Mindfulness Meditation: The Limitations
The benefits of mindfulness are vast, particularly during the initial months or even years of practice. Mindfulness quiets the mind and relaxes the body. However, over time, the effects may start to wane as you exhaust the function of the practice. You might think you're not trying hard enough, so increase the duration and frequency of your sessions, sitting longer each day. Despite these efforts, the usefulness of mindfulness practice plateaued. If this sounds familiar, you may have reached the limitations of mindfulness meditation.
Mindfulness practice, in essence, boosts your awareness by observing thoughts as they come and go, quieting the mind, and offering temporary relief. Awareness brings recognition and insights, but it does not necessarily address or resolve the root causes of distress. As long as the root causes remain, mindfulness can become a never-ending game of whack-a-mole, where you repeatedly address symptoms without solving the underlying issues.
We often struggle with the "monkey mind," trying to shut down the incessant thoughts through mindfulness. However, what we truly seek is inner peace, not thoughtlessness. Only a dead person could achieve thoughtlessness. The problem isn't the presence of thoughts—the ability to think is one of the greatest features of the human brain, fostering inspiration and creativity and moving the human race forward. The problem arises when repetitive thoughts incessantly harass you, eventually leading to anxiety, depression, or mental breakdown.
The meditative state of consciousness relaxes your emotions by disassociating and detaching from troubling emotions or thoughts. However, without resolving the root causes or breaking free from the patterns, once you leave the meditative state, the troubling thoughts and emotions surge back.
The practice of mindfulness allows you to be aware of thoughts and emotions that come and go, focusing on the present “now” and not being taken away by the turbulence. Yet, deep inside, the thinking patterns and painful wounds remain, merely buried without being addressed.
It's like a boat with a leaky bottom: mindfulness is busy patching the holes and scooping out the water to keep the boat afloat and maintain a "peaceful" mind. Once you're out of the meditative state, the water starts to leak in again, turning mindfulness meditation into an unavoidable chore.
Studies show that long-term meditators (44,000 hours over a lifetime) can reduce emotional reactivity to achieve a peaceful mind or relaxed state. However, considering efficiency, this strategy may not be ideal.
If you experience the limitations of mindfulness, perhaps consider exploring other techniques, such as eye movement to release intense emotions or meditation to uncover unconscious feelings and identify the root causes.