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Anyone else found meditation helpful?

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Teasel

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So I've dabled with meditation a little bit - ie not much at all - for a lot of years.
But recently have developed a daily meditation habit.

And I have to say it's frickin great for me. I feel calmer, more present, more alive, more peaceful and am a lot more able to think clearly, concentrate, and actually look at what's going on in my mind.

Which is so much better than riding the roller coaster of "being" what's going on in my mind. Hope that makes sense.

I have noticed sometimes difficulty with body memories, and to begin with trying to focus on my breath sometimes induced not panic attacks, but some mild anxieties.

So Ive been very gentle with myself and found ways to reduce those issues.

But overall I love it!

Actually been feeling pretty happy

Anyone else meditate?
Thanks
 
I would love to know what your meditation is. I've tried the dabble in it too, but don't have a regular program to use. I can do the breathing to find calm some of the time. I did like the body scan meditation when I was using it.
 
I used to like the body scan too when I did it, the mindfulness way through depression one?

I use an app called insight Timer which I love because it's so flexible and has plenty of groups to talk about meditation in too.

With the app you can choose from lots of guided meditations or you can set up timer presets for however long you want to meditate and choose different bell or gong sounds to sound as often or not as you want.

I usually use the timer but have been using the guided meditations geared towards helping you sleep sometimes at night anD I'd say they're pretty good - I've only stayed awake to hear the end of them once lol.

I joined the group - 365 days together where lots of people are aiming to meditate everyday in 2017. It's really nice to be able to talk about meditating and ask questions from all sorts of people with different levels of experience in meditation.

As far as what type of meditating I do, as I'm basically a beginner, I'm trying different things out. I like spending some time on focusing on the senses, especially hearing and smell - I put some essential oils in an oil burner before I start.

I also love doing a meditation on the sun rise, the sky is do frickin beautiful in the mornings.

But I've also tried out focusing on saying in & out for each in and out breath - focusing on the words enabled me to get past the panicky feeling I always used to get when I tried focusing on the breath.

Focusing on the body is ok too - but there are areas I avoid cause of body memories.

I do 20 minutes everyday, usually mornings.
 
Wow that is helpfu. I am actually very triggered by the bells or sounds so there are not many out there t...

Try Headspace, it's brilliant. They have a basic breathing meditation, as well as one's on self-esteem, anxiety, depression, compassion, and an SOS one for panic attacks :). No bells, just super chilled guy narrating it :) :P.
 
Hi @Berlinda :). I meditate too, on and off for about 4 or 5 years now. Meditation is wonderful, and eastern philosophy is wonderful too. It's very intelligent psychology of the mind, and practice of wellbeing. I was reading this excellent book the other day and it was saying how standard Western psychology can only take us from -5-0, whereas positive psychologies of the mind, such as Buddhism and Buddhist practices, which all are all about negating negative mental states, and growing positive ones, can take us far beyond that. Beyond hippy bullshit, the key practices, or two wings of Buddhism, are compassion and insight. Insight is developed through the standard breathing meditation, and compassion is developed through metta meditation or compassion meditations. These two practices can have an incredible impact on your wellbeing - as shown in the brain scans that have been undertaken by meditators. The buddhist monk who wrote the book I'm reading, was described by the researchers who undertook the brain scans as 'the happiest man in the world', and all kinds of good stuff happen inside the brain as a result of longterm meditation. While mindfulness has been separated from it's origins, I think it is important to try to see it in it's original content, as it's a powerful practice and people should know what it was originally designed for, the results it can produce, and the risks or issues that may come with it (something that the west doesn't really tackle much, completely lifting it from it's original context).

If you haven't tried compassion meditation, or metta, I'd really recommend it :). It's just starting to get a fair bit more attention within psychology and neuroscience, here is a study on it for PTSD - Loving-kindness meditation for posttraumatic stress disorder: a pilot study. - PubMed - NCBI:

"A large effect size was found for PTSD symptoms at 3-month follow-up (d = -0.89), and a medium effect size was found for depression at 3-month follow-up (d = -0.49). There was evidence of mediation of reductions in PTSD symptoms and depression by enhanced self-compassion. Overall, loving-kindness meditation appeared safe and acceptable and was associated with reduced symptoms of PTSD and depression."

Compassion meditation is great. Often compassion is described as an anti-dote to rage, hatred and fear - which are all things I've dealt with in my PTSD. And I've found it really helpful for capping the depression that comes with those emotions, and making me a lot happier and more balanced. Compassion meditation, can help you foster positive emotions towards the things you begin to see more clearly about yourself and others in your mindfulness, or insight meditation.

