Traditional Taoist literature and the testimony of practitioners both acknowledge that immortality cultivation, especially in its more esoteric forms, carries real risks when pursued without balance, preparation, or guidance. On the physical level, forcing breathwork, visualizations, or internal alchemical techniques can disturb the natural flow of qi and strain the organs, sometimes manifesting as headaches, chest tightness, palpitations, insomnia, or a sense of heat and pressure in the head and chest. Intensive sexual methods, whether through excessive retention or misapplied dual cultivation, can deplete vitality and destabilize the body. Historical alchemical approaches that rely on external elixirs or substances also bring the danger of physiological imbalance and organ damage, especially when the ingredients or methods are poorly understood. Extreme asceticism, rigid diets, or neglect of ordinary health care in the name of practice can further undermine the very life that the path seeks to refine.

The inner terrain is no less delicate. Strong meditative and energetic practices can stir up repressed emotions, trauma, or latent psychological tendencies, sometimes leading to anxiety, depression, dissociation, or spiritual psychosis if there is no grounding framework. A fixation on attaining powers, special status, or literal physical immortality can inflate the ego, foster delusions of grandeur, and encourage withdrawal from ordinary responsibilities and relationships. When the mind becomes obsessed with signs of attainment or attached to particular experiences, practice may turn into compulsion, breeding frustration and disappointment rather than clarity and ease. Misreading symbolic teachings as crude promises of invincibility, or approaching talismans and ritual methods with magical thinking and ulterior motives, is described in Taoist discourse as a path toward ethical and energetic distortion.

Because of these dangers, traditional Taoist lineages place great emphasis on safeguards. Moral cultivation, humility, and sincerity are treated as the true foundation of any work with essence, qi, and spirit; without this, even technically correct methods are said to bend toward imbalance and corruption. The classical instruction is to proceed gradually, avoid forcing breath or qi, and maintain a harmonious lifestyle that includes adequate rest, moderate diet, and emotional balance. Reliable guidance, careful study of texts, and a willingness to pause or adjust practice when warning signs appear are repeatedly stressed as essential. When approached in this spirit—patiently, ethically, and without obsession—immortality cultivation is not portrayed as inherently dangerous, but as a demanding art that requires discernment and respect for the limits of body and mind.