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Trauma-sensitive mindfulness: PTSD and meditation
If you have some trauma in your life, you may need to take certain precautions when meditating. While meditation can provide deep relief, calm, and even healing, it can also reveal trauma previously repressed or denied.
Trauma is an event or series of events that is so stressful that it makes us feel overwhelmed, helpless, and often fundamentally insecure. In some cases, these do not have to be particularly triggering dramatic situations but are created by prolonged emotional strain or stress.
Trauma is common, and most of us move on without lasting problems. However, about 8–10% develop post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. And recent studies suggest that 20% of patients with chronic pain also suffer from post-traumatic stress.
Mindfulness meditation can sometimes make people with PTSD feel “stuck” or poorly manage their emotions. In the worst case, meditation can lead to retraumatization. With retraumatization, strong emotional reactions or destructive coping patterns are activated, without the person having methods to regulate these. Over time, this can lead to a worsening of the condition.
Signs of possible PTSD
If you experience any of the following signs, there is reason to believe that you should adapt your meditation practice and…
