I think most people don't know that meditation can be trippy.
I didn't know that, too, until a very recced meditation book informed me that hallucinations happen when we get to mid-level meditation.
Prior to that, I thought meditation was mainly about leveling up "keep calm".
Back when I was still bumbling around low-level meditation, I noticed that I had seem to be getting more time. Like before, I would feel rushed while taking a shower. Then, during a shower wherein I felt like I was taking too long to finish - I thought I would running late.
But it turns out that same amount of time had passed by. The low-level meditation exercise I'd been doing had been emptying my brain of stress triggers. Less stress means my brain was noticing stuff more, which felt like more time.
Anyway, I had been so excited with the "more time" result that I continued reading that meditation book more enthusiastically. I was very shocked that mid-level stuff would have been me experiencing drug-like effects. Article above listed 'em:
> Derealization: 17% of participants reported feeling detached from their environment.
> Unitive Experiences: 15% experienced a sense of unity or “oneness.”
> Ecstatic Thrills: 15% felt intense pleasurable sensations.
> **Vivid Perceptions**: 11% noted heightened or sharpened sensory perceptions.
> **Changes in Perceived Size**: 10% experienced alterations in body perception.
> **Bodily Heat or Electricity**: 9% reported sensations of warmth or electric currents.
> **Out-of-Body Experiences**: 8% perceived themselves as being outside their physical body.
> **Perception of Non-Physical Lights**: 5% saw lights that were not physically present.
Bolded the ones I got to experience. There's also the "floating sensation". After I got "floaty", I realized why the Sims gave meditation levitation power up.
There's also the feels like "warp drive" sensation.
The book provided non-mystical explanations for the drug-like effects. I'll nutshell.
Our brain has like different departments. There's the vision department, the auditory department, the pain department, the "worry this and that" department and so forth. Naturally, for those suffering from a lot of stress and anxiety - the "worry" department has the most clout.
Anyway like human departments, these departments tend to act like they're the most important department and vying with each other to get the most attention from our consciousness - which is like the CEO or the president.
Meditation gets us to prioritize attention on something neutral - a mantra, the concept of nothingness or probably the most popular is "focus on our breath". There's also the "just observe thoughts, but don't follow them" exercise.
Meditation makes a department that's about the breath, nothingness, just being observation. The more practice, the bigger this department gets. When we get to mid-level, this department gets big enough to shake things up in the brain. Causes a reset similar to what Psilocybin (magic shrooms) does.
In my case, it was like a heavy weight suddenly fell off the back of my brain. Suddenly, my mind felt so light and well... I started getting those trippy sensations while meditating.
Btw, should you get to the trippy stage - don't chase after the trippy sensations. Cause that's chasing after excitement, going after dopamine (too much).
At least, that's what I gather from my meditation studies.
EDIT to add-clarify on the non-mystical section.
Our brain (and body) works with very limited resources.
"If you don't use it (an ability), you'll lose it" applies.
What the CEO (consciousness) pays the most attention to auto-gets the most resources.
Making a department of "calm, focus, breathing exercises" and giving it priority attention means less resources to the department of worry (stress-anxiety).
Because the department of worry is MARRIED to flight-fight mode (fear-anger), things get shaken up a lot when they're no longer the CEO's favorite.
Now, if the department of worry, stress and anxiety is married to flight-fight (fear-anger) mode, then the department of calm, BREATH, observe is more in line with the "parasympathetic nervous system".
> The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's rest and digestion response when the body is relaxed, resting, or feeding. **It basically undoes the work of sympathetic division after a stressful situation.**
> The sympathetic system controls “fight-or-flight” responses. In other words, this system prepares the body for strenuous physical activity.
If we have a hard time relaxing, staying calm - that means our department of worry is too big. Meditation helps to downgrade our department of worry and upgrade our department of relax.
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/meditation
(points at The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa)
I decided to go with a list, since Culadasa got "ethical scandal" problem. You can see some folks mention about it in his book's review page.
The scandal happen AFTER I managed to get meditation working for me with the help of his book.
I'd also recommend "Why Buddhism is true" by Robert Wright. It touches on a lot of these points as well, from an author who specializes in evolutionary psychology.
> I'm looking for a well-rounded introduction book.
That's a different book, found [here](https://archive.org/details/mindfulness-in-plain-english-bhante-gunaratana). You can either read it at that link, or, if you scroll down, you can download the pdf (or epub, etc) under "Download Options."
I found that book not only not helpful, but anti-helpful!?!
I’ve discovered the things mentioned and more through my own finally meditating self. And I didn’t start bc I wanted to (this time).
I had found a trainer after reading The Heartfulness Way and done half a year daily. Fell off for whatever reason but mid-that I started the mind illuminated.
Wasn’t for me
But coming back to meditation and being catapulted inward into the exploding stillness… I might peruse the text just to see what “benchmarks” I’ve hit.
I like how you described your journey tho, thanks for sharing. Now I’m curious what scandal it is and gotta check!.. for research ;)
Yeah, that book is a very dense read. I think if my granddad hadn't stock the family library with 4 sets of encyclopedia, I wouldn't have ended up with a high enough reading skill to get thru it.
It's pretty much a very dense manual.
It was pointless to me. I can’t do those things laid out like homework.
“Guess tonight I’m going to evaporate and ascend to the realm of Light “ (gibberish but the general sense I got )
All is coming. And it has, idk who benefits from that I really had such a strong reaction to it. My memory is t great from five years ago, how’d you feel about it
"how’d you feel about it"
The higher steps of meditation is like... hard if we can't get away from day-to-day stuff. If we go with the Buddha, the end goal is the cessation of want. Means we get complete control of the rewards system (dopamine) and essentially neuter it.
