One just sits and clears the mind and that is it, right? That seems to be most people's reasoning of what meditation does and how it works. Unfortunately that is far from true.
Meditation is a process and a practice that takes time to see benefit. It is just like exercising or learning any skill. There will be mess ups and all sorts of pit falls for the beginner. It is even worse if you have no one to help you along the path.
There have been many studies recently about the hazards of meditation as well as some down right bad trips reported again and again. Although these are all very valid questions to delve into, there may be contributing reasons for things like Zen Sickness and other problems that have occurred for meditation practitioners.
Frequently the problem arises from newer practitioners that decide to take some form of intensive retreat. There generally is little if no meditation practice under their belts and often they are seeking assistance with either substance issues (desire) or some form of doubt about life/existence or another suffering.
Those are all exactly why meditation was developed. Look only to the Buddha for those answers. He was distraught, depressed and anxious about his own eventual demise and suffering and decided to go on his own to find the answers, and, he did. His practice and development as well as his followers was not without problem. There were suicides, arguments, violence and schisms through out his teaching career. Although he outlined a remedy for such issues, some are not easily applied and we have little help from spirits, devas and the like as The Buddha had (See descriptions of Angulimala, Devdutt and other's attempts to injure the Buddha. Inevitably there is some supernatural interference we just do not have the benefit of counting on.
later we have discussions on the trouble with meditation itself, and some of the issues his followers had. Largely these are easily remedied with a new type of practice as outlined in the Satipahtana Sutra and others.
These days there are plenty of problems meditators have that may be linked to physiology. These can be from certain forms of meditation, meditation that is unguided by a teacher and meditation that is inappropriate for the temperament and personality of the practitioner. What makes them so?
What is Vitamin D?
One answer may be with the humble Vitamin D (D2 and D3 to be more precise.) Vitamin D is a fat soluble vital component of health. It is derived from cholesterol ( We will talk about that in a moment) and as most know can be synthesized from exposure to UV radiation or regular sunlight. It is necessary for many functions and helps with; bone mineralization, muscle growth, nerve growth and maintenance, hormonal balance, and much much more.
How much do I actually need?
Well, that is where it gets murky. According to basic medical knowledge, 90% of your body's Vitamin D is from exposure to sunlight. You are not getting enough...
An adult needs for basic and normal function to have between 800 and 2000 International Units, NOT milligrams of Vitamin D3 Daily... Now, lets look at that 90%....
Your exposure has to do with many factors; your age, time outside, the weather, the latitude you live in, your skin color, clothing, sunscreen use, cholesterol levels...
Let's look at one at a time:
Age: Children- just 400 IUs. 1 to 70 years old, 600 UI, over 70, 800 IUs...
Time Outside: 10 to 30 minutes* with over 70% body exposure (see the Rule of 9s chart for an idea of how much that is) DAILY.
The Weather: If it is cold, you would wear more clothing and block the sun, or a hat etc. Heavy overcast days can reduce the amount of exposure.
The latitude you live in: Live near the equator? great you are getting some good amounts, live in high up in the Northern or lower in the Southern hemisphere? You will have intense sun but less exposure (See my writings on skin color and absorption for more).
Skin Color: According to the Fitzgerald Skin Index Chart (link below), darker skin will block more UV rays, so will need longer to absorb and make Vitamin D.
Clothing: Heavy clothing, hats, etc all block UV rays.
Sunscreen use: Sunscreen use has been linked to preventing and causing skin cancer, but one thing that is for sure, if you are covered in sunscreen, your UV radiation absorption is decreased.
Cholesterol: Since the synthesis of vitamin D requires cholesterol, those that are on cholesterol lowering drugs may have more need for vitamin D supplementation and cannot make it from available safe sunlight.
So let's think for a minute...
If you live in the modern West, (I live in Colorado) it is often too cold to go out without covering, if it is warm, it is oppressively hot and bright. I spend most days indoors in my office. I get almost no vitamin D from sun exposure. Think about how much of each of the conditions you are subject to in an average day, do you think you get enough? Nope.
So why vitamin D for meditators?
If you are meditating a lot (an hour a day +) then I would suggest strongly you look into you vitamin D levels and possibly substitute and supplement.
Vitamin D is shown to have effects on normal hormone levels. Testosterone slowly diminishes as men age and also have seasonal fluctuations that can show up as not only the fetters, but as sleepiness, lack of energy etc. Estrogen is the same for women (Levels are important in both men and women). Estrogen also is related to energy level, amount of interest in activities etc. These all have direct effect on mood and mental stability.
Serotonin; the 'feel normal' chemical is related and in some ways regulated by the amount of vitamin D in the body. Without it? sleep troubles, depression, anxiety.
Dopamine; the reward drug our body makes, if it is low I would not expect you to feel great about sitting or any practice really. Low amounts can lead to be less motivated and not excited about things.
Vitamin D depletion (severe lack) can lead to Rickets. In kids this leads to malformation of bones and muscle pains and weakness. I would expect similar symptoms in adults. Look at the prevalence of Fibromyalgia and other similar disorders that many are prescribing vitamin D with great success.
Vitamin D also can help regulate or help the pancreas with sugar metabolism. Diabetes, hypoglycemia and the like. Those all cause similar symptoms.
Can it hurt you?
Well, yes and no. Vitamin D3 is a fat soluble compound that has many functions and uses in a good normal body. Too much, say 4,000 IUs for long periods may cause issues with the kidneys or liver. Since it can build up and is not easily metabolized and released in water like vitamin C is, you should just take a more moderate (middle of the road) dose... Check with your doctor, you can get a blood test to see your levels and then go from there.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4384440/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25713056/
https://tricycle.org/magazine/meditation-sickness/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=keywee&kwp_0=2103079&kwp_4=6024463&kwp_1=2593182&fbclid=IwAR32s-TRhQ60EineTNHlnFJ_Y0_YVM0AnPcSQUPEWrr7n6GIzRNZlpqtfYY
https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/circresaha.118.311585#:~:text=Six%20different%20steroid%20hormones%20go,%2C%20the%20active%20dihydroxy%2Dform%2C
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140226110836.htm
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3754823/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/sdfe/reader/pii/S2251729413000050/pdf
https://bmcnutr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40795-020-00342-x
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/much-skin-needs-exposed-vitamin-d-8162.html
https://www.devotedcreations.com/docs/The_Fitzpatrick_Skin.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK513287/
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/burn_percentage_in_adults_rule_of_nines/article_em.htm
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0165032719333713
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/40th_parallel_north
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4151027/#:~:text=The%20general%20physiological%20function%20of,and%20a%20potent%20immune%20system.
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