Meditation is great, but also be careful. Insight meditation goes beyond helping you to feel calmer, the point is to 'see reality as it is', and sometimes it can be dangerous for trauma survivors. Stuff comes up with meditation, and you will be confronted with things you have stuffed down and suppressed, so make sure you know how to ground yourself, can recognise when you've gone to far, and make sure you have a great therapist who can work with you on things that come up. It is good to couple it with some bodywork, or to start with bodywork first. This is a way to explore the self, without going directly into it (if that makes sense). This is what, trauma specialist, van der Kolk mentions in an interview:

Link Removed

"IYM: Is meditation okay for those with PTSD?

BvdK: The Dalai Lama and Yoga masters like Swami Satchidananda have made meditation almost mainstream. The neurobiology of meditation—that the brain can grow new cells and reshape itself—is becoming better known and finding its way into mental health services. If we meditate regularly, this can modulate the fear center and help us be more focused. However, if you are traumatized, being in silence is often terrifying. Memory of trauma is stored, so when you are stilled, demons come out. Those with PTSD should first learn to regulate their physiology with breath, postures and relaxation and work toward meditation.

I've found yoga to be more helpful with helping me to deal with traumatic material in an indirect way. Yoga gives me a door into trauma that breathing meditation doesn't, like van der Kolk says the 'body keeps the score', your body remembers what happens and somehow a lot of trauma lives in the body. So if you work with the body, you're going to meet your trauma sooner than if you work with meditation alone. This is a good thing, because in yoga you can do some, and then stop and process what comes up. For example, a couple of nights ago, I was in a certain pose, and then suddenly waves of sadness came over me as a result of the pose. I stopped my yoga practice, and just started to cry. I was crying because I realised that all this time I had seen my abuse as my fault, and that suddenly I could see clearly that it wasn't my fault. I felt like the shame I had around people was connected to feel like it was my fault and everyone could see that, see that I was shameful. I cried because I realised that wasn't true, and I could see for the first time the good/kind aspects of myself and why that was a big part of why people loved me (I could see beyond the shame based view on myself that trauma had burnt into me), so through the yoga pose I had released that part of the trauma and how it had affected me. This is the combination of the insight, with working with the body and releases some of the trauma stored within the body - if that makes sense!

Many trauma researchers argue that trauma is stored in the body, and yoga can be great for helping you to touch and release things that you didn't even know were there. There is a nice quote, "yoga is the journey to the self, through the self." I see that as meaning we come to know the self, through the body and the stories written within it.

Secondly, another thing to watch out for with meditation - is 'bliss bypassing'. Because meditation feels so good, people can kind of use it as a way to escape their pain, or as a way to avoid dealing with it inadvertently. This indirectly reinforces the trauma, and grows the demons - which will come out later, once you are further into your practice - which can overwhelm you if you're not prepared. It can be really easy to get into doing this, and I think I've done this myself before - when I was younger.

And lastly, avoid meditation retreats if you do get really into it. There have been cases where psychological issues have been triggered or made worse by going to meditation retreats.

Anyway, I've written an essay lol :)!! Good luck with your practice :) :p!
 
Hey @heyheyhey I really enjoyed reading your reply!

Would love to know the books you mention? The happiest man - is that Ricard somebody?

I've been seeing people talk about metta in those groups, and wondered what it was, got as far as googling it so far, But what some people have had to say about it sounds lovely and like something I wanna do.

I guess the type of meditating I have been doing so far comes under insight - Though if something uncomfortable comes up I lessen the focus and don't push, focus on other things. Now's not the right time for me to be bringing up trauma, another time when I'm stronger and more settled.

~Thanks for the study links too, will check em out - I have to say that ok so I'm on day 44 of daily meditation - and after a week or 2 I noticed that I actually relaxed - it was only for a moment but meant ever such a lot as I've been in a terrible way for quite a while. And this last week I've been honestly pretty happy.

It's not only the meditation behind this, there's been a culmination of events recently that have all helped, including working quite hard at changing my habits to things that feed me rather than drain me.

How do you do metta? Yourself I mean?

I recognise that thing about silence being terrifying - I have been terrified of it for years, really scared. With the meditation, I really have been increasing it very gradually, just a couple minutes to begin with and increasing intermittently over the last year.

Yoga is on my medium term goal list :D

Really lovely what you describe happening in your session the other day, Sounds such a powerful experience. The shame thing is shocking, the grip it has on us!

Meditation retreats aren't where I'm at just now, am aware of friends who done them and had a lot of trauma come up - they were further a long in healing than me and better able to handle it, so yeah, not for me at the moment.