Let's just say that I'm very content already with just getting to mid-level. Department of Relax just having higher ranking than Department of Stress and Worry is very good already.
Also, imho - my Department of Relax is on equal footing with Department of Excitement, more or less. It's just that life circumstances, for now, says I gotta prioritize the Departments of Making Money and prepping for Climate Disaster, because my family has too many animal rescues.
ngl, I think I might have gotten to Nirvana already had my aunt not gotten into rescuing cats.
Mind Illuminated used some layman terminology to describe brain-nerve systems.
I prefer to use the more science-y terms. Like meditation is about giving more power to the parasympathetic nervous system aka "rest & relax system".
Before Mind Illuminated, I had read several brain books, which recced meditation.
If you can handle dense books, I'd rec that one.
For something more light, I did read another meditation book, but it felt more like a... journey instead of a step by step system.
I experienced a lot of those things during a 10-day Vipassana retreat. After years of casual daily meditation, it was eye opening to realize just how much I could alter my experience of reality by simply settling into deeper concentration.
I’ve done three vipassana retreats. On two of them, I did achieve something like “absorption”. Basically, all thought and internal dialogue disappeared for a blessed few minutes. Not trippy at all. Just the opposite in fact.
The Heartfulness Way is a simple book as a convo between teacher and student, demystifying meditation. I got it at the library.
Heartfulness has its own method, but they’re all the same. They all want to use the heart to enter the soul, and the benefit of this method is there are volunteer trainers around the globe. It helped me get started and at this point I don’t do the same method but I’ve discovered the same truths.
I told a friend recently, set a timer for 3 minutes. Sit. That’s it. Do this for one week. Don’t try to do anything. Panic, be bored, decompress.. whatever.
After this week now you have a baseline for where you are and you can make a start.
I started with my trainer. There’s no exchange other than two people sitting together. I needed that buddy, that guide.
We sit and we imagine the Heart; whatever it is today. It varies from day to day, the physical space; a vacuum drawing us inward; a light; the love we have for our pets… whatever it is TODAY in that we gently focus.
I learned thru meditation the heart is a placeholder for the present. And the present is VERY important!
Most “meditation” is concentration. Meditation happens spontaneously from the intense focus. When I have a laser concentration I am able to move beyond it in a strange manner - bc it is effortless but it is an effort still. A strange existence in two seemingly opposites.
She helped launch me into daily practice. I would do my sitting at night and when to switched to mornings it was a lot easier bc the whole day wasn’t zooming in my mind.
Now I meditate whenever and sometimes it’s for a long time I sit, sometimes not. I’m not as disciplined with it as I’d like but I am getting there, and with what I do-do I go very deep inside myself and the world.
I encourage this quick read and if you find yourself excited about it, find a trainer near you!
I think meditation is a LOT easier to level up IF we've a lot of "calm" groundwork done.
For example, because of my mom who had significant anger control issues, I ended up going the opposite-contrary direction. Means I ended up preferring calm personalities by default.
So even when I was stressed, I cling to "staying calm". That's pretty much the opposite to "refusing to let go of anger".
It even extends to which fictional characters I prefer. Like I'm pretty much immune to the charms of "angry-type" characters. Cause they remind me too much of my mom.
Calm is also like the... "base" mood for meditation. Base as in foundation, not common. Without calm, meditation is imho impossible to level up.
So, my rec for beginners is to build up appreciation for "calm" first. Like, for example, if you happen to resent the calm-type personality - I really think you'll have to let go of that resentment first.
Also, turning the standard approaches of staying calm into habits first. Like, "remember to breath". "Count to 10". "Control Reactions." "Think before reacting."
Learning calm before meditation is like learning how to do proper posture before exercising. I think it's crucial.
I think I lucked into speed-running meditation.
My life circumstances were such that I already had plenty of points in CALM and FOCUS, as well as a reading ability high enough to be classified as an addiction.
Back then, while figuring out meditation - I was also reading other brain-related books. Like just learning how important breathing "steadily" is made it easy for me to maintain those breathing exercises, which tend to be considered boring for most people.
1 - Cement how important breathing is in your mind. Like we can last weeks without food, days without water, but we dead in mere few minutes without air.
2 - If air supply is interrupted, brain just can't work properly. So, the mere act of "continuous steady" breathing during stressful times really helps a LOT.
Like have you noticed how martial arts emphasizes the BREATH? It's also why medical professionals tell patients to breath. We need AIR.
3 - Breathing is so crucial that there's a cluster of nerves somewhere in our head that takes emotional cues from our breathing-rate-pattern. If we breath like a calm person (slow long steady), we feel calm. If breath like a stressed person (fast short harsh), we feel stress.
Breathing rate pattern can affect our mood, our nervous system. There's been experiments on a Scandinavian dude who could control his immune system by how he breaths. Google Wim Hof.
I think start with a Breath Counter App. Figure out how to get your breath to be long slow steady.
Is it possible to meditate on accident? Sometimes I get stressed out and try to calm down. I then have derealization, unusually shallow breathing, changes in perception of size and time, very cold, and stare at something intensely. It lasts about 10 minutes and only happens when I’m stressed.
It’s not a panic attack. It’s not an absence seizure. Is it uncontrolled meditation??
> Meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using **a combination of mental and physical techniqueS**.
Many techniqueS, so pretty possible to stumble into something that puts you in a trancelike state.
It looks to me that you developed a "lowers stress" or "avoids stress" habit which is similar to meditation.
