May 27, 2022
Anna Lutkajtis is the author of The Dark Side
of Dharma: Meditation, Madness and other Maladies on the
Contemplative Path.
Lutkajtis joins us on the Adventures Through The Mind podcast to
discuss mediation; the adverse effects of meditation; where those
adverse effects may arise from; the importance of meditation
teachers having psychotherapeutic skills; the nerfing of
spirituality; and why it is that Western meditation contexts not
only generally lack an awareness and understanding of mediation
adverse effects, but why those harms are seemingly actively and
explicitly ignored.
Furthermore, we touch on psychedelic experiences as well; the
media landscape surrounding their industrialization; the influence
psychedelics have had on meditation culture (and vice versa); and
how Anna’s research into the adverse effects of meditation overlaps
with the growing interest in psychedelics amongst clinical
practice, investors, and the wellness industry at large.
...
For links to Anna's work, full show notes, and a link to watch
this episode in video, head to bit.ly/ATTMind160
*** FULL TOPICS BREAKDOWN BELOW**
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*****
Episode
Breakdown
- (0:00) Opening
- (2:05) Overture
- (4:05) Guest Bio
- (6:56) Patreon Thanks
- (8:51) Presenting the thesis of The Dark Side Of Dharma
- (12:42) What is Mediation? | Transcendental Meditation,
Vipassana, & Mindfulness
- (18:02) The adverse effects of meditation (including spiritual
crisis)
- (21:33) Pathologizing the adverse effects of meditation might
be a mistake
- (25:48) The harms of secularising/decontextualizing meditation
from its historical traditions
- (32:53) Colonial extractivism and the distorted hubris of
Western secularism
- (36:38) The central role of mediation is a response to colonial
conquest
- (39:34) Repackaging Buddhism as a science to appeal to the
Western Mainstream
- (41:19) What’s missing in Western meditation contexts vs
traditional ones (a personal story)
- (44:38) Traditionally, “Having good health is a prerequisite
for meditation” not the other way around
- (49:26) Some adverse effects can come from the
misinterpretation of meditation (and psychedelic) insights
- (55:14) The trickster energy of high dose psilocybin
- (58:04) The importance of meditation teachers having
psychotherapeutic skills
- (1:05:03) A concussion-symptom break
- (1:09:19) Presenting meditation as a cure-all is harmful | what
drives this presentation?
- (1:19:09) Might the shifting media-tech landscape support
psychedelics from falling into traps of corporate branding
- (1:24:42) Anna asks James about how he feels The Dark Side Of
Dharma might apply to psychedelics
- (1:27:06) The influence psychedelics have had on meditation
culture (and vice versa)
- (1:27:37) Once you open the door, it can never be closed
again
- (1:29:56) Nerfing spirituality, spiritual bypassing, deception,
and no, it’s not all good.
- (1:34:08) Places to reach out if you are experiencing adverse
effects
- (1:36:11) Follow-up links
- (1:37:46) Outro
*****
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