Willoughby Britton - When Meditation Causes Harm

In this episode, Wendy speaks with clinical psychologist and meditation researcher, Willoughby Britton. Willoughby is a pioneer in contemplative research and one of the only people dedicated to understanding the possible negative outcomes from meditation (so called meditation-related adverse experiences). This conversation covers many topics, including: how she came to study the negative side of meditation; support and resources for those struggling with meditation-related difficulties (Cheetah House); scientific research on meditation-related adverse experiences; changes in perception and anxiety that can happen with meditation; how the same experience can be positive or negative depending on context; how the causes of adverse effects may be the same as for the benefits; the science of measuring harms in meditation research; what we know (and don't know) about these effects—who's at risk, how frequent they are, and how they show up for people; whether or not these difficulties are "part of the path" of transformation; grounding care in compassion; and aligning practices with the outcomes you want. Full resources and show notes