Experts have warned of the serious mental health risks of intense meditation following the suicides of two Americans and a Canadian who attended a popular 10-day retreat.
Two of the tragic individuals died during the journey and another was found dead 10 weeks later; It is believed that all cases were the result of a negative reaction to the extreme psychological “therapies” they practiced.
The retreats specialized in a type of meditation called Vipassana, which involves sitting in silence for up to 11 hours a day, with speaking and even laughing prohibited.
Among the victims is Jaqui McDermott, 22, from Canada, who was found dead about 30 miles from a retreat in 2022, after wandering away in the middle of the night on the ninth day.
A later report revealed that the aspiring artist suffered “constant emotional episodes” in the days leading up to it.
Jaqui McDermott, 22, from Canada, was found dead after completing nine of ten days at a vipassana wellness retreat.
Another is Megan Vogt, 25, of Pennsylvania, who friends described as a “fun-loving adventurer” before attending the retreat in 2017. But when she returned home after the 10-day trip, she was incoherent, with suicidal tendencies and suffering from psychosis, according to stories from his family.
Ten weeks later she was found dead, having taken her own life.
In a note found later, she had written: ‘Please forgive me for doing this. I remember what I did at the retreat. I finally had that memory. I can’t live with me.’
Meanwhile, the body of Princeton-educated Ian Thorson was found in a cave in Arizona alongside his delirious wife in 2012, after the couple fled a retreat.
Megan Vogt, 25, jumped off a bridge ten weeks after attending a meditation retreat after becoming psychotic. Ian Thorson, 38, was found dead in a cave after attending a retreat where he also taught vipassana meditation.
The couple had been to Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, a secretive Buddhist sect that practices Vipassana along with other forms of meditation.
Thousands of people attend Vipassana retreats each year in the hope of finding “tranquility” and “a new path.”
While many claim they had a positive experience at one of the 14 US centers, others have described them as “like a voluntary prison sentence” and accused teachers of “exhibiting irresponsible behavior bordering on malpractice.” .
Experts warn that attendees go hungry, are not allowed to eat after 11 a.m., and are deprived of sleep; They woke me up at 4 am every day to meditate.
Pictured above is an image of what a room looks like at a Vipassana retreat center in California. The centers have a long waiting list
The photo above shows the dining room of the Vipassana center itself.
But there are still rumors that waiting lists are long and that attendees will pay no cost for the experience. Instead, locations are kept open by donations.
Numerous cases of psychosis related to the intensive meditative therapy promoted by the centers have emerged, including numerous hospitalizations.
Madison Marriage, a journalist who investigated the centers for Financial times, revealed: ‘I have interviewed dozens of people who have made these withdrawals and have had the complete adverse reaction. It’s almost like jumping off a cliff in terms of mental health.
‘Psychosis is very common.
‘So are hallucinations, physical pain, like electric shocks that go up and down their bodies.
‘The greatest is terror, abject terror.
she added to NPR: ‘One person emailed me this week saying, “Thank you for doing this podcast because I thought I was alone.” And he said he’d rather cut off his arm than go back to that headspace.
Studies suggest that meditation can help alleviate mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, compulsive disorders, and phobias.
But psychologists say being left alone with your thoughts for hours can, paradoxically, trigger serious mental illness in a small number of vulnerable people.
But experts fear these dangers have been largely overshadowed by a celebrity-driven “mindfulness hype.”
Dr Miguel Farias, a UK psychologist and researcher, previously told DailyMail.com: ‘For around five per cent of people, these practices have a paradoxical effect.
“It causes them much more anxiety, it causes panic attacks and even psychosis.”
He added: “Many people have childhood trauma or underlying mental health issues that may go undiagnosed.
“Being forced to sit alone with their thoughts brings back dark memories they can’t face.”
Before retirement, Ms. McDermott had been traveling across Canada in a converted camper van and posting about her life on Facebook.
He worked planting trees on a farm in British Columbia, but signed up to attend the retreat in October 2022.
Ms McDermott was described as a “free spirit” prior to her Vipassana retreat experience.
Ms McDermott’s mother, Nathalie St-Maurice, runs a website dedicated to her memory.
On the ninth day of the retreat he disappeared. His truck and her belongings were eventually found 30 miles from downtown and appeared to have been abandoned after running out of gas.
A police report detailed that he was suffering emotional episodes shortly before his death.
“Jacqueline seemed embarrassed about something she had previously done,” the report said, “but did not reveal what it was.”
“However, Jacqueline did not show any signs of suicidal ideation or self-harm,” he added.
Mrs. Vogt, pictured above with her then-boyfriend, committed suicide ten days after attending a vipassana center.
Her mother, Nathalie St-Maurice, revealed how excited her daughter was to go to the retreat, saying she “thought it was what she needed to do next to get to the next…spiritual level or whatever.”
“She had been meditating daily for a couple of years and found that it really helped her calm down.”
She says she is “still shaking” over the recall response after her daughter’s death, believing her vehicle keys should have been withheld from her.
When participants arrive for Vipassana retreats, their mobile phones and keys are taken away.
They are then also sent to “Spartan-type” accommodation, either sharing with another attendee or alone. All communication with others is prohibited.
People also eat a completely vegan diet, which is often only half the amount of calories they normally consume during the day.
Lessons are still taught using videos of Vipassana leader Goenka, who died in 2013.
Ms Vogt’s parents revealed that she seemed “cheerful” before attending the course.
But they said that after ten days, the center called and asked them to come pick up their daughter, saying she was “confused.”
On the way home, he attempted suicide by attempting to jump from the moving vehicle. His father, who was behind him in a car, could see the doors of his wife’s vehicle open on the road.
Mrs. Vogt was then admitted to the mental health ward of a hospital, where she remained for more than a week.
She was discharged with a prescription for psychiatric medication, but there were still signs of confusion: Mrs. Vogt would withdraw at social events or get lost on her way to a relative’s house.
PennLive reported that he told his parents that he started having problems on the seventh day of the retreat and didn’t know who he was or why he was there.
But no call was made for anyone to intervene.
Instead, Ms. Vogt had to meditate for three more days at the center while being observed by a volunteer.
Tragically, the young woman jumped and died 10 weeks after returning home from the retreat.