In this guide you’ll learn how to meditate safely with trauma, the best techniques to use, and what to avoid…
Meditation is widely seen as one of the most powerful tools for healing trauma and soothing emotions. It helps calm the mind, build awareness, and bring us into the present. But in my experience — through my own practice, research, and years as a meditation teacher — meditation isn’t always a gentle path. Sometimes, it brings up painful thoughts, emotional discomfort, or even re-lived trauma.
Let’s talk about why that happens, and how to approach meditation safely if you’ve experienced trauma.
When Meditation Triggers Trauma
Sometimes the very thing that’s meant to help us — like deep breathing or cultivating compassion— can stir up unexpected discomfort. That’s especially true for trauma survivors, because certain sensations or emotions that are encouraged in meditation may be tied to painful experiences.
Take loving-kindness meditation, for example. It’s a practice meant to cultivate feelings of love and compassion — beautiful, right? But what if you’ve learned to associate love with pain?
This is more common than people think. For someone who has experienced emotional abuse or abandonment, the feeling of love may be tangled up with fear, grief, or betrayal. So when a meditation asks them to feel or send love, it can open emotional wounds rather than soothe them.
Common Associations with Meditation Practices:
| Common Meditation Technique | Why It Might Trigger Trauma |
|---|---|
| Loving-Kindness | Associating love with past emotional pain |
| Breathing Meditation | Breath linked to traumatic experiences like asthma attacks or panic |
| Mindfulness of Thoughts | Can bring up intrusive or distressing thoughts |
What If the Breath Is a Trigger?
Breath awareness is probably the most recommended meditation technique out there. It’s often framed as the ultimate relaxation tool. But here’s something that doesn’t get said enough:
Not everyone finds the breath relaxing.
As someone with asthma, I know this firsthand. I’ve had moments — especially as a child — when I couldn’t breathe properly, when every inhale was a struggle, and when that struggle ended in a hospital visit. Those memories live in my body. So when I was new to meditation many years ago, focusing on my breath didn’t always bring peace. Sometimes, it brought fear.
People with asthma, panic disorder, or other respiratory issues may associate breathing with trauma. And for them, being told to “just breathe” during meditation can be anything but calming.
Trauma-Related Conditions and Breathing Meditation:
- Asthma: Breath → Hospital visits, panic attacks
- Panic Disorder: Breath → Dizziness, overwhelming anxiety
- Post-Traumatic Stress: Breath → Flashbacks, hypervigilance
Thought-Focused Meditation Isn’t for Everyone
Now let’s talk about cognitive styles of meditation like Vipassana — techniques that involve observing your thoughts and inner world closely.
These practices are powerful, but they can be tough, at first, for people with trauma histories, PTSD, or certain mental health conditions like BPD. When your mind has been the source of intense pain, focusing on it can reopen wounds. Those who are used to avoiding their thoughts and feelings sometimes find that deeply inward-looking meditations actually make things worse before they get better.
This doesn’t mean they can’t meditate. It just means they might need a different approach.
Why Cognitive Meditation Techniques Might Not Work for Trauma Survivors:
- Increased Anxiety: Observing thoughts can bring up painful memories.
- Triggers: Focus on internal experiences can amplify distress.
- Overwhelming: Mindfulness of thoughts may re-traumatize without proper grounding.
The Real Problem: Associations
You might’ve noticed a theme here — the word association comes up a lot. And that’s really the heart of this issue.
When a meditation practice involves something that you associate with trauma — whether that’s breath, thoughts, love, or body sensations — it can trigger a traumatic response.
Meditation Techniques and Trauma Association:
- Breath Awareness: Linked to past panic attacks or breathing struggles.
- Loving-Kindness: Associated with emotional abuse or abandonment.
- Thought-Focused Meditation: Thoughts may trigger past trauma or lead to emotional overload.
How To Meditate Safely With Trauma
Thankfully, there’s a simple and effective way to meditate safely if you’ve experienced trauma.
1. Throw Out the One-Size-Fits-All Advice
Breathing meditation isn’t always the answer. Neither is loving-kindness. These practices are often taught as universal cures, but they’re not trauma-informed by default. If a technique involves something you associate with pain, skip it — at least for now.
2. Find Grounding, Neutral Techniques
Instead, start with meditations that feel safe and neutral. Body-based practices can be helpful. So can open awareness meditations, where you gently rest your attention on sounds, sights, or sensations around you. Use these techniques until you feel stable, calm, and confident.
3. Reintroduce Triggers Slowly and Mindfully
When you feel ready to work with trauma more directly, you can begin to reintroduce the things you associate with it — but do this gently.
For instance, if loving-kindness has been painful in the past, you might begin by generating only a small feeling of compassion, then returning to body awareness to stay grounded. You can alternate like this: breath, then compassion; then back to the body, then another small dose of compassion. Bit by bit, this creates healing without overwhelm.
This is the approach I use when I work with people who have trauma tied to relationships or emotional pain. We work gently, gradually, and with care — always coming back to safety.
Try the following trauma-informed Loving Kindness Meditation
4: Sincerity
Those with trauma should approach meditation with sincerity. That means not just doing random guided meditations, but learning from books and taking lessons with professionals such as myself.
How to Meditate Safely with Trauma: Step-by-Step
- Avoid Meditation Techniques Tied to Trauma:
- Don’t start with breathing or loving-kindness if they trigger pain.
- Avoid thought-focused techniques until you’re more grounded.
- Start with Grounding Techniques:
- Focus on your body sensations or environmental awareness.
- These practices help you feel present and balanced.
- Gradually Reintroduce Triggering Practices:
Final Thoughts
You don’t need to force yourself through practices that don’t feel right. Meditation can be healing — but only if it meets you where you are.
If you’ve experienced trauma, choose techniques that feel safe first. The deeper healing comes in time.
Paul Harrison is a meditation teacher with 20+ years of experience and a deep passion for helping others. Known for his empathy and authentic approach, he’s dedicated to guiding individuals and teams toward mindfulness, clarity, and well-being.