Experts have warned of serious mental health risks from intense meditation following the suicides of two Americans and a Canadian who took part in the popular 10-day retreat.
Two of the tragic figures died during the trip and the other was found dead 10 weeks later, but in both cases a denial of the extreme psychological “therapy” they practiced. It is thought that this is the result of a similar reaction.
The retreat specializes in a type of meditation called Vipassana, which prohibits talking or even laughter and requires you to sit in silence for up to 11 hours per day.
Among the victims was Jaki McDermott, 22, from Canada, who died in 2022 after driving away in a car about 30 miles from the evacuation center late at night on the ninth day. It was discovered that there was.
Later reports revealed that the aspiring artist had been suffering from “constant emotional episodes” for several days.
Jaki McDermott, 22, from Canada, was found dead after completing 9 of 10 days at a Vipassana wellness retreat.
Another is Megan Vogt, a 25-year-old from Pennsylvania who was described by friends as a “fun adventurer” before attending the retreat in 2017. However, upon returning home after her 10-day trip, she was incoherent and suicidal, and her family said she was suffering from mental illness.
Ten weeks later, she took her own life and was found dead.
A note later found said, “Please forgive me for doing this.” It reminds me of something I did on a retreat. The memory finally came back to me. You can’t live with me. ”
Meanwhile, the body of Princeton-educated Ian Thorson was found in a cave in Arizona in 2012 after he and his deranged wife fled their hideout.
Megan Vogt, 25, became mentally ill and jumped off a bridge 10 weeks after attending a meditation retreat. Ian Thorson, 38, attended a retreat that also taught Vipassana meditation before she was found dead in a cave.
They were at Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, a secret Buddhist cult that practices Vipassana alongside other forms of meditation.
Every year, thousands of people attend Vipassana retreats in hopes of finding tranquility and a new path.
While many claim they had a positive experience at one of the 14 centers in the United States, others described it as “akin to a self-imposed prison sentence” and said teachers “showed irresponsible behavior bordering on medical malpractice.” Some people criticize this.
Experts have warned that participants are starving, are not allowed to eat after 11am and are deprived of sleep. Wake up at 4am every day and meditate.
The photo above is an image of what a room looks like at a Vipassana retreat center in California.The center has a long waiting list.
The photo above is the dining room of the same Vipassana Center.
However, the waiting list is rumored to still be long, as participants can try it out for free. Instead, the location will be kept open through donations.
Currently, there are many cases of psychosis related to the intensive meditation therapy promoted by the center, including many hospitalizations.
Journalist Madison Marriage, who investigated the center for the Financial Times, revealed: “I’ve now interviewed dozens of people who have done these retreats and had complete side effects.” In terms of their mental health, it’s like jumping off a cliff.
“Mental illness is really common.
“So are hallucinations and electrical pains that move up and down the body.
“The biggest thing is fear, terrible fear.
She added to NPR: “This week I got an email from someone saying, ‘Thank you for making this podcast because I thought I was alone.’ And he said he would rather watch his arm leave than go back into that mental headspace. ”
Research shows that meditation may help reduce mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias.
But psychologists say hours spent alone with thoughts can paradoxically lead to severe mental illness in a small number of vulnerable people.
But experts fear these risks have been largely overshadowed by the “mindfulness hype” from celebrities.
British psychologist and researcher Dr. Miguel Farias previously told DailyMail.com: “For about 5 percent of people, these habits have paradoxical effects.”
“It makes them more anxious, leading to panic attacks and even psychosis.”
He added: “Many people have childhood trauma and underlying mental health issues that are undiagnosed.
“When you’re forced to sit alone and think, it brings up dark memories that you can’t deal with.”
Before the retreat, McDermott traveled across Canada in a converted campervan and posted about her life on Facebook.
She was working as a tree planter on a farm in British Columbia and has registered to attend a retreat in October 2022.
McDermott was described as a “free spirit” before going on a Vipassana retreat.
McDermott’s mother, Natalie St. Maurice, runs a website dedicated to his memory.
On the ninth day of the withdrawal, she disappeared. Her van and her belongings were eventually found 30 miles from the center, apparently abandoned after running out of gas.
A police report details that she suffered an emotional episode shortly before her death.
“Jacqueline seemed ashamed of what she had done earlier,” the report said, but “did not reveal what it was.”
“However, Jacqueline showed no signs of self-harm or suicidal thoughts,” it added.
Vogt, pictured above with her then-boyfriend, committed suicide 10 days after attending a Vipassana center.
Her mother, Natalie St. Maurice, revealed how excited her daughter was to attend the retreat, saying, “It’s the next thing you have to do to get to the next… spiritual level or something. I thought so,” he said.
“She had been meditating every day for several years. She found that it really helped calm her down.”
She said she was “still shaken” by the reaction at the shelter after her daughter’s death and believes she should never have been given the car keys.
When participants arrive at a Vipassana retreat, their cell phones and keys will be taken away.
Participants are then sent to “modest” accommodation. Share with other participants or stay alone. Any communication with others is prohibited.
And while people eat completely vegan diets, the amount of food they eat is often only half of the calories they would normally consume in a day.
Lessons are still taught using videos of Vipassana teacher Goenka, who passed away in 2013.
Ms Vogt’s parents revealed how “cheerful” she seemed before she joined the course.
But after 10 days, she received a call from the center saying her daughter was “disoriented” and asking her to come pick her up.
On her way home, she attempted suicide and attempted to jump from a moving car. Her father, who was following her in the car behind her, said he saw his wife’s car door open on the highway.
Vogt was then admitted to the hospital’s mental health unit, where he remained for more than a week.
Although Vogt was prescribed psychiatric medication and released from the hospital, he continued to show signs of confusion, withdrawing from social events and getting lost on the way to relatives’ homes.
PennLive reported that she started having problems on the seventh day of the retreat, telling her parents that she didn’t know who she was or why she was there.
But there were no calls for anyone to intervene.
Instead, Vogt was asked to meditate for three more days at the center, supervised by volunteers.
Sadly, this young woman jumped to her death within 10 weeks of returning home from the shelter.
