- Meditation retreats linked to suicides; mental health risks raised
- Participants report psychosis, terror; challenges with isolation and meditation
- Despite benefits, intensive retreats may induce severe mental disorders
After two Americans and one Canadian who attended a popular 10-day retreat committed suicide, authorities issued a warning about the severe mental health risks associated with intense meditation.
All eight deaths were attributed to adverse reactions to the extreme psychological ‘therapies’ that they practised; two of the unfortunate individuals perished during the journey, and a third was discovered deceased ten weeks later.
The retreats emphasised Vipassana, a form of meditation that requires participants to remain motionless for a minimum of eleven hours daily; speaking and laughter are strictly prohibited.
Jaqui McDermott, a 22-year-old Canadian, was discovered deceased approximately 30 miles from a retreat in 2022 after his vehicle departed during the nocturnal hours of the ninth day.
In the days preceding the incident, the aspiring artist reportedly endured “constant emotional episodes,” according to a subsequent report.
Another is Pennsylvania native Megan Vogt, 25, described by her peers as a “fun-loving adventurer” before her 2017 retreat attendance. According to her family, she returned home from the 10-day excursion in a state of psychosis, incoherence, and suicidal ideation.
After ten weeks, her body was discovered, reflecting a self-inflicted demise.
“Kindly accept my apologies for my actions,” she wrote in a note after that discovery. I distinctly recall the activities I engaged in during the retreat. I, at last, retrieved that memory. I am unable to coexist with myself.
In 2012, the remains of Ian Thorson, who had attended Princeton, were discovered in a fissure in Arizona with his incoherent wife after they escaped from a retreat.
Both individuals were former Diamond Mountain Retreat Centre members, an enigmatic Buddhist sect renowned for its Vipassana and other meditation techniques.
Tens of thousands of individuals annually participate in Vipassana retreats to attain “tranquilly” and “a new path.”
While many assert that their experiences at one of America’s 14 centres were favourable, others have compared them to “voluntary imprisonment” and charged instructors with “borderline malpractice-worthy irresponsibility.”
Professionals caution that participants are sleep-deprived and starving, with no food permitted after 11 a.m., and are roused daily at 4 a.m. for meditation.
However, lengthy waiting lists continue to be a rumour, and attendees are not required to pay for the experience. Instead, locations are sustained through donations.
Numerous hospitalisations and cases of psychosis associated with the intensive meditative therapy advocated by the centres have recently surfaced.
A journalist who investigated the centres for the Financial Times, Madison Marriage, disclosed, “I have now conducted interviews with dozens of individuals who have completed these retreats and experienced an entirely negative reaction.” In terms of their mental health, it is comparable to a veritable cliff leap.
“Psychosis is extremely prevalent”
“Physical pain and hallucinations are comparable to electrical discharges that traverse their bodies.”
“Terror, abject terror, is the major one.”
“One person emailed me this week and said, ‘Thank you for making this podcast; I thought I was alone.'” She further stated to NPR. Additionally, he stated that he would rather amputate his limb than return to that state of mind.
Research indicates that engaging in meditation may provide some relief from mental health issues such as phobias, anxiety, melancholy, and compulsive disorders.
However, according to psychologists, being left alone for hours with one’s thoughts can paradoxically induce severe mental disorders in a small number of vulnerable individuals.
However, experts are concerned that celebrities’ “mindfulness hype” has largely obscured these risks.
Previously, British psychologist and researcher Dr Miguel Farias stated that around five per cent of individuals experience a paradoxical effect as a result of these practices.
It causes them to experience heightened anxiety, panic attacks, and potentially even psychosis.
He further stated, “Many individuals have undiagnosed underlying mental health issues or childhood traumas.”
“Forcing them to sit alone with their thoughts evokes distressing memories they cannot confront.”
Ms McDermott had been traversing Canada in a converted camper van and documenting her experiences on Facebook before the retreat.
Although she was employed on a farm in British Columbia, where she planted trees, she registered to attend the retreat in October 2022.
She blushed on the ninth day of the retreat. Thirty miles from the centre, her van and belongings were ultimately discovered; they had been abandoned after running out of petrol.
According to a police report, she was experiencing emotional outbursts in the immediate time preceding her demise.
The report stated, “Jacqueline appeared ashamed of a past action she had performed but did not specify what it was.”
“However, Jacqueline exhibited no indications of suicidal ideation or self-harm,” the statement continued.
Nathalie St-Maurice, the daughter’s mother, disclosed that her daughter was looking forward to the retreat and that she “thought it was what she needed to do next to advance to the next… spiritual level or whatever.”
“She had been engaging in daily meditation for a few years and discovered that it helped her tremendously to calm her down simply.”
She reports that the retreat’s reaction to the death of her daughter, in which she was denied the keys to her vehicle, has left her “still trembling.”
Upon the arrival of participants at Vipassana retreats, their mobile phones and keys are confiscated.
Additionally, they are placed in “spartan-like” lodging, which may consist of sharing with another participant or being alone. All interpersonal communication is prohibited.
Individuals may also be provided with a completely vegan diet, which frequently comprises a mere 50% of the daily caloric intake they typically adhere to.
Videos from the late Vipassana leader Goenka continue to be utilised in the classroom.
Parents disclosed that before enrolling in the course, Ms. Vogt appeared “ecstatic.”
However, they reported that the centre contacted them after ten days and requested that they collect their daughter, stating she was “confused.”
She attempted self-harm en route home by jumping from a moving vehicle. On the highway, her father, who was following in an automobile, observed the doors of his wife’s vehicle flying open.
Ms. Vogt was subsequently admitted to a hospital’s mental health facility, where she resided for over a week.
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Despite being released from the hospital with a prescription for psychiatric medication, Ms Vogt continued to exhibit symptoms of bewilderment, such as withdrawing from social gatherings and becoming disoriented while travelling to a relative’s residence.
PennLive reported that on the seventh day of the retreat, she disclosed to her parents that she had started experiencing difficulties and had no idea who she was or why she was there.
However, there were no demands for assistance or intervention.
Instead, Ms. Vogt was obligated to meditate at the centre for an additional three days under the supervision of a volunteer.
Regrettably, the young woman committed suicide by suicide within ten weeks of her return from the retreat.
