At this point, I am not personally fond of guided meditations, but I recognize that there are some good ones out there. Tara Brach seems as good as anyone to me for body awareness centered mindfulness meditations. She will open doors of perception for you.
Spirituality, Meditation, Prayer?
- Thread starter saj
- Start date
Hmmm, I may have been too quick to state in my posting No. 27 in this thread that the OP's experience of hyperventilation and panic attacks seemed unusual. At around 3:45 into this video, Tara Brach says that the question most often out to her is what do I do with feelings of being overwhelmed in meditation.
I leave it to the OP to hear what Tara has to say and how to deal with such feelings, but I think in summary she says meditation can bring to the surface feelings caused by past trauma that are generally dealt with by an individual with various coping mechanisms, and stripped of those coping mechanisms those can seem overwhelming. Makes sense to me. I am no expert, B&B can assume no responsibility, and I personally would advise that anyone experiencing mental health issues consult with a mental health professional as to any meditation program. Meditation can be a powerful tool and I would not assume using it is always for the good.
I leave it to the OP to hear what Tara has to say and how to deal with such feelings, but I think in summary she says meditation can bring to the surface feelings caused by past trauma that are generally dealt with by an individual with various coping mechanisms, and stripped of those coping mechanisms those can seem overwhelming. Makes sense to me. I am no expert, B&B can assume no responsibility, and I personally would advise that anyone experiencing mental health issues consult with a mental health professional as to any meditation program. Meditation can be a powerful tool and I would not assume using it is always for the good.
Well said. A wrench is only as good and safe as the mechanic wielding it.
True that! I admit to some confusion at this point myself. I see meditation in one form or another marketed as a what seems to me a benign, feel good practice, often as mindfulness, often offered at work as a part of some effort to reduce stress and increase productivity. As I understand it, many companies and/or health plans also do such things as offer free memberships in such online meditation tools like Calm or Headspace, which as far as I know, do not really offer much in the way of "supervision." Maybe there is some ability to submit questions or concerns or to obtain some kind of tailored guidance, I do not know.
And I, personally, would have considered the meditation and related techniques offered by these programs to be rather benign and safe. I would not have thought that folks closing their eyes for up to say 20 minutes or so a day and following the breath, and/or sitting and mentally mindfully scanning their bodily sensations and perceptions would be likely to feel anything too threatening. (Long and day after day sessions are something else entirely.)
Yet here we have someone who, to me, is a profoundly good meditation teacher and PhD Clinical psychologist saying that the thing most often brought up to her after her talks by participants is their feelings of being overwhelmed in meditation sessions. (Something like that. I did not go back and re-listen.) And the OP says he hyperventilates and has panic attacks.
Any other B&B meditators out there with any thoughts on this? Again, staying within the bounds of not giving medical advice. I would think personal experience would be within bounds.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
Not a meditator per se, as mentioned previously in this thread, but do have some insights into Psychotherapy (experience sitting in both chairs).
Rogerian therapy, or a person centred approach, most often given by counsellers, is based in the belief that the client just needs the safe space and support to resolve their own issues. A Psychodynamic approach, is more interventional approach, pushing peoples buttons to actively unlock and "diagnose" root causes which may be out of reach of the client themselves. Both work, but for different people. There is no one true formula for offering effective therapy to clients. Every client is different, and we were given a very eclectic, broad spectrum toolbox to work with, for that very reason.
In meditation, I would suggest there are similarities, in that some people would be able to handle unlocked issues that arise, and others might benefit from getting some professional help with them. Again, every single person is different, and I would encourage anyone who feels at all overwhelmed to seek competent accredited professional assistance. I am not a practicing therapist though, as after two years of training, I decided that I was not ready in myself, at that point in time, to pursue that vocational path further.
I think too many of us do two things wrong: we spend not enough time in solitude, being still, or we never (rarely) spend any time being still and and trying to clear our minds.
We humans tend towards extremes. I do anyway.
We humans tend towards extremes. I do anyway.
Whether Rogerian or more psychodynamic based, I would think that psychotherapy would come with a trained supervisor of some sort, as often as not on a one on one basis, and even within group therapy a max of 8-10 people, typically. I would think a therapist would generally be cognizant of whether a particular client/patient was likely to slide into a panic attack and be able to address that or a similar situation, should it arise. Although I might also expect a typical therapy session to be more intense than a typical meditation session.
Whereas meditation is most likely to be largely unsupervised or, for someone like Tara Brach, from time to time, maybe in a large group of, say, up to 300. I suppose, however, it remains a little counterintuitive to me that lots of folks would be feeling completely overwhelmed in any given meditation session.
But Tara would know better than me! The OP may know better than me, too!
Whereas meditation is most likely to be largely unsupervised or, for someone like Tara Brach, from time to time, maybe in a large group of, say, up to 300. I suppose, however, it remains a little counterintuitive to me that lots of folks would be feeling completely overwhelmed in any given meditation session.
But Tara would know better than me! The OP may know better than me, too!
I find that not reinventing the wheel is best. Morning and/or Evening Prayer and Compline (before sleep) really make a difference in my life and the lives of those I know who have started doing this. This is prayer and meditation in the ancient proven way. I do not think it wise to empty one's mind because it will always be filled with something. Instead, I find it best to fill it with good, healthy, proper things, especially first thing in the morning. I have a copy if anyone wants it.
AimlessWanderer
Remember to forget me!
I wasn't attempting to compare meditation to psychotherapy. Rather, attempting to use that to illustrate the differences between participants. Some need more support and intervention than others, depending on both the individual themselves, and issues arising/unlocked.
For many, meditation will be "chill out time", and a chance to give the brain a few moments of peace and quiet. For others, deeper matters may be driving the need for something "healing" in their lives. Everyone is different, and some people may respond differently to group meditation than to solo.
Fair enough, AimlessWanderer. 
I must say, I've participated in a few drum circles and it was fantastic. It was good being part of a group, yet focusing on your own body, while still working toward a common goal. Good vibes all around. I highly recommend it.
Good post. I have not done one myself, and they probably do not get enough props because too easy to mock. But I suspect a very good, communal meditation. Something to get us out of our day to day monkey mind fixations on transitory things drifting through our heads barely acknowledged but overwhelming all else. I think singing in church and chanting in certain Eastern traditions serve similar spiritual, uplifting purposes. Music in general, of course! Hard to worry about that mortgage when you are trying to keep time with the group on a drum. Has probably served this function for thousands of years.
I pray the Catholic rosary daily, as well as meditate for about 5 minutes after working out. I've been doing a 30 day yoga challenge so it's easy to just continue by breathing for 5-10 minutes. I try to focus on the space I feel after exhalation.
Im pretty serious into Buddhism. I meditate every day, am a member at a local Zen temple and I go on a week-long meditation retreat once a year.
As for meditation and if I have any tips, dont try to stop your mind from thinking. The point is not to stop the mind from thinking, its to acknowledge those thoughts and then let them go. The point is to teach you that you dont need to engage with everything that your mind thinks.
Well-said, Badgerstate36.
- Thread starter
- #137
How do you let go and just observe?
Practice. Set aside 10 minutes a day, and try and commit to it. Whatever form it takes for you. There are already lots of suggestions in this thread of different modalities, try one and see if it sits with you.
NEVER take advice from a guy you have to hide your silverware from!
*I should take this act on the road, I know*
