How meditation may make nervous system dysregulation worse

[@a.caramfil9670]

CPTSD and I meditate since 10 years. This is what helped and still helps me the most, every day.

[@FreshAgenda]

Explains perfectly why meditation caused me to panic. I kept trying over and over... I see now that did more harm than good. Thank you

[@jessicamaguire7499]

You're welcome. I'm glad it helped you say it might not be the right fit for now.

[@maddalenatasselli6577]

same here

[@browntrousersmoment]

Same here, very close to panic attacks and going crazy.

[@candicejohnson4562]

At first meditation did make things worse. Now I can’t survive without it. I literally love going within.

[@gaia4713]

Keep in mind that meditation is not sitting still with closed eyes, it's a mindset not the act you do to get to that mindset. You're meditative if you're content with the moment you're in, you're grounded, doesn't pay attention to the past or the future, just fully living in the moment. If you are panicking when you are "meditating", then you aren't meditating. You can reach the state of meditation in countless ways. I see where you're coming from but meditating is almost a MUST to regulate your nervous system. But not all types of meditation might be right for you. I think that the group of people you are talking about should try an active form of meditation instead, like going for a walk or doing anything creative where you only focus on the thing you're doing. The important part here is that you should try to be able to not engage with any upcoming thoughts (though you shouldn't be hard on yourself and get mad if you can't, that only makes it worse). It takes a lot of practice to get there for most people so patience is needed (and that is the case for all ways of healing)

[@gaia4713]

but yes exactly, you need to get to that meditative state in your own way, cause just thinking you can do it instantly and going all in without knowing what you're doing really, might make things worse. So find a way that suits you best. One thing that could work is writing to get out thoughts and feelings this way at first (which actually could also be a form of active meditation) so that when you go deeper you've already unloaded some stuff so that it doesn't get as overwhelming. But as I said earlier, there are countless ways of getting there, find what suits you best:) Good luck💕

[@MovewithNinax]

AGREED with you more than her 🤷🏻‍♀️ I am living proof meditation has 100 percent helped my anxiety ,frustration and nervous system from trauma .

[@gaia4713]

@@MovewithNinax Yes same for me too

[@beyondfitrd]

Jessica is just passing along the “warning” that mediation can be dysregulating to SOME trauma survivors. I first read this in Bessel van der Kolk’s book, The Body Keeps the Score. Dr. Stephen Porges, who developed Polyvagal Theory, also talks about this (surprising) finding in some trauma survivors undergoing the Save and Sound protocol. In these cases Dr. van der Kolk recommended yoga, Tai chi, or Qi gong as safe places to start which all include movement instead of sitting still.

[@JonasAnandaKristiansson]

Meditation is not a mindset. The pure state of Being, the natural state (sahaja) IS Meditation. I am not saying I don't see what you are saying though of course. Living meditation, opened eyes or not, is called "Sahaja Samadhi". The highest, and funnily enough, the natural state of who we truly are.

[@t3hfonz0h]

Omg. I started to cry watching this video because I just re-started a meditation practice about 5 days ago, and my chronic dysregulation has flared up to such an uncomfortable degree and I’ve been trying to figure out why because I have been resting more, BUT during those meditations my heart is racing and I can’t wait for it to be over so I can “relax”. Crazy right? Thinking I’m doing good by enduring a meditation but it’s not what my body wants and needs right now. I actually bought the Vagus Nerve course a couple days ago so I think stumbling on this video now tells me I’m on the right track. Thank you Jessica!

[@zxerks]

Same thing happened to be except in the beginning it was working but within time it harmed me more than it helped and can you please tell me more about this course?

[@cassiemergo9592]

I did rewiring exercises for about a year before meditation felt calming. Now that I am able to sit with sensations and observe them with acceptance, meditation is very soothing for me.

[@jessicaburgers]

What rewiring exercises?

[@julianaroh5509]

When you meditate,you sharpen and heighten awareness.This uncovers everything that you always had running in the background.For example,you always felt anxiety..but can distract yourself or numb it.Not really seeing it clearly.This is very uncomfortable when it arises.But what it shows me is what type of baggage i am carrying.In my case its fear,anger and trauma,negativity.So inchange ny meditation to heart practice like loving kindness or compassion or being positive or wholesome.Meditate with beautiful colours.Things that directly oppose those mind states.Ever since i practice metta the discomfort is managable.If you really want to practice focused awareness meditation like the breath then you need to go into a "protective environment" like a silent retreat with skilled teachers...make sure to exercise or do yoga to integrate the excess energy..meditation is powerful purification of the mind tool..it comoletely wiped out my inner narration..no random thoughts arise in my mind..empty mind.Very powerful..but it cost me a lot of perservering and silent retreat at home...

