Untold: Power for Sale

The podcast is well produced and the host poised and professional. I find some of the negative reviews a bit unfair. I don’t understand why calling the investigation biased when In ep2 the host clearly engages with experts to try and understand more about extreme meditation and the possible impact on the mind. There was never an implication that meditation is bad per se, only that it cam be for certain people, and most importantly for this reason, it should be approached more personably instead of the generalised one size fits all approach, which is what happens in all those retreats. I don’t understand the controversy with the content - ie most people tolerate a certain kind of recreational drug or mood-stabilising medication, whether some other people might even die or experience severe side effects because of it. Like what was said in ep2, any mind-altering practice or pharmaceuticals can either help or damage the nervous system on some levels. Crucially, sustained sleep deprivation, on top of meditating obsessively, is the absolute perfect recipe for an hypo-maniac episode. It’s not that controversial really! It is a totally believable argument.

I’ve been a meditator for 40 Years. My first retreat was at 18 years old at a goenka centre. It is always made clear that these are run by volunteers, not mental health professionals and you sign a waiver with regard to your mental health. I’ve found that to be true at all the other vipassana and meditation centres of all hues… you are responsible For yourself.thus, there isn’t really a story here. Some people found it mentally challenging and expected more support than they got.

Excellent investigation. Thank you for putting light to the facts and being so upfront. Great podcast. Now, as a voter, how can we be efficient and vote for the right person? That a question which remains

Thought this was a really interesting, gripping and well told story about the risks involved, for some people, in this type of meditation. The journalist makes clear they are rare but also devastating when they do happen. From reading about the organisation involved they have also clearly helped a lot of people, which isn’t being disputed, but that doesn’t detract from the fact that they there should be more awareness of risks for people getting involved and the need for better training and safeguarding procedures for staff. Some of the people criticising seem to be very defensive which is a shame as that prevents inclusivity and progression and a positive way forward for everyone.