", reflecting how the conversation is circulating among readers and sceptics. Visuals accompanying recent features included a photograph described as "A masculine person meditating on a couch", underscoring how mainstream imagery and marketing can sit alongside underreported risks.

The combined record of Lazarus's 1976 warning, the 2020 multi‑decade review, Ronald Purser's 2023 critique, and contemporary academic commentary points to a clear, practical imperative: when meditation is framed as a wellbeing or therapeutic tool, practitioners and program designers need transparent risk information, informed consent and clearer guidance about when to seek professional support.