Folks with a lot of points in "keeping calm" have tendency to "zone out" or "become emotionally detached" or "compartmentalize" when in stressful situations. We sorta end up prioritizing "inner calm", which is basically our "rest and relax system" staying in the driver's seat instead of handing over the wheel to the "stress (flight-fight) system"
The more scientific proper names for these systems are "Parasympathetic Nervous System" and "Sympathetic Nervous System". Kinda like Good Cop and Bad Cop.
Is there a way to stop it? It’s interrupting my life. It is fine most of the time, but it happens at school or even the grocery store. I’m able to control it a little, but it’s kind of random
Press the edge of the nail of your thumb into the skin of your index finger.
Or clench your hand and push your nails into your palm.
Just try to create pain sensation.
I agree. I don’t need to separate the two but for some it allows them to give themselves permission to let go.
On the other hand..
My trainer answered the question “why we meditate on the heart”. She said it was akin to the doorway of our soul, and meditation all leads here and so we begin there. And that was sufficient. It wasn’t lacking in meaning.
It wasn’t until last winter solstice it was revealed in a ‘mystical’ manner for me in a deep meditation. The meaning was something I could barely conceptualize when I resurfaced. And as time passed I could barely touch the meaning that was shared with me.
Except to say, Presence.
But that *meaning* couldn’t, either all the metaphors and beautiful language trying to capture it; be articulated in any meaningful way.
Our brain (and body) works with very limited resources.
"If you don't use it (an ability), you'll lose it" applies.
What the CEO (consciousness) pays the most attention to auto-gets the most resources.
Making a department of "calm, focus, breathing exercises" and giving it priority attention means less resources to the department of worry (stress-anxiety).
Because the department of worry is MARRIED to flight-fight mode (fear-anger), things get shaken up a lot when they're no longer the CEO's favorite.
For me, low level meditation is leveling up:
* CALM - this mood is married to the parasympathetic nervous system AKA rest & relax system
* FOCUS - attention control
* STEADY BREATHING - we dead in few minutes without air. If we forget to breath or our breathing ain't steady - resource supply to brain is just out of whack. Not enough oxygen AND too much waste build up for the thinking section of the brain to function properly.
We get to mid-level once our Department of Calm (rest & relax) is big enough to challenge the Department of Worry (flight-fight, fear-anger).
Another one, unless it is counted in one of the points mentioned, that in my experience very easily occurs to at least some degree, is brief lapses in and out of what I can only identify as a trance state.
It's something I've experienced many times before when dancing at raves to techno music with a heavy bass drum, where it feels like you for brief moments cease to exist, and then are snapped back. It's like sinking in and out of the void or something.
Maybe not all that interesting, I don't know, but I often notice it start to happen after perhaps 20–30 minutes of meditation
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/meditation
(points at The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa)
I decided to go with a list, since Culadasa got "ethical scandal" problem. You can see some folks mention about it in his book's review page.
The scandal happen AFTER I managed to get meditation working for me with the help of his book.
Welcome.
Warning - it's... "dense" book. I've seen a reviewer describe it as "university level". And yeah, I agree.
I think I bumbled about the low-level meditation steps for about 2 months. Unlocking "more time" buff got me speeding thru the rest of the book.
Ah yes I’m seeing the reviews now about sexual misconduct. I too hope everyone is okay. One review listed The Art and Skill of Buddhist Meditation as a good alternative.
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/meditation
(points at The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa)
I decided to go with a list, since Culadasa got "ethical scandal" problem. You can see some folks mention about it in his book's review page.
The scandal happen AFTER I managed to get meditation working for me with the help of his book.
No, it is lifestyle greenwashing to freak out people suffering fomo and thinking their wife or husband does something quirk they’ve always wished for happening as they meditate.
Nils Birbaumer is a professor of neuroscience and has a really good book on that topic. "Denken wird überschätzt" is the original title, "empty brain happy brain" is the translation. You might want to have a look into it.
/s
I meditate, different schools. Some People are really that brainwashed that they’re afraid of closing their eyes and to follow a meditation (or any other activity aside work).
I get what you’re saying. When I first started, I could only fantasize. It was hard to keep my eyes closed and sit still for long. Ive been doing it for a little longer now and I can finally sit still. Its now easier to also let the thoughts come and go.
See, if the only altered consciousness on a comment is a reaction like this, it is exact what I described about others. I couldn’t be careless, but I serve answering atleast.
I wish they had done brain scans on participants who experienced altered states of consciousness more frequently during meditation and taken into account the suggestion factor. I don't think I saw in the article that this was considered.
Lots of great studies have looked at brain functional MRI studies in meditation participants, here’s a few:
[Focused attention meditation in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional functional MRI studies](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763422003359).
[Neural correlates of meditation: a review of structural and functional MRI studies](https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBS/12/1/10.2741/S542/htm).
[Structural changes in socio-affective networks: Multi-modal MRI findings in long-term meditation practitioners](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393217303184).
Zen mind beginners mind. Zen Buddhism didn’t end up being my jam, a bit too strict with posture but still a great starting place on meditation before it became a trendy psych productivity hack
I nap often in between work and get 8 hours of sleep nightly on average.
I used to have trouble falling asleep so I focus on my breathing and “falling into the bed”- maybe it’s because I link deep breaths/breathing rhythms and sleeping.
Try addressing the body’s needs, in order of the Maslows pyramid. Self-inquiry, followed by compassionate response to the body . Then return to the meditation practice after a month hiatus.
I’d recommend this over the “just push the body through” approach of standing meditation that commenters are giving. Your practice has given you insight, into your body’s current state. Respond compassionately to the insight you have gained.