[@jeslenmishelle333]

She definitely has a point because it needs to be done in an environment where it's not overwhelming... But the title totally misleads it trying to say that it isn't the best for it it is good for it you just have to learn how to handle it better.

[@unoffendable3496]

CPTSD, complex and/or childhood post traumatic stress disorder is something Everyone can relate to. The crappy childhood fairy on KZbin has simple tools and practices that really help. Beyond that, my vagus nerve is screaming for help. So glad to have found you.

[@suepritchard154]

Love this so much. Thus is describing what I have experienced physically many times and the sense of failure and frustration when told to keep trying.

[@victoriaspencer601]

You cannot imagine how important is this video for me. Thanks a lot for uploading this content. ❤️🌹

[@jessicamaguire7499]

You're welcome!

[@happyhealthyhadlee]

Yessss this 🙌 This was my experience with meditation for so long. I don't know that I have a history of trauma, but I used to get so incredibly stressed when meditating, especially when there were too many rules/rigid structure, because I was afraid I was doing it "wrong." Thanks for giving words to this Jessica!

[@squishesmcfluff]

👏🏼 Totally agree. It's not for everyone I've always felt it's certainly not good for everyone yet it's treated like the solution for everyone. It's overly simplistic.

[@JonasAnandaKristiansson]

True Meditation is "good for everyone". All "meditation techniques" aren't for everyone though.

[@mattcutts247]

Pretty much describes me. Though I can be present while doing things like walking, and though that helps greatly, trying to sit and meditate or be present while I lie in bed at night just makes my anxiety rise and rise until it's a burning hot poker in my brain. I sit or lie there and think, "I know I have the power to make myself painfully anxious, so what if I do that now? What's stopping me except me?" So the anxiety grows, and all I'm doing is trying to allow it or be there with it, but it just keeps growing until it's almost intolerable. Then I feel hopeless and give up and go do something else, and I almost immediately feel better.

[@shiva_productions]

Thanks Jessica. I'm in two minds whether meditation is making anxiety worse or helping. What would be great is exercise suggestions to do in place of meditation. Do you have any such video?

[@centellacola]

As written about by BBC" David Robson 4th February 2021 Stress, anxiety, productivity: mindfulness is often touted as a solution to nearly everything. But research shows that you can actually take meditation too far. almost word for word. its important i believe to cite.

[@ratqueen3809]

Thank you so much for validating my experience..i couldnt find info on this anywhere

[@jessicamaguire7499]

You are so welcome

[@sebsoud]

Sadly that's what I'm experiencing now. My psy told me to practise mindfullness with my hypersensitivity with noise, and it made me feel even much more stressed, I had to take reserve pills and I'm still feeling very bad 😥

[@kerriehill6604]

What if you’ve experienced trauma but find meditation helps to calm you in that moment, can it still be unhelpful & make dysregulation worse in the longer term?

[@jessicamaguire7499]

Hi Kerrie, if you find you feel more calm and regulated from meditation, then it wouldn't be unhelpful.

[@unoffendable3496]

You might find the tool and practices of the Crappy childhood fairy on KZbin helpful. Peace agape

[@IFeelLikeKilling]

@@unoffendable3496 you love this fairy

[@og04_75]

No if you have started to overcome your past traumas thoughts and coexist with them I think your going the right way but nothing happens overnight they could get worse if you are in wrong environment for a while

[@gemmakelly5257]

Thank you so much for this Jessica, i cannot tell you how glas i am to have found this/people with a great knowledge of the nervous system - meditation used to do me so much good, it actually helped me mostly recover from CFS - however the last couple of years it just makes my dysregulation and nervous system health soooo much worse for days afterwards - I think as I descend back down the polyvagal ladder it's hell - fight first always for me - extremeee irritability, then disassociation and déréalisation and then just so ramped up - I have CPTSD and now severe CFS and am having to live in a scary environment with my mother away from my home country - I think it's just too scary a situation for my nervous system when it slips back into sympathetic - any insight or suggestions from anyone (any of your courses maybe?) Would be sooo appreciated. I can't recover without healing my NS/dysregulation, desperate. Thank you 💜

[@unoffendable3496]

So true. Talking about your problems only reinforces you have a problem and never solves the problem.

