Community Guidelines

For a Warm and Welcoming Atmosphere
"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."
The 14th Dalai Lama

The Meditation Mind Discord server is home to a diverse and inclusive community of over 7,000 people of all ages and backgrounds. In order to maintain a warm and welcoming atmosphere, we have the following rules and guidelines, but they can mostly be summarized as “be kind.” And like the Dalai Lama says in the quote above, it’s always possible to be kind.

The primary themes of the server are meditation and mindfulness. Keeping in mind that there are many different paths, we ask that members approach discussion mindfully, with respect and an open mind. As a general rule, we ask that content be wholesome, helpful, and appropriate for all ages. Blatantly offensive, hurtful, or ill-natured content will not be tolerated.

Unless explicitly noted otherwise in the rules, controversial subjects may be discussed within reasonable limits, but discussion should be engaged in mindfully and with mutual respect for all involved. The server rules are listed below. Click or tap on a rule to expand it for more info.

Rules and Guidelines

Always strive to be kind, civil, and considerate. This does not mean you cannot express conflicting opinions. Disagreeing with others, challenging views, questioning actions/behavior, etc. can be done respectfully, without making personal attacks.

This is a diverse and inclusive community. All ages, genders, religions, and traditions are welcome*. Questioning others’ identities or views may done respectfully, as long as the other person exhibits a willingness to engage. (*This does not include organizations or belief systems that would be in violation of the Discord Community Guidelines, e.g., due to the promotion of violent extremism, illegal activities, etc.)

This is an all-ages server, which means that members may be as young as 13 years old, and realistically, even younger. Please help us cultivate and maintain a wholesome atmosphere by being mindful of excessive profanity and vulgar language. Try to limit mature themes, such as sexual or potentially triggering topics, to the #questions forum with the Mature Topic tag applied.

We love to have fun! Since our regulars are fairly close-knit, sometimes that includes jesting, banter, and poking fun at each other. Such behavior is fine as long as it is good-natured and consensual. If the other party ever seems uncomfortable or asks you to stop, respect their wishes, even if you were engaging in such behavior with good intentions.

Always ask permission in a public channel before sending a DM, unless the person has the @DM-friendly tag. You may also DM server staff without asking for permission, if necessary, but it will almost always be better to send a DM to @ModMail instead, since all server staff will be notified and will have shared access to the conversation.

Regular users will rarely need to tag/ping any role other than @meditate with me. Tagging @Moderators is fine, but less effective than anonymously reporting a message or sending a DM to @ModMail. Aside from these two exceptions, only tag/ping roles when you are certain doing so would be appropriate. If unsure, don’t hesitate to ask a staff member.

See the explanation for rule #3. Server nicknames, custom statuses, and avatars/profile pictures are visible in chat and/or the members list, which means the same guidelines for language and content apply. Learn how to change your server nickname without changing your username.

We would prefer your Profile/About Me also be SFW, but this is not mandatory since these sections are not immediately visible to other members and cannot be customized per server without Nitro. However, if your Profile/About Me violates the Discord platform guidelines, you will be asked to change it or leave the server.

The Discord server is meant to be a safe space for our community members. When members visit, we want them to feel confident that they’re interacting with other people who are invested in and care about the community, as fellow members of the community.

Advertising, recruitment, solicitation, and self-promo always requires approval, because it can violate that sense of safety, and more often than not, it tends to be an attempt to draw members away from the community by people who are not invested in the community. Users who join the server and immediately attempt to self-promote will be kicked or banned.

However, we do make exceptions, usually for active members, partners, or teachers/coaches who are established members of the community. We are also happy to consider cases in which the community members will clearly benefit, or when help is needed with research in fields relevant to the server themes. Just send a DM to @ModMail with details. Alternatively, you can contact us via email.

If you are recruiting participants for research, please include information about the motivations/objectives of the research, personal data collection, eligibility/ideal participant, what will be asked of participants, and expected time commitment. Please provide relevant links (surveys, forms, etc.), as well.

As stated in the Discord Community Guidelines: Do not share content that violates anyone’s intellectual property or other rights. This includes sharing or selling game cheats or hacks.

We are an all-ages Discord Partner server that is accessible via Discord Server Discovery. This means that, in accordance with the Discord Discovery Guidelines, discussions about controlled substances or drugs are prohibited. An exception may be made for a brief mention when it adds necessary context to a discussion about trying to quit. Such mentions should preferably be spoilered.

Sharing potentially harmful misinformation, such as conspiracy theories or fake news, is prohibited by the Discord Community Guidelines. Furthermore, even seemingly harmless conspiracy theories serve to spread misinformation and are rarely relevant to server themes, so we ask that such discussion be avoided. Learn about identifying conspiracy theories.

There is nothing inherently wrong with discussing politics, but due to the strong tendency for such discussions to become highly charged and promote polarized views, we ask that members choose a different outlet. Discussions can include political elements, as long as they are relevant to server themes and remain civil, but discussing politics directly is outside of the server scope.

Activity within Discord is also subject to the Discord Community Guidelines and Discord Terms of Service. Furthermore, in accordance with the Discord Discovery Guidelines, discussions about controlled substances or drugs are prohibited. We ask that members try to limit discussion of mature themes to the #questions forum with the Mature Topic tag applied.

Note that Meditation Mind is not a mental health server. Views and opinions on the server are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and should not be presented as such. We have established the following guidelines to promote responsible engagement with topics related to mental health.

Mental Health Discussion Guidelines
  • Diagnosing should be done by a qualified professional, within the proper context.
  • Do not attempt to diagnose others.
  • Do not attempt to confirm or refute others’ diagnoses.
  • If you choose to self-diagnose, do not ask others to confirm or refute the diagnosis.
  • Personalized advice should be given by a qualified professional with adequate knowledge of the patient and their circumstances, within the context of a physician-patient relationship.
  • Such advice should be delivered privately, to prevent a third-party from attempting to follow advice not meant for them, to their own detriment.
  • Sharing personal experiences in a general context (i.e., not in the form of advice, directly or indirectly) to provide inspiration or background context, achieve human connection, etc. is OK.
  • Advice that is non-personalized, generally applicable, and recognized as implementable by a non-qualified individual with little to no potential for harm is OK.
  • Discussing general mental health/well-being, such as everyday struggles with fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, and/or other thoughts or emotions, is OK.
  • Sharing of resources should also satisfy the above rules.
  • Examples of acceptable resources: Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness: Practices for Safe and Transformative Healing (Treleaven) or The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness (Williams, Teasdale, Segal, Kabat-Zinn)

Community members are encouraged to report behavior that directly violates our rules and guidelines or does not align with the spirit of the server. Either send a DM to @ModMail to start a private conversation with the moderation team, or you can anonymously report a specific message by using the context menu (Apps > Report Message) or reacting with the :reportstaff: () emoji. The reaction will be removed immediately, so reports remain anonymous and can only be seen by staff.

Moderation Process

Moderation generally escalates as follows:

Whenever possible, efforts are made to resolve issues peacefully. However, staff may skip any of the above steps at their own discretion. Please respect staff decisions. Attempts to refuse or circumvent moderation (e.g., leaving while muted) will result in a ban.

If you would like to challenge a decision, do so privately by sending a DM to @ModMail. If you feel a public discussion would be beneficial, discuss this with staff privately before attempting to begin such a discussion.