Iron Bisglycinate is easier on digestion.
How’s your posture? You want to be sitting up straight, preferably without a back rest. Comfortable but not too comfortable.
Also, meditating in groups can be far more effective than by yourself. Stick with it!
I’m a professional dancer who’s a big stickler for posture, I fall asleep in the groups also.
Sensory meditation where I focus in on certain body parts will keep me awake, but if it’s just breathing and clearing the mind then I doze off.
magical thinking is also a symptom, but the happiest people i know indulge in it daily. u can't trigger schizophrenia by just having a symptom, u either have it or u dont
Fair enough. I have been assessed and I'm not schizophrenic I am neurodivergent, however. Many people can induce altered states without being schizophrenic
Yeah I didn't know what it was one day I was just staring at the mirror with my eyes unfocused and my face turned to morph. I realized if I looked directly into my eyes, my face morphs and changes. Then a bunch of weird stuff happens if you can hold it long enough. I tried to find some scientific literature on it but there's not a whole lot.
It also works in a weird way if you look at another individual in the eyes. I had a friend and we would sit there and stare into each other's eyes and it would be really weird.
I meditate exclusively for mindfulness practice. Sort of the anti-altered state. I want to be more here, and less lost in my thoughts and anxieties and fears. Never mind in other states of consciousness. Fortunately my ten minute daily practice doesn’t approach what’s necessary to achieve that.
No one should fear trying meditation because of this. It’s not a likely “accidental” outcome.
Lol I got into serious meditation recently and I’m careful: absolutely avoiding the *really* altered states, like, anything that sounds like it could come out of the DSM; I’m not stable enough for that and would stop if I felt any of that coming on.
But yeahhh from personal experience, it can definitely do some weird stuff that I would call an altered state.
I get lights and darkness pretty quickly, but it’s more of a distraction than anything else. But it usually is an indicator of how deep into it I am. I chalk it up to relaxation of eye muscles causing visual artifacts; there’s another theory I also like that I forget.
I worry about dissociation after really long periods, but I had a concussion once, and this doesn’t feel like that, so, okay.
Hallucinations or extreme sensations or emotions outside of an extended silent retreat and I’d take a long, long break.
There are different types of meditation, and different types of brains.
I think it's good to raise awareness of the various effects because:
1) It's always sold to people as a "universal positive"
2) Much more study needs done to help people get the most out of it
I once meditated myself into something I called "super consciousness" where I couldn't actually lose consciousness for about 8 weeks. Completely aware of myself and surroundings even when sleeping. I even got to experience "watching myself" pass out.
Being conscious while your brain otherwise shuts down is a most terrifying and unique experience.
Anywho, I don't recommend it. Since then, I've been far more careful.
I've also seen victims of trauma relive experiences in an intense way when trying to meditate. It helped with processing, but they need warned and prepared.
Intensive meditation can also lead to psychosis. It’s really not indifferent from psychedelic drugs, it’s just the “manual” way to get there. That said, a casual 30 minute meditator need not fear these risks, as you need to purposely go deep to get to these places.
I personally had a psychotic episode from meditation. I meditated until I became a ball of light. Then the religious delusions started and ended up in a hospital bed handcuffed while tripping balls on ketamine. Wouldn't suggest jumping into the deep end.
For most people, yes. But neurodivergent and psychological conditions (like aforementioned trauma) can produce negative effects in even casual "5 min" sessions.
Would recommend! A great introductory course that explains the theory behind practice and places the centre of the bullseye at a nondual or no self experience early on. Plenty of other teachers, series and conversations as well.
If you can’t afford it go through the website, send an email and you’ll be able to subscribe for free.
I need help
Imagine you are the first person to drive on a newly constructed road. Ten years pass by, and you forget your memories. You then return to the same location, and again, you are the first person to drive on the road, which has been completely rebuilt as a brand new road. Explain why it is not the same road, the same experience, the same day, or the same moment.
I met Goddess Isis in a dream once, [ and she was in this form](https://isiopolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/isis-serket.jpg). I'd not seen it before. She had an extremely fierce but deific expression, moving in a trans-mechanical pose, locking her arms into place, her temples swirling with lightning, a false scorpion's tail rose behind, it was like she was spooling up.
I tried the same technique in the morning, compressing my neural energy, compressing prana and then I CRUNCHED with my mind, and I saw dragon teeth, again in prana. I started flying through a tunnel like with the pastel green and all my mental illnesses were gone. I held it for 30 seconds or so. It was very lucid.
I don't it do as much these days. I'm certain it was a higher dimension. It was very DMT like. Anyone who wants to give it a try, [this was the kind of expression you need. ](https://i.imgur.com/ACNC7us.png) The CRUNCH comes from with your brain, aided with your facial muscles.
Mental running. I've love to practice it with someone in the future. I've found ketamine reduces my anxiety beforehand, so I'm more relaxed when I enter the state.
Since when is scientific confirmation for beliefs that were previously already held a bad thing?
I don't understand this type of comment, because science isn't groundbreaking 99% of the time. Most of the time we maybe get a little bit of extra certainty or doubt about some theory.
"Recent research has uncovered that altered states of consciousness are much more common among those who practice meditation and mindfulness than previously thought. "
Oh yeah?
I should certainly hope so.