[@nadlena]

wow, thats just for me. Thanks

[@gwnbw]

And here I am meditation has zero effect on me both good nor bad

[@mgn1621]

Laying on the floor and doing somatic exercises, feldenkrais is a better meditation for trauma

[@msjimenamor]

Jessica! Thank you for your videos! Can I make a suggestion? Could you please subtitle the videos again?

[@jessicamaguire7499]

Yes! I actually just forgot on this one but will do for the future videos.

[@msjimenamor]

@@jessicamaguire7499 thank you so much! it is very useful to spanish speakers like me

[@jessicaburgers]

Can you help me with my dysregulated nervous system? Are you a therapist? Also, nervus vagus exercises do also make things worse for me. Do you know why? :(

[@raoniyati]

Amazing ! On spot ✨

[@bbv5490]

Oh, wow! This is why try as I might, I just couldn't maintain my meditation practice before when my trauma was unhealed. Now that I've healed significantly, I am able to enjoy meditation, and it's much easier for me.

[@a_fellow_human]

Just wanted to point out that the video title has meditation misspelled.

[@jessicamaguire7499]

Oh dear, thank you!

[@danielleleadbeater9055]

Where is the link for the n.s training you mentioned at the end please Jessica? Thankyou 🙏🏼😊

[@jessicamaguire7499]

www.jessicamaguire.com/the-vagus-nerve-masterclass

[@cleret1407]

What 🤔🤔🤔

[@Nemarioji1]

If you are looking for meditation or deep sleep music, please follow through! ★︎ Wishing all of you inner calmness ★︎

[@connier570]

I was trying to explain this principle to someone the other day. Would you please reply with the link to the study(studies) showing this? Thnx!

[@jessicamaguire7499]

HI Connie - thank you for your interest. Most of the videos I post I draw from the research of several articles and from my previous studies. These can be found at gogglescholar.co. Citations are supplied with The Vagus Nerve Program - you can read more about it at www.jessicamaguire.com/vagus-nerve-program Warmly Jessica

[@IFeelLikeKilling]

@@jessicamaguire7499 your google scholars link dont work

[@madalinapacala2953]

i m so tired of this sh!th all the time. sleep is good too much sleep is bad food is good food is bad smiling is good smiling is bad, meditation is good, now meditation is bad for your nervous system. c’mon, can we catch a break? let me guess, if we buy something you sell, we would learn how to TRULY regulate it, right?

[@madalinapacala2953]

oh wow what a surprise! i watched till the end and guess what - she s selling you the REAL solution

[@madalinapacala2953]

“research has shown”? whats the source?

[@MyWits_End]

I think the hardest thing is that we are all living through the research, in real time, so if you’re proactive about your own health (and have been persisting for a long time) it’s like being on a crazy rollercoaster that never seems to end. It’s confusing and frustrating and you feel like a pinball. I was enticed by the title of this vid because Ive felt, for many years now, that meditation and mindfulness practices were often amplifying my fear and anxiety, rather than helping. I’ve been engaged in meditation for the past 30 years and still get mixed results with it, depending on anxiety and ‘activation’ levels (sounds jargony I know, but for lack of a better word, that is what is happening in my body). Also, I was already a highly mindful person long before mindfulness even became a ‘thing’, which I believe could be true for many people with chronic trauma/nervous system dysreg, due to the very nature of hypervigilance. It’s incredibly disheartening to feel like you’re doing all the things you’re ‘supposed’ to be doing and yet you don’t seem to be making any progress. I haven’t specifically tried Jessica’s ‘course’ and have no idea what it involves, but I’d definitely recommend looking into Stephen Porges and Bessel van der Kolk. I’ve made more progress over the last few years learning about how chronic (complex) trauma affects the nervous system than with any ‘mindfulness’ practice. Still a long way to go, but the more I learn to listen to my body’s signals and respect them rather than ignore them, the more progress I’m making. All the very best ❤

[@MyWits_End]

@@madalinapacala2953 I suspect the research is that of the likes of Stephen Porges and the Polyvagal Theory, which he developed through his extensive research.

[@nl6813]

You seem dysregulated, you should try meditating or see if it’s actually helping you.

[@Doriana99]

Are you sure!!!???

[@JesseBrown-qf6zp]

This may be a faulty interpretation. The homeostatic process will attempt to maintain the level of stress it has become accustomed to.