Your meditation practice could be causing dissociation, but meditation can also help cure it. If that sounds a little confusing, it’s because it is.
There is indeed a bizarre link between meditation and dissociation, and in this video, I’m going to teach you everything you need to know. If that sounds good to you, remember to like, comment, and subscribe. Let’s get into it.
Yes, meditation can cause dissociation. Dissociation [1] is the feeling of being detached or very distant from your thoughts, feelings, environment, or even your body. It can involve distancing from any of these core components that give us a sense of who and where we are: thoughts, feelings, sensations, environment, and body.
Why can meditation cause dissociation?
Meditation can cause dissociation because when we meditate, we train the mind to detach from everything that distracts us, including sensory information, thoughts, and feelings. Think about what happens during mindful breathing or Anapanasati meditation: you sit with your eyes closed, focusing on your breath. Inevitably, thoughts, feelings, and external stimuli distract your mind momentarily. You respond by acknowledging the distraction (“Ah, that’s just a thought or feeling”) and then return to the breath. In this style of meditation, you’re continuously devaluing distractions to train the mind to focus solely on breathing.
There is nothing inherently wrong with this approach, which I’ll explain further later. However, in this type of meditation, you are essentially dissociating from your thoughts, feelings, and so on, which is why it can cause dissociation.
Dissociate, Then Associate
Traditionally, monks and other meditators would dissociate from one thing to then associate with something else. For instance, a monk practicing Anapanasati for a long time might empty their mind of impurities like ignorance, hatred, and anger. They then refill their mind with positive qualities like compassion, loving-kindness (meta), and pure awareness of the body and surroundings. The idea is to empty the mind, like a jug, of impurities to refill it with positive qualities.
Unfortunately, this wisdom has not always been passed on to many people who meditate in the West. Most people here see meditation as merely mindful breathing or guided meditations. If you ask many people, they might say that meditation is just about mindful breathing. Thus, in the West, meditation often involves emptying the mind over and over without refilling it.
Refill Your Jug (Mind)
What I’m suggesting is that while it’s important to dissociate from impurities, you also need to refill the mind. To do this, incorporate different meditation techniques. For example, after mindful breathing, try meditation based on compassion, such as traditional meta or tonglen practices. Additionally, engage in spiritual meditation based on your chosen spiritual path, and practice Integrated Body-Mind techniques like Tai Chi or yoga to reconnect with your body. Finally, include meditation techniques that focus on the environment, such as open awareness, to become more attuned to sensory information.
You can find all of these meditation techniques on our YouTube channel. To summarize, if you are experiencing dissociation from meditation, it is likely due to a limited practice focusing solely on dissociative techniques like mindful breathing. Continue with your mindful breathing to address impurities, but also integrate practices based on compassion, spirituality, body awareness, and environmental awareness. This balanced approach can help overcome dissociation and refill your mind with positivity.
I hope you found this video useful. If you’re interested, consider joining me for a private meditation session