Mindfulness meditation is worldwide known as one of the most effective ways of stress reduction. Trungpa once said that meditation is for the normal neurotics. In my opinion this means people who are just barely coping with their stress might benefit enormously from meditation because they might actually gain a good surfboard to cope with it. They always had some sort of control over themselves but it was very neurotic and they could not relax into life, in such a case meditation is the ultimate tool to train this. But then there are some people are literally flooded by their stress. they have totally lost themselves and often describe their state of mind as numb and derealized. I think in this case it might be smart to not meditate at first. In this case the stress has to come down naturally first, these people have to learn how to just BE first, how to truly relax. Trungpa Rinpoche and Suzuki Roshi, two of the greatest meditation teachers that ever lived actually had plans to create a place to live for people who have mental problems. Meditation would not have been the focus of this place, rather would it be a place where people feel they can just be themselves for a moment, they don’t have to reach or have control over anything. Than, just like mud sinks down in troubled water if you no longer stir it, the stress naturally comes down and there will be a first glimpse of our innate intelligence. If people get more familiar with this, then they can slowly change from unhealthy neurotics to healthy neurotics. This is the moment where meditation can form the perfect continuation of this process of becoming ourselves more and more.
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