I do not recommend vipassana unless you've done a _lot_ of meditation before. 10 days of complete silence is a massive strain. I did it, based on little more than a recommendation like this, and had a bipolar episode (no history of bipolar or serious mental illness before). My story [0]

[0]. http://livingvipassana.blogspot.com/2010/02/bipolar-chronicl...

Hey thanks for sharing this! Very interesting. It sounds in many ways similar to my first and second-hand experiences with psychedelics and stimulants.

Also very helpful to hear someone sincerely tout anti-depressants. All the people I personally know have had mediocre to bad experiences with them, so it's nice to hear the other side of it.

Vipassana changed my life for the best. Since my first course, I did a few more, some 10 days, and some 3-day courses which are available only for people who already did the 10 day course.

It made me a better entrepreneur, better father, better spouse.

Like the commenter above stated, there are people who have psychiatric breakdowns following or during such courses. I don't think the Vipassana organization is doing a good job making this information transparent. But, from my anecdotal experience of over 20 years of courses, these cases are very few and far between.

Vipassana is great. I went to a retreat in 2017 that I fully credit with putting me on the path that led to this current situation. I've been trying to enroll in another 10-day course for the last year, but they fill up fast and I've yet to make it off the waitlist.

https://www.dhamma.org/en-US/courses/search