There are many different centers and communities around the globe that offer introductions to meditation. Often, this goes along with retreat formats that also address newcomers, offering several days to weeks of meditation programs. At the beginning or throughout the retreat, attendants receive instructions in the respective meditation tradition.

And then—they sit.

Maybe they walk a bit in between and maybe there is a meditation integration, such as helping with the preparation of food, cleaning, or any form of service that contributes to the retreat and retreat center.

But mostly you will sit - often in silence.

This does not only apply to retreats but also to other events, the format of the instructions are often similar. Often there is a quite a bit of authority integrated into the setup:

There is a (renowned) meditation teacher, maybe seated on a stage, talking about the effects of meditation. These could contain calmness, serenity, peace, or even just something like the greater good,

The intention: ultimately that's the happiness of all beings, right? Wow, what a purpose!

That’s one a lot of people might want to sign up for, no?

Lets say you have been struggeling a bit, with the question of purpose in your life, what greater purpose could there ever be?

The structure

There might be a particular time for the instructions, not so much time for questions, often no personal contact with the meditation instructor, a bit of a distance and maybe an awe element included in the then-developing "student-teacher relationship."

The context

And there is another thing that comes into play, which might not be considered too much. That is the by-now widespread pop cultural understanding of meditation that is mostly connected to relaxation, stress management, and maybe a bit of yoga. Associated with self-care, self-compassion, pleasant feelings, and beautiful people in nature. Which also influences the many shoulds and hopes a participant might have arrived with.

What trauma awareness offers

I slowly observe a bit of awareness of trauma within meditation teachers. This could lead to little sensitizations, like remarks here and there such as, "this method could not be the best tool for you if there is trauma involved," or "for trauma, you should maybe get other support."

If trauma is mentioned, it is often assessed as something the practitioner or learner themselves can name and navigate. In reality, this will simply not be the case.

A person who is traumatized might not have any idea that the symptompsthey are experiencing came due to trauma.

Why?

Broadly speaking, just using a simple distinction within trauma as shock trauma and complex trauma, the symptoms of CPTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) are widely underdiagnosed and often not recognized.

For a person with CPTSD, practicing what they have been told could be extremely hard, very discomforting, up to retraumatizing, or inducing high-stress responses such as dissociation - without any understanding why that is happening to them.

Here’s the tricky thing: while serving communities and giving instructions that are perfectly fine for many attendants, the exact same instruction will probably cause a range of difficulties for some, sometimes reinforcing each other.

Some people will find the implementation of the instructions highly challenging. Sitting in stillness might evoke exactly the opposite of 'calm' or 'quiet' but highly intense sensations and feelings as well as anxiety and unbreakable thought chains carrying trauma energy, meaning carrying survival energy. The last thing a body wants to do when confronted with fragments of survival is to sit still. What your body wants to do is flee, run, get into safety. Fighting that is literally a hell of a job.

While high activation can occur, we can also face the opposite. If the person is rather on the side of freeze, that could also be their response. An outwardly perfect-looking state of mediation, a person sitting still for hours allegedly in deep equanimity, but internally caught in states of numbness, emotionlessness, cut off from their own vividness and aliveness.

If any teacher knows what is happening for a student who is experiencing these symptomps this teacher can really support the student on their path, by understanding, by normaliszation and by directing the student to supportive resources. For the student that could make the difference between continouing to navigate themselves n the path or quitting because it simply causes too much pain.

Common meditation advice to trauma responses:

Answers to over- or understimualtion

Often the advice given by mindfulness and meditation teachers when students bring up their experiences is even aggravating the experience (without any negative intention of course).

Often the former instructions are simply repeated:

„There is restlessness? Just stay with the restlessness. Without judgment.“

„There is anxiety? What lies behind the anxiety? Can you really invite the emotion? Can you let it in?“

„You are sitting motionless for hours? Brilliant! You’re familiarizing yourself with calmness. Your mind is settling.“

These responses could be good advice for some people. But they are not for all. They can even get really dangerous for some, lengthening their journey of trauma integration and adding to a profound feeling of not being right.

There is one more common advice: people are asked to address whatever is coming up with love and compassion. Also, to address the upcoming trauma—which is then labeled as strong emotion—with love and compassion. That can simply be impossible to do.

Why?

Because the very trauma itself would not rarely be rooted in the absence of love and compassion in someone’s childhood. Love and compassion might be the very things somebody yearns to experience already a lifetime. So, unfortunately, this cannot be the solution and the problem at the same time. And it is a highly insensitive advice.

Self doubt in people experiencing adverse mediation experiences:

Why does it not work for me, while it works for everybody else?
What am I doing wrong?
What is wrong with me?

This are often the first questions meditation students who are not having an easy experience ask me. And of course: there is absolutley nothing wrong with them whatsoever. They would just need some adaptations to farmiliaroze themselves with mediation.

The Solution: What can communities do to implement trauma sensitivity?

