Can Meditation Be Harmful? The Latest Conversation

I've got a meditation app on my phone and a long-standing assumption that it can only help. So The Atlantic's new piece, "The Dark Side of Mindfulness," made me sit up. (Reporter Olga Khazan also talks it through on a podcast episode.)

The story follows Willoughby Britton, a psychologist and meditation teacher who set out to study the practice's benefits; what she found alarmed her. Meditation is a multibillion-dollar industry pitched as a remedy for anxiety, pain, and addiction. Still, for some people it can cause severe, lasting side effects, including depression, anxiety, and even acute psychosis. One study found that about 10% of meditators experience some adverse effect.

Before you toss your meditation cushion, keep in mind - there's nuance. Researcher Richard Davidson says meditation is fairly benign for most people, and that skipping it may carry more risk than doing it. But he also says people with serious psychiatric conditions should practice only with a mental-health professional who meditates too. That's a big deal when so many of us are following an app alone at 11 p.m.

My takeaway: stay curious, not scared. Start small. If a practice leaves you feeling worse, don't just push through. And if you have a mental health history or are eyeing a long retreat, talk with a professional first.