In this interview I am joined by Dr Willoughby Britton, an Associate Professor at Brown University, the Director of Brown’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, and founder of Cheetah House which provides support to those experiencing meditation-related difficulties.

Dr Britton recounts her unusual childhood interest in consciousness, why a friend’s suicide drove her to meditation, and how a psychedelic peak experience changed her view of the world.

Dr Britton considers the overlaps between spiritual experience and mental illness, why deconstructing the sense of self in search of enlightenment can lead to lasting psychological damage, and questions if experiences of fear are a necessary part of the meditative path.

Dr Britton also covers the neurobiology of attention, reveals the hidden religious messaging woven into mindfulness techniques such as Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), and shares how she deals with the negative responses from meditation enthusiasts towards her work.

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Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep250-when-meditation-goes-wrong-dr-willoughby-britton



Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast’.

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Topics include:

00:00 - Intro01:15 - Dr Britton’s upbringing and early interest in consciousness03:58 - Friend’s suicide and a life crisis 05:02 - Powerful high dose psychedelic experiences08:46 - Influence of peak experiences 09:28 - Operative mechanism of Dr Britton’s epiphany11:04 - Is redefinition of the self necessary for awakening?11:50 - What is the ‘self’?13:31 - A caveat14:19 - Many possible modifications to the sense of self and identity18:18 - What do Buddhists really mean when they talk about no-self?19:01 - Surprising disagreement between Buddhist sects 19:48 - Lack on consensus about the end goal in Buddhism20:47 - Awakening or mental illness?24:01 - Cultural differences in what constitutes mental health24:58 - Cultural influences and personal goals 26:39 - When meditation goes wrong28:35 - When no-self experiences lead to negative outcomes 30:46 - The importance of connection 32:14 - Strategic ambiguity of enlightenment34:34 - The enlightenment fantasy35:23 - Absorbing a world view from meditation instructions 36:31 - How to assess your meditation practice39:04 - Stealth Buddhism40:31 - Hidden frames of meditation techniques 41:37 - Metaphysics of MBSR 45:18 - Market forces and religion as product47:50 - Negative reactions to Dr Britton’s work51:48 - Does Dr Britton’s work threaten meditators?54:39 - Nasty emails and internet comments56:08 - Is Dr Britton upset by the negativity?57:31 - What is the goal of Dr Britton’s work?59:51 - Why look for problems?01:01:07 - How often do meditation related problems happen?01:03:03 - Founding Cheetah House to help meditators in crisis 01:04:29 - Is fear necessary on the spiritual path?01:06:20 - The neurobiology of attention01:07:43 - Attention and arousal 0110:12 - The phenomenology and meaning of fear in Buddhist meditation01:11:46 - Is fear part of the path?01:13:10 - Buddhism doesn’t have its story straight01:14:30 - The desire for a comprehensive world view

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To find out more about Dr Willoughby Britton, visit:- https://www.cheetahhouse.org/- https://www.brown.edu/public-health/mindfulness/people/willoughby-britton-phd…

For more interviews, videos, and more visit:- www.guruviking.com

Music ‘Deva Dasi’ by Steve James