In this interview I am joined by Dr Caroline Van Damme, an adult psychiatrist and family and systemic psychotherapist specialising in chronic psychotic disorders, and co-teacher of Buddhist guru and Sowa Rigpa doctor Nida Chenagtsang. 

Dr Caroline draws on her extensive clinical experience as a psychiatrist, as well as her personal meditation practice, to explore the adverse effects of meditation, including psychosis, depersonalisation/derealisation, and spiritual bypass.

Dr Caroline considers the pros and cons of sleep deprivation as a spiritual training tool, visualisation practices of Buddhist Vajrayana, and shares stories of extended meditation retreats gone wrong.

Dr Caroline gives recommendations for those who wish to practice intensively, including dangers signs to watch for, the markers of high-risk individuals, and the importance of a a strong psychology and deep foundation in preliminary practice.

Dr Caroline also details her own success in using meditation with her patients in clinical settings, including with populations typically considered to be at high risk, and recounts her patient reports about the significant benefits of their practice.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep183-adverse-effects-of-meditation-dr-caroline-van-damme

Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro

01:21 - Adverse effects of meditation

05:13 - Meditation and psychosis

08:42 - Matthieu Ricard’s advice

10:37 - Meditation success with schizophrenia

16:25 - Willoughby Britton’s work on adverse effects

18:39 - Caroline reflects on her own meditation practice

20:52 - Dangers of visualisation meditation

23:04 - Traumatic meditation retreats

27:42 - Modulating intensity and pre-practice warnings

30:57 - Spiritual bypass and tantric Buddhist practice

32:00 - Sleep deprivation as a sign of enlightenment

33:32 - When to push through hell

38:20 - Caroline’s monk patient who developed schizophrenia

41:17 - Sleep deprivation as a training tool

48:30 - Recommendations for those who wish to engage in intense practice

51:53 - The Dalai Lama’s sleep schedule

52:45 - Delusions of special powers

53:58 - Insomnia

55:36 - Cannabis and meditation

57:07 - Profile of a high risk person

57:43 - Enlightenment vs depersonalisation / derealisation

01:02:39 - Dream yoga and derealisation

01:07:50 - Caroline’s clinical experience teaching meditation to her patients

01:20:19 - Mechanism of benefit in meditation

01:24:50 - Impulse control and inner peace

01:29:03 - The stigma of mental illness

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Previous episode with Dr Van Damme:

- www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep143-dr-caroline-van-damme-psychiatry-religious-experience

To find out more about Dr Van Damme, visit:

- https://www.sowarigpainstitute.org/dr-caroline-van-damme 

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For more interviews, videos, and more visit:

- https://www.guruviking.com/

Music 'Deva Dasi' by Steve James