Is it normal to feel scared during meditation? Deepak Chopra answers

Meditation is an ancient practice that promotes overall wellbeing and helps in release of stress and anxiety. It is also known to connect you with your inner self, reduce rumination and help in managing thoughts and even daily tasks.

It has several science-backed benefits for physical and mental health too and it is said it can slow down ageing process, improve concentration and help fight addiction. (Also read: Anxiety not letting you meditate? Deepak Chopra has the perfect solution)

While it is believed that meditation would always make you feel positive, clear and sorted, some people report unusual experiences during meditation that may leave them scared or apprehensive about pursuing the practice further.

But is it normal to feel scared during meditation? Isn’t it supposed to make one feel peaceful?

Deepak Chopra, alternative medicine guru, author and public speaker in his recent Ask Deepak Q & A series while answering the query of a user who felt scared and sensed numbness in the body while doing breathing meditation said it is the body’s way of releasing old and accumulated fears and that the sensations pass eventually as the fears get cleared.

“Before supreme consciousness dawns, the old accumulated, buried dark fears emerge so that they can be dispelled. That is what your body is releasing with the numbness, and the fear. Treat these feelings and sensations as mere thoughts that pop up in meditation and allow your attention to easily return to your practice. They will fade in time as the underlying fears are cleared away,” said the spiritual leader.

Doing meditation on a regular basis offers a lot of benefits. It provides body benefits of deep rest and helps with chronic stress. It also helps in flow of dopamine, endorphins and serotonin that promote happiness and overall sense of well being.

“As you begin to witness your mental activity, without attempting to resist or change it, there is a spontaneous calming of the inner commotion. Over time, you will begin to notice that some space has been created around difficult emotional states. You will start to see that there is more to who you are than your moods or thoughts, and you may also observe that the sensations associated with the negative state dissolve altogether,” wrote Deepak Chopra in his portal explaining the benefits of meditation.