Episode 2: Ten Long Days | FT
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- Опубликовано: 29 янв 2024
- Emily’s twin sister spirals after going on a Goenka retreat, and she’s not the only one. Madison Marriage hears multiple accounts of terror, hallucinations and psychosis. Was meditation just the catalyst that unleashed psychological problems? Or did this network of silent meditation retreats actually cause their suffering?
For support or more information about adverse meditation experiences, take a look at the Cheetah House website (www.cheetahhouse.org).
We also spoke to Miguel Farias and Jonny Say to corroborate claims in the podcast about adverse meditation experiences. You can find out more about Farias’s work here (miguelfarias.co.uk), and Say’s here (jonnysaytherapy.com).
If you are in need of urgent mental health support, please contact your local emergency services or reach out to a mental health helpline, such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline (988lifeline.org) in the US or Samaritans (www.samaritans.org) in the UK.
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Why does the FT want to circulate this scare-mongering story? What's the motive? Of course Vipassana is tough. Yes - there may be some casualties - in spite of safeguarding - just as there will be with any difficult endeavour. Just check other youtube videos to learn about Vipassana. It is a powerful and life changing practice. I haven't done it - but my husband and my brother in law are practitioners of Vipassana, and I know many others who have done it. I can tell you - it is profound and powerful and deeply helpful.
Thank you so much for sharing your story. You are incredibly brave and strong. Speaking up will help so many through raising awareness. I really hope they start instituting safety measures.
Unfortunately my gut instinct was spot on 8 years ago left after 1 night was terrified the lack of sleep would trigger my epilepsy and make me unwell. So glad I left the first thing I did was went for a greasy fry up was starving
I'm so glad this is finally getting out. I've been working on spreading this message now for 24 years. And I'm really impressed with Willoughby Britton's work. Thank you Financial Times for investigating this reality. I look forward to Season 2.
I had a similar experience a couple years ago when I took Transcendental Meditation. Fortunately I have the kind of personality that said "screw this" and stopped, but I did go through the five worst days of my life.
At the risk of sounding arrogant I believe I have learned something that may answer both the questions of what happened to the girls and why this organization, and all others involved in meditation, will not address their failings. While I enjoyed the podcast and certainly see valid causes that added to the tragedies such as sleep deprivation, I believe the most important issue was missed.
"You get what you concentrate upon" (Seth material).
I think we are all aware of the power of the mind, placebo effect biometric feedback etc., are but a few examples.
We would expect a child who's been continually belittled and berated by his parents to grow up to have insecurities and possible suicidal thoughts. What would happen to a person if these ideas are presented by the self to the self in powerful concentrated form over hours and hours. Put someone into a situation in which they're basically asked to highlight to themselves over and over they're unworthiness. Even if it's wrapped in the package of identifying certain physical parts of your body and looking to remove "impurities"
What we are talking about here is the power of the mind to create the image and the beliefs that it's being fed. The core of the problem doesn't rest with this particular organizations it doesn't even rest totally with the idea of meditation or eastern mysticism. It rests in a very powerful prevalent belief that invade all religions. That the flesh is inherently evil, bad, wrong and needs to be eradicated.
This can only be countered by refusing to believe in that statement and believing in the inherent goodness of us all. Asking this organization to admit to its faults is like asking the Catholic Church to admit to the errors in its theology. I believe what I said can be somewhat supported and hinted at when we take a look at what the girls said when they were in psychosis. "I'm killing the universe", "I have done something horribly wrong". These are not words of somebody who simply spent time quietly in their mind. They come from a set of beliefs that are being reinforced over and over and over.
I believe the best approach for those suffering with this is to spend 10 or 15 minutes a day in positive affirmation of their own worth. This needs to be supported with people around them reinforcing that worth.
My heart goes out to those families that have been impacted by this. I say to them what I wish I could say to the girls. If you look within, without the thoughts and words of others, you will find the true goodness and the true peace that you are worthy of. That goodness and peace that the girls now enjoy.
An interesting series. You should also look into the New Kadampa Tradition. I went to a 3 day retreat and left half-way through bc I was kind of creeped out by them. Serious, serious allegations surrounding the NKT
Deepest podcast this year🤗👍!!
Its an interesting podcast but i wish it gave a bit more to both sides to the story. It seems like more people have better experiences at the retreat than not. The tragic stories are certainly a concern though
"both sides" don't deserve equal treatment when one side is responsible for mentally torturing people. My ex was raised in a cult, which seems to have left him more susceptible to being manipulated by cults because, over the course of our relationship, he went to one of these in addition to following the nutjobs that were poisoning people in Oregon a few decades ago and some toxic positivity / manifesting grifter. These people are dangerous and they do lasting damage to their victims.
@justinwatson1510 when has a goenka retreat ever poisoned anyone? Even this podcast isn't claiming that. Most people go to one retreat, meditate for 10 or however many days and never go back.
@@skatealex1 I didn't say they did, I was giving examples of the other cults my ex got involved with. Is English your first language?
@justinwatson1510 I agree about 'cults' but you know you're posting on a comment on a video that is about goenka retreats right?
@@skatealex1 based on the description in the video, this group sounds pretty high-control to me.
2 people from the same family having the same experiences would lead me to believe a genetic predisposition to mental health issues.
I spent a decade sitting and serving these retreats and it was very rare for people to experience negative effects. These people had undisclosed mental health issues.
I hope the people who have had negative experiences get the help they need.
Meditation didn't in itself cause these issues but just revealed them.
True. I too know people who have largely benefited from these retreats, but they go to them after learning meditation from other teachers - so they have a very good understanding of meditation (what to do, etc.), before going for these retreats, and therefore they appreciate and get a lot out of the silent time.
hiring angry subcontractors with a bad political reputation and aggressively personal touch, not a good move FT sack Newton Leng.