Include trauma education in teacher training

When teaching a subject, it is highly important to be truly knowledgeable. Having expertise goes beyond personal experience with a method. It must include familiarization with unwanted and adverse effects of meditation and mindfulness practice. If only other institutions educate about these topics, meditation communities will lose trust in their expertise in the long run.

Introduce trauma education:

knowing the window of tolerance (see image above)
Understand fragmentation and how triggers activate reactions that are not chosen, the nervous system just takes over
Learn about under- and overstimulation
Understand the process of self and co-regulation

Learning about ‚outsiders‘ perspectives

I don’t question the worth of traditional or religious wisdom. But I strongly urge meditation teachers to also use research material that is gathered by non traditional institutes such as chairs of religious science. Get familiar with the content and cases that centers for adverse meditative experiences deal with. Understand the long-term psychological and physical consequences reported by affected individuals. Create space within your communities to allow these reports to carry truth.

Familiarize with the symptoms of trauma affecting meditation

Learn to be sensitive to non-verbal hints in your students. Extreme restlessness is a clear sign of struggle. Address it in a non-confrontational way. Be attentive to body language and facial expressions. You can see depression in a body. You can see freeze in a face. Again, address it in a non-confrontational way. Know how to guide somebody out of over- or underactivation (see window of tolerance).

Normalize diversity and adverse reactions

This is nearly the most important thing of all. Relieve individuals of the burden of "being other." Be compassionate and share knowledge about adverse reactions to meditation. Normalize that there is nothing wrong with them. It is not a defeat if meditation does not work as it "should." Let them know they are not doing anything wrong. There is no "should" in meditation. Ensure they know they do not have to continue with this exact form of meditation or retreat if it is too much. This does not mean they cannot continue to explore this particular path of wisdom. Make your mind up about what that means. Trauma coming up should not exclude anyone from connecting to a tradition, but it might need adaptations.

Know possibilities for adaptation (or know who knows)

If adverse consequences occur during or after a retreat or in personal practice, check in with the individual one-on-one in a calm environment. Offer modes of adaptation to the methods shared and check if that helps. Be aware that choice could already be a big support: choice of method, time, posture.

Inform people about the possibility of reactivity to self-empower

There is the suffering of a hard experience in meditation or during a retreat, and the prolonged suffering of not understanding the experience and persisting symptoms. Share knowledge to help people make connections and save themselves the experience of prolonged suffering.

Not to scare anyone, but to support understanding and obtaining the right support. Trauma can be reintegrated and finding adaptations and ways to continue personal practice is possible.

There is no need to be scared of trauma

Being aware of trauma and its consequences is important, but there is no need to fear it. Trauma will reveal itself if present. If that happens in your retreat or session, it offers an opportunity for reintegration, leading to greater well-being and understanding of oneself and the world. This can develop a profound understanding of suffering turned into compassion.

Understanding Ideology

Ideology in the definition used here is when a method 'should' work, but it does not and one still continues to do the same thing.

It can be hard to accept that a method that one has identified as the path to wisdom for another might not be the right thing at this moment. It might even cause further distress. And while in many trainings for instructors contain education on how to not subtley pressure somebody in belivieng that my treatment works when it does not exactly that is often not part of teacher trainings in spiritual communities. The very first thing trauma sensitivity teaches somebody who is affected is that they themselves know exactly what is good for them, they might just need support in hearing their inner voices better. What we don't do in this approach is saying: "This is good for you you just can't notice it yet."

Having the humility and presence to communicate instructions without pressure or subtle messages of right or wrong is a high art.

It can be very helpful to see if one can really do that. If a participant would tell me right after class that this was horrible and they don't ever want to do this again, can I just hear that? Really listen to it? Can I listen without having to change this persons experience, without making that person realize that this is nectar and they just don't get it? Is my ego offended if somebody can not relate to this precious method I just presented?

This space of recognition often allows exploring alternative responses with compassion - which might maybe actually support the person in distress instead of defending my tradition.

Facilitate low barrier (or no barrier) check ins with teachers or instructors

Make sure that people can exchange with an instructor. This can be build in the retreat scedule, tso everybody will speak to an instructor anyways or it can happen upon request. I do recommend the first option. Its much easier for people to talk if they dont need to request the time and space for it if they might anyways be struggeling with seldf care and/or self consciousness.

If people are having a hard time, make sure that they have the opportunity to tell you about it without having to share thir experience in front of fifty, hundred or two hundred people. Also clearly communicate this as an opportunity to talk about difficulties arising with the practice, not just a space for questions.

Simple adaptations to guide more trauma sensitve meditation:

The breath is not a safe anchor for everyone. Communicate that and give alternatives.
Let people find a safe anchor in their body to return to if feeling too challenged.
Let people experience pendulation, showing they can stay with intense experiences but also remove their attention if needed.

Adapt tradition if you have to

Make spaces safe enough for all - not just for neurotypical people. Trauma sensitivity might not be part of traditional approaches. Cell phones were not either. Neither were airplanes. Nowadays we fly to teachings and we listen to their recordings on our phones.

Find ways to reconcile ancient knowledge with modern approaches without creating schism.

This is a start! I’m sorry to say it’s not complete.