First-person accounts describing emotional and psychological experiences for people researching real-world perspectives on intensive meditation practice.
Vipassana : Diary of a Bipolar episode following meditation
This blog page introduces a podcast series titled “Bipolar Chronicles,” in which the author recounts attending a 10-day Vipassana meditation retreat and subsequently experiencing a manic psychotic episode followed by severe depression and a bipolar diagnosis. Across several audio chapters, he describes the retreat, his hospitalisation, treatment with medications including lithium, and his gradual recovery.
In later blog posts, he reflects on the lingering effects of mania and depression, his mixed feelings about Vipassana meditation, and his belief that such intensive retreats can pose serious mental health risks for some individuals. While he acknowledges meditation’s potential value, he ultimately says he would not repeat the experience and emphasises the psychological toll it took on him.
In later blog posts, he reflects on the lingering effects of mania and depression, his mixed feelings about Vipassana meditation, and his belief that such intensive retreats can pose serious mental health risks for some individuals. While he acknowledges meditation’s potential value, he ultimately says he would not repeat the experience and emphasises the psychological toll it took on him.
The comments are also interesting, with many people mentioning that they’ve had similar experiences.