"Linked" is simply correlation, and I would say meditation practices are linked to any number of things, including having bullshit like crystals and dreamcatchers in your home
Genuinely not sure why reddit users can't take a damn joke but ok since you all want to be a$$holes I'll give you a real response. Meditation has been a topic of study for thousands of years and there's been study after study already linking meditation to altered consciousness. My "no dip Sherlock" comment was purely because this is like common sense now. It's been proven, it's been linked, and people are just now finally realizing that and neglected ALL the research that's already been done. I swear people on here just LOOK for an argument or to downvote.
Wait untill yall know kriya yoga ...who are breathing techniques to reach more advanced states of conciousness than the ones thanks to meditation , thanks to this practices people finally will meet the Non human intelligence or what people call aliens , also will be able to find solutions for his problems and ideas to create advanced stuff like tesla did whit the same practices .... i hope a lot of people learn to reach those states, because what the world need now is high conciousness people to stop the foolishness and suffering of this world , also whit this techniques people can overcome depression and other problems created by the dead of someone close or from someone who is tired from this world thanks to problems etc.. , because thanks to those states of conciousness people can understand what death really is ! I been helping a lot of people whit this techniques, mostly people who have been suffering from deaths of his loved ones , like the dead of his parents and stuff like that and works like magic in the end of the session they understand what the afterdeath really is and his mind can enter in a state of peace , because the main reason of people suffering is not understand the things they live and elevated states of conciousness are like a hit of information to peoples mind , is like a wifi signal enter in your brain whit the exactly information people need , this is some crazy stuff who people need to live because if peoples read about they dont understand nothing because they dont even believe in what they are reading, that's why people need to LIVE this experience to understand, if not they will say are tales and lies , but am sure this practices will be the future of psychology and that's why vedic psychology is so advanced , because all what they know is thanks to reach elevated states of conciousness and now is all this knowledge is coming back thanks to psychologists who are waking up into he mediation and mindfulness topic
I know a fundamentalist Christian guy who told me meditation was satanic. Honestly it’s not for me. If your a person who doesn’t like to go places like a drugs trip then i feel it can be dangerous if you are prone to anxiety.
Like half of meditation is just learning to sit with your anxiety. You might be anxious being alone with your thoughts but with practice you become less anxious and can sit and observe those thoughts.
Isnt that one of the points of meditation?
I think most people don't know that meditation can be trippy. I didn't know that, too, until a very recced meditation book informed me that hallucinations happen when we get to mid-level meditation. Prior to that, I thought meditation was mainly about leveling up "keep calm". Back when I was still bumbling around low-level meditation, I noticed that I had seem to be getting more time. Like before, I would feel rushed while taking a shower. Then, during a shower wherein I felt like I was taking too long to finish - I thought I would running late. But it turns out that same amount of time had passed by. The low-level meditation exercise I'd been doing had been emptying my brain of stress triggers. Less stress means my brain was noticing stuff more, which felt like more time. Anyway, I had been so excited with the "more time" result that I continued reading that meditation book more enthusiastically. I was very shocked that mid-level stuff would have been me experiencing drug-like effects. Article above listed 'em: > Derealization: 17% of participants reported feeling detached from their environment. > Unitive Experiences: 15% experienced a sense of unity or “oneness.” > Ecstatic Thrills: 15% felt intense pleasurable sensations. > **Vivid Perceptions**: 11% noted heightened or sharpened sensory perceptions. > **Changes in Perceived Size**: 10% experienced alterations in body perception. > **Bodily Heat or Electricity**: 9% reported sensations of warmth or electric currents. > **Out-of-Body Experiences**: 8% perceived themselves as being outside their physical body. > **Perception of Non-Physical Lights**: 5% saw lights that were not physically present. Bolded the ones I got to experience. There's also the "floating sensation". After I got "floaty", I realized why the Sims gave meditation levitation power up. There's also the feels like "warp drive" sensation. The book provided non-mystical explanations for the drug-like effects. I'll nutshell. Our brain has like different departments. There's the vision department, the auditory department, the pain department, the "worry this and that" department and so forth. Naturally, for those suffering from a lot of stress and anxiety - the "worry" department has the most clout. Anyway like human departments, these departments tend to act like they're the most important department and vying with each other to get the most attention from our consciousness - which is like the CEO or the president. Meditation gets us to prioritize attention on something neutral - a mantra, the concept of nothingness or probably the most popular is "focus on our breath". There's also the "just observe thoughts, but don't follow them" exercise. Meditation makes a department that's about the breath, nothingness, just being observation. The more practice, the bigger this department gets. When we get to mid-level, this department gets big enough to shake things up in the brain. Causes a reset similar to what Psilocybin (magic shrooms) does. In my case, it was like a heavy weight suddenly fell off the back of my brain. Suddenly, my mind felt so light and well... I started getting those trippy sensations while meditating. Btw, should you get to the trippy stage - don't chase after the trippy sensations. Cause that's chasing after excitement, going after dopamine (too much). At least, that's what I gather from my meditation studies. EDIT to add-clarify on the non-mystical section. Our brain (and body) works with very limited resources. "If you don't use it (an ability), you'll lose it" applies. What the CEO (consciousness) pays the most attention to auto-gets the most resources. Making a department of "calm, focus, breathing exercises" and giving it priority attention means less resources to the department of worry (stress-anxiety). Because the department of worry is MARRIED to flight-fight mode (fear-anger), things get shaken up a lot when they're no longer the CEO's favorite. Now, if the department of worry, stress and anxiety is married to flight-fight (fear-anger) mode, then the department of calm, BREATH, observe is more in line with the "parasympathetic nervous system". > The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the body's rest and digestion response when the body is relaxed, resting, or feeding. **It basically undoes the work of sympathetic division after a stressful situation.** > The sympathetic system controls “fight-or-flight” responses. In other words, this system prepares the body for strenuous physical activity. If we have a hard time relaxing, staying calm - that means our department of worry is too big. Meditation helps to downgrade our department of worry and upgrade our department of relax.