Interesting to hear about bliss bypassing, shall keep an eye out cheers :p
 
Hey @heyheyhey I really enjoyed reading your reply!

Would love to know the books y...

Hey Berlinda ^_^!

That's awesome, I'm so happy you are getting a lot out of it :)! I really love these practices as well, I agree that they do just allow you to kind of learn to be content with life, it's so nice where you're used to suffering. The people I know who meditate and practice these kinds of things, are like the happiest people I know and don't seem to have the same hangups as everyone else...it definitely draws me more towards them and to practicing in that way. They are just different to other people, they seem so content and calm.

Glad it was helpful :)! It sounds like you are approaching it in a really wise and balanced way, so hopefully you won't have any issues.

Yes, think we are thinking of the same guy :), here's the book I mentioned :)! Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill - Matthieu Ricard

I'm try and find a good meditation for you on Youtube, some of them can be a bit irritating, but I do basically do half an hour of it: I focus on myself for ten minutes, repeating the phrases "may you be happy, may you be healthy, may you live with ease, may you be free from danger", and then I repeat those phrases for: a friend, a neutral person (say a stranger you remember seeing on the street that day), and then someone who annoys you or you have issues with (though they say to not start out with people who have really hurt you, it's good to begin with people who you just find irritating). I really like this meditation, it gives you a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling, kind of like when you love someone. I find it makes you more openhearted, which I think is a good thing, I have felt more sad, but I think it's a healing thing - I think this kind of meditation has put me in touch with how I feel about a lot of things, including abuse, and it has opened up sadness, so I can grieve it and work through it. I guess I didn't know how much those things hurt before. I think these practices make you more vulnerable, but you have to be vulnerable to heal. Before, with CBT and things alone, it was like so much of my emotional experience was blocked off, the sadness and heartache of being harmed by people, whereas now it's like an open wound that can heal. I can't really describe it, but not healing stuff, makes you depressed and miserable and ashamed and closed off from yourself, life, and other people. Meditation practices don't allow you to close off.
 
Hey @heyheyhey
(I enjoy saying that far too much :laugh:)

"I agree that they do just allow you to kind of learn to be content with life, it's so nice where you're used to suffering. "

It really is! I mean I'm still having things come up and symptoms and emotional pain and all of that but it's no longer 24/7. I get to enjoy some joy and peace and productivity in the times when I'm not overwhelmed which feels so wonderful. Especially after depression, is a wonderful relief :)

And I really need some energy to help myself get unstuck so it's great. I'm working on building good habits into my life too and spending some time reflecting on what I want in my life and how I can work towards that.

I don't know many if any people that meditate regularly - I have spent a short while everyday reading in the groups on insight Timer though and I love doing that, they do seem lovely and calm people and you're right, it's inspiring, makes you wanna keep at it. I think long term - I'd like to look into finding a meditation group - we'll see.

Cheers for the book info, I'll check it out :)

Thanks for telling me how you do metta too! I had a go at it the last couple days and I will continue to. When I came to thinking of someone who I feel mildly irritated by, and started sending metta it was hilarious! - I guess the juxtaposition of someone you find irritating with this lovely intention made my brain spasm :D
anyhow I enjoyed it hugely

I totally get what you're saying about being more open means being more open to the sadness and pain too.

Which I guess is why I want to go at a manageable pace - but long term it's what I want, and it's a price worth paying hey :)

- just thought of something - I remember reading something about syntonic crying - it was something along the lines of crying with grief but also with compassion - I know sometimes I've cried in that way, and it feels a much cleaner pain - kinda like the open wound you describe

All the best to you :cool:
 
That's awesome @Berlinda! Sounds like you are getting so much out of it, that's awesome :)!

Yes, for sure - I find it makes me happier too :) - definitely a nice contrast as you say :)! I also like that it kind of just allows an open space for things to be as they are, rather than getting caught up in reacting, you have a lot more space and calm and balance to deal with things. It's a nice feeling, peace despite all the chaos :).

That sounds cool :)! Hope you find a good meditation group for you :)!

Haha :D!! Loved your description of your metta practice :)!! Made me smile!

For sure :), I was just coming to say I think I've been overdoing my metta and things. I'm not so used to practicing with PTSD, where all the emotions are raw and it's bringing up a lot of things - I think this is good but also maybe a bit too painful and difficult for me, so I'm going to try and cut it back :). Maybe do 15-20 mins a few times a week :).

Aww I love that :), I've never heard of that concept before - such a nice description of it - thanks for sharing! Hope your practice goes well, I'm excited for you :)!
 
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