Mindfulness - Not without risk

Mindfulness has become the popular thing to do for self care, yet it is not new. I remember as a teenager our high school went to a retreat centre in Guelph and we spent the day focusing on self care. I remember all of us laying on the floor and told to focus on different parts of our body from our scalp down to our toes until we were all well rested. Or were we? In health psychology our professor did the same, only this time we were seated, at the beginning of our class. This time I did feel relaxed. With a busy schedule of work and school it provided me with time out. He gave us a handout of the exercise (15 min) and I use it for clients when I think they can benefit from it. It is not counted for hours by our College of Psychotherapy. In grad school, we were in the chapel and an Aboriginal classmate nun and friend I liked to have coffee with, worked with mindfulness and demonstrated on us. This time, it bothered me. I did not like the sensation. I didn’t know why. I couldn’t understand it and decided that it was because I didn’t like the sensation of not being in control. I stopped following her instructions and my mind returned to the present. Now years later, I wouldn’t mind talking with my old schoolmate to learn more of what she is doing and how it affects her clients. Years later when I was speaking to someone who had practiced mindfulness at a clinic told me she had stopped because it disturbed her. I shared this info with a physician while riding an elevator with him in my office building but he was so adamant about its positive effects that he didn’t think there was any possibility of negativity. He couldn’t get away from me fast enough. That had become his main business. So, when I was reading my Psychology Today Nov/Dec 21 edition, the caption “A downside to mindfulness” p 8, caught my immediate interest. I shall share this with you because I found that not everyone knows there can be a risk. The article written by Christopher Bergland reveals that mindfulness may trigger harmful side effects more often than people think. He provides two studies. 8% of one study found that feelings of anxiety was most common, followed by depression and cognitive anomalies such as confusion or disorientation. Instances of suicidal ideation, though rare, accounted for 11% of reported adverse events. In the second study, 58% participants in an eight week mindfulness trial reported at least one negative side effect, such as insomnia, anxiety, or dissociations; 37% of these found that the side effects interfered with functioning. 6% most often related to dissociation, lasted more than a month. A small amount had to stop the treatment. I don’t know how many participants were in this study, or who the control group consisted of. There is a lot missing of the actual studies. However, it is enough to have me raise caution to the wind. I do tell clients that this doesn’t work for everyone because I have seen that it doesn’t. I also know that for many it does work. However, I never read that it could cause harm which has now come to my attention. I will be mindful of the risks. As a therapist, I utilize all I have learned to help the client achieve his or her goal. Sometimes, during therapy what actually bothers a client is not what the client thought it was. Therapy can have someone step outside of themselves to safely look at themselves and explore what is bothering them, what is keeping them from being happy, from moving on. Sometimes all we can do is have the client be less sad. I know that I am not a miracle worker. I do the best I can with all my education, knowledge, experiences etc…but most of all I want to do no harm. What do you think? Have a good weekend. Keep safe.