Thank you for taking the time to write such an in-depth reply, Robert! :)

Do I understand you correctly that you felt like I misrepresented meditation — a practice you clearly love — a bit and you wanted to clarify? If I misunderstand you, feel free to correct ;)

I agree with your definition on meditation and its purpose and I believe that many people can benefit hugely from the self-awareness they gain in their practice. I would even go further and say that more self-awareness might be one of the most needed things in society today.

However, I would probably say: It can be dangerous if intense meditation and a vulnerability for psychosis come together without guidance (that’s why I included the advice from the Oxford Mindfulness Centre about how to make meditation safe for everyone). The problem does not need to be with meditation or the person practicing it, it can be the interaction.

I heard from people who had very adverse experiences while meditating and felt terribly alone because no one was talking about it. That got me thinking and I wanted to bring more attention to these experiences.

Best wishes!