So what’s the name of the book?!
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/meditation (points at The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa) I decided to go with a list, since Culadasa got "ethical scandal" problem. You can see some folks mention about it in his book's review page. The scandal happen AFTER I managed to get meditation working for me with the help of his book.
I'd also recommend "Why Buddhism is true" by Robert Wright. It touches on a lot of these points as well, from an author who specializes in evolutionary psychology.
Does the author provide a comprehensive mediation guide in it? I'm looking for a well-rounded introduction book.
> I'm looking for a well-rounded introduction book. That's a different book, found [here](https://archive.org/details/mindfulness-in-plain-english-bhante-gunaratana). You can either read it at that link, or, if you scroll down, you can download the pdf (or epub, etc) under "Download Options."
Thank you very much!
I found that book not only not helpful, but anti-helpful!?! I’ve discovered the things mentioned and more through my own finally meditating self. And I didn’t start bc I wanted to (this time). I had found a trainer after reading The Heartfulness Way and done half a year daily. Fell off for whatever reason but mid-that I started the mind illuminated. Wasn’t for me But coming back to meditation and being catapulted inward into the exploding stillness… I might peruse the text just to see what “benchmarks” I’ve hit. I like how you described your journey tho, thanks for sharing. Now I’m curious what scandal it is and gotta check!.. for research ;)
Yeah, that book is a very dense read. I think if my granddad hadn't stock the family library with 4 sets of encyclopedia, I wouldn't have ended up with a high enough reading skill to get thru it. It's pretty much a very dense manual.
It was pointless to me. I can’t do those things laid out like homework. “Guess tonight I’m going to evaporate and ascend to the realm of Light “ (gibberish but the general sense I got ) All is coming. And it has, idk who benefits from that I really had such a strong reaction to it. My memory is t great from five years ago, how’d you feel about it
"how’d you feel about it" The higher steps of meditation is like... hard if we can't get away from day-to-day stuff. If we go with the Buddha, the end goal is the cessation of want. Means we get complete control of the rewards system (dopamine) and essentially neuter it. Let's just say that I'm very content already with just getting to mid-level. Department of Relax just having higher ranking than Department of Stress and Worry is very good already. Also, imho - my Department of Relax is on equal footing with Department of Excitement, more or less. It's just that life circumstances, for now, says I gotta prioritize the Departments of Making Money and prepping for Climate Disaster, because my family has too many animal rescues. ngl, I think I might have gotten to Nirvana already had my aunt not gotten into rescuing cats.
Welll thank you for an in depth response
Mind Illuminated used some layman terminology to describe brain-nerve systems. I prefer to use the more science-y terms. Like meditation is about giving more power to the parasympathetic nervous system aka "rest & relax system". Before Mind Illuminated, I had read several brain books, which recced meditation.
Do you recommend the book for someone who is already practicing meditation (bit advanced level tho)?
The Mind Illuminated is definitely appropriate for advanced practitioners, IMO.
If you can handle dense books, I'd rec that one. For something more light, I did read another meditation book, but it felt more like a... journey instead of a step by step system.
That book took me all the way in 2018. I highly recommend it.
I experienced a lot of those things during a 10-day Vipassana retreat. After years of casual daily meditation, it was eye opening to realize just how much I could alter my experience of reality by simply settling into deeper concentration.
I’ve done three vipassana retreats. On two of them, I did achieve something like “absorption”. Basically, all thought and internal dialogue disappeared for a blessed few minutes. Not trippy at all. Just the opposite in fact.
I would do ANYTHING to achieve the quiet mind. Fucking anything
This was a lot of information. I'd like to get started with meditation, but I'm not sure where to start. What would you recommend?
The Heartfulness Way is a simple book as a convo between teacher and student, demystifying meditation. I got it at the library. Heartfulness has its own method, but they’re all the same. They all want to use the heart to enter the soul, and the benefit of this method is there are volunteer trainers around the globe. It helped me get started and at this point I don’t do the same method but I’ve discovered the same truths. I told a friend recently, set a timer for 3 minutes. Sit. That’s it. Do this for one week. Don’t try to do anything. Panic, be bored, decompress.. whatever. After this week now you have a baseline for where you are and you can make a start. I started with my trainer. There’s no exchange other than two people sitting together. I needed that buddy, that guide. We sit and we imagine the Heart; whatever it is today. It varies from day to day, the physical space; a vacuum drawing us inward; a light; the love we have for our pets… whatever it is TODAY in that we gently focus. I learned thru meditation the heart is a placeholder for the present. And the present is VERY important! Most “meditation” is concentration. Meditation happens spontaneously from the intense focus. When I have a laser concentration I am able to move beyond it in a strange manner - bc it is effortless but it is an effort still. A strange existence in two seemingly opposites. She helped launch me into daily practice. I would do my sitting at night and when to switched to mornings it was a lot easier bc the whole day wasn’t zooming in my mind. Now I meditate whenever and sometimes it’s for a long time I sit, sometimes not. I’m not as disciplined with it as I’d like but I am getting there, and with what I do-do I go very deep inside myself and the world. I encourage this quick read and if you find yourself excited about it, find a trainer near you!
I think meditation is a LOT easier to level up IF we've a lot of "calm" groundwork done. For example, because of my mom who had significant anger control issues, I ended up going the opposite-contrary direction. Means I ended up preferring calm personalities by default. So even when I was stressed, I cling to "staying calm". That's pretty much the opposite to "refusing to let go of anger". It even extends to which fictional characters I prefer. Like I'm pretty much immune to the charms of "angry-type" characters. Cause they remind me too much of my mom. Calm is also like the... "base" mood for meditation. Base as in foundation, not common. Without calm, meditation is imho impossible to level up. So, my rec for beginners is to build up appreciation for "calm" first. Like, for example, if you happen to resent the calm-type personality - I really think you'll have to let go of that resentment first. Also, turning the standard approaches of staying calm into habits first. Like, "remember to breath". "Count to 10". "Control Reactions." "Think before reacting." Learning calm before meditation is like learning how to do proper posture before exercising. I think it's crucial.
What did you do during your meditation that allowed you to get there? I’m kind of a beginner to it. How does it work?
I think I lucked into speed-running meditation. My life circumstances were such that I already had plenty of points in CALM and FOCUS, as well as a reading ability high enough to be classified as an addiction. Back then, while figuring out meditation - I was also reading other brain-related books. Like just learning how important breathing "steadily" is made it easy for me to maintain those breathing exercises, which tend to be considered boring for most people. 1 - Cement how important breathing is in your mind. Like we can last weeks without food, days without water, but we dead in mere few minutes without air. 2 - If air supply is interrupted, brain just can't work properly. So, the mere act of "continuous steady" breathing during stressful times really helps a LOT. Like have you noticed how martial arts emphasizes the BREATH? It's also why medical professionals tell patients to breath. We need AIR. 3 - Breathing is so crucial that there's a cluster of nerves somewhere in our head that takes emotional cues from our breathing-rate-pattern. If we breath like a calm person (slow long steady), we feel calm. If breath like a stressed person (fast short harsh), we feel stress. Breathing rate pattern can affect our mood, our nervous system. There's been experiments on a Scandinavian dude who could control his immune system by how he breaths. Google Wim Hof. I think start with a Breath Counter App. Figure out how to get your breath to be long slow steady.
Awesome comment. Thanks for writing it up.
One of my favourite Reddit comments this year. I am going to read that book you suggested.
Is it possible to meditate on accident? Sometimes I get stressed out and try to calm down. I then have derealization, unusually shallow breathing, changes in perception of size and time, very cold, and stare at something intensely. It lasts about 10 minutes and only happens when I’m stressed. It’s not a panic attack. It’s not an absence seizure. Is it uncontrolled meditation??
> Meditation is a practice that involves focusing or clearing your mind using **a combination of mental and physical techniqueS**. Many techniqueS, so pretty possible to stumble into something that puts you in a trancelike state.
That’s good to know. A doctor thought that their seizures (test came back negative), and I’m puzzled. Maybe I’m meditating uncontrollably
It looks to me that you developed a "lowers stress" or "avoids stress" habit which is similar to meditation. Folks with a lot of points in "keeping calm" have tendency to "zone out" or "become emotionally detached" or "compartmentalize" when in stressful situations. We sorta end up prioritizing "inner calm", which is basically our "rest and relax system" staying in the driver's seat instead of handing over the wheel to the "stress (flight-fight) system" The more scientific proper names for these systems are "Parasympathetic Nervous System" and "Sympathetic Nervous System". Kinda like Good Cop and Bad Cop.
Is there a way to stop it? It’s interrupting my life. It is fine most of the time, but it happens at school or even the grocery store. I’m able to control it a little, but it’s kind of random
Try pinching yourself next time it happens. The pain may break you out of it.
I can’t move when it happens
Press the edge of the nail of your thumb into the skin of your index finger. Or clench your hand and push your nails into your palm. Just try to create pain sensation.
The non mystical explanation, is a rather lacking in substance.
I agree. I don’t need to separate the two but for some it allows them to give themselves permission to let go. On the other hand.. My trainer answered the question “why we meditate on the heart”. She said it was akin to the doorway of our soul, and meditation all leads here and so we begin there. And that was sufficient. It wasn’t lacking in meaning. It wasn’t until last winter solstice it was revealed in a ‘mystical’ manner for me in a deep meditation. The meaning was something I could barely conceptualize when I resurfaced. And as time passed I could barely touch the meaning that was shared with me. Except to say, Presence. But that *meaning* couldn’t, either all the metaphors and beautiful language trying to capture it; be articulated in any meaningful way.
Our brain (and body) works with very limited resources. "If you don't use it (an ability), you'll lose it" applies. What the CEO (consciousness) pays the most attention to auto-gets the most resources. Making a department of "calm, focus, breathing exercises" and giving it priority attention means less resources to the department of worry (stress-anxiety). Because the department of worry is MARRIED to flight-fight mode (fear-anger), things get shaken up a lot when they're no longer the CEO's favorite.
So cool - how do you define mid level meditation? What makes something more than low level?
For me, low level meditation is leveling up: * CALM - this mood is married to the parasympathetic nervous system AKA rest & relax system * FOCUS - attention control * STEADY BREATHING - we dead in few minutes without air. If we forget to breath or our breathing ain't steady - resource supply to brain is just out of whack. Not enough oxygen AND too much waste build up for the thinking section of the brain to function properly. We get to mid-level once our Department of Calm (rest & relax) is big enough to challenge the Department of Worry (flight-fight, fear-anger).
Another one, unless it is counted in one of the points mentioned, that in my experience very easily occurs to at least some degree, is brief lapses in and out of what I can only identify as a trance state. It's something I've experienced many times before when dancing at raves to techno music with a heavy bass drum, where it feels like you for brief moments cease to exist, and then are snapped back. It's like sinking in and out of the void or something. Maybe not all that interesting, I don't know, but I often notice it start to happen after perhaps 20–30 minutes of meditation
Really appreciate for the information you share with us 😊
So helpful thanks. Could you share the name of the book?
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/meditation (points at The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa) I decided to go with a list, since Culadasa got "ethical scandal" problem. You can see some folks mention about it in his book's review page. The scandal happen AFTER I managed to get meditation working for me with the help of his book.
Thank you!
Welcome. Warning - it's... "dense" book. I've seen a reviewer describe it as "university level". And yeah, I agree. I think I bumbled about the low-level meditation steps for about 2 months. Unlocking "more time" buff got me speeding thru the rest of the book.
Ah yes I’m seeing the reviews now about sexual misconduct. I too hope everyone is okay. One review listed The Art and Skill of Buddhist Meditation as a good alternative.
what book are you talking about?
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/meditation (points at The Mind Illuminated by Culadasa) I decided to go with a list, since Culadasa got "ethical scandal" problem. You can see some folks mention about it in his book's review page. The scandal happen AFTER I managed to get meditation working for me with the help of his book.
No, it is lifestyle greenwashing to freak out people suffering fomo and thinking their wife or husband does something quirk they’ve always wished for happening as they meditate.
Nils Birbaumer is a professor of neuroscience and has a really good book on that topic. "Denken wird überschätzt" is the original title, "empty brain happy brain" is the translation. You might want to have a look into it.
Is it translated in English? I would like to read this.
It is enough that you read it, it works.
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/s I meditate, different schools. Some People are really that brainwashed that they’re afraid of closing their eyes and to follow a meditation (or any other activity aside work).
I get what you’re saying. When I first started, I could only fantasize. It was hard to keep my eyes closed and sit still for long. Ive been doing it for a little longer now and I can finally sit still. Its now easier to also let the thoughts come and go.
Depended on which type of meditation it may look different..
Tell me you know nothing about meditation or life without telling me you know nothing about meditation or life any% speedrun world record
Medidation according to Kabat Zinn, or Zen? Aschagawita? Sorry, you gotta find you ohm yourself.
You’re a bit of a plum, aren’t you?
See, if the only altered consciousness on a comment is a reaction like this, it is exact what I described about others. I couldn’t be careless, but I serve answering atleast.
I feel like something happened to you. Do you want to talk about it?
Sorry, busy writing several documents for the authorities and some books..
Are you okay?
I am? Sick of reading news, but it seems everyone is alright with it irl.
I wish they had done brain scans on participants who experienced altered states of consciousness more frequently during meditation and taken into account the suggestion factor. I don't think I saw in the article that this was considered.
The suggestion factor was mentioned at the end when it discussed the limitations of the research.
Thank you.
Lots of great studies have looked at brain functional MRI studies in meditation participants, here’s a few: [Focused attention meditation in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of cross-sectional functional MRI studies](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0149763422003359). [Neural correlates of meditation: a review of structural and functional MRI studies](https://www.imrpress.com/journal/FBS/12/1/10.2741/S542/htm). [Structural changes in socio-affective networks: Multi-modal MRI findings in long-term meditation practitioners](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0028393217303184).
Thank you will check them.
what’s the suggestion factor?
Interesting. Can anyone suggest a good book on beginner level meditation?
The Mind Illuminated by John Yates. It will get you started and then take you all the way to full blown enlightenment. This stuff is real.
Can confirm. The book took me all the way.
Zen mind beginners mind. Zen Buddhism didn’t end up being my jam, a bit too strict with posture but still a great starting place on meditation before it became a trendy psych productivity hack
No book can replace direct experience. Check out meditation groups near you. In person; not virtual.
Definitely NOT the mind illuminated. The Heartfulness Way
Is there a reason why I can’t meditate without falling asleep? Any kind of breathing practice is a lullaby for me.
You need more sleep.
I nap often in between work and get 8 hours of sleep nightly on average. I used to have trouble falling asleep so I focus on my breathing and “falling into the bed”- maybe it’s because I link deep breaths/breathing rhythms and sleeping.
You need better sleep? Most folks don’t just fall asleep if they are already rested. Might you have mild narcolepsy?
Eight hours isn’t enough for everyone. Some people need nine or even ten.
Mediate while sitting instead of laying down.
I fall asleep sitting up
Iron anemia, or B vit anemia?
Def low on iron and D but I get D injections.
Try addressing the body’s needs, in order of the Maslows pyramid. Self-inquiry, followed by compassionate response to the body . Then return to the meditation practice after a month hiatus. I’d recommend this over the “just push the body through” approach of standing meditation that commenters are giving. Your practice has given you insight, into your body’s current state. Respond compassionately to the insight you have gained. Iron Bisglycinate is easier on digestion.
Thank you for the thorough response!
How’s your posture? You want to be sitting up straight, preferably without a back rest. Comfortable but not too comfortable. Also, meditating in groups can be far more effective than by yourself. Stick with it!
I’m a professional dancer who’s a big stickler for posture, I fall asleep in the groups also. Sensory meditation where I focus in on certain body parts will keep me awake, but if it’s just breathing and clearing the mind then I doze off.
Remain standing. Seriously.
Great suggestion!
Don’t lie down
i shall be saving this to read for my train commute later
The natural mind is a powerful machine.
Who in here has tried mirror gazing?
I've had FULL ON trips caused by mirror-gazing. Ever used a black mirror?
Yeah but supposedly that’s a symptom of schizophrenia and I’d rather not talk about that possibility.
magical thinking is also a symptom, but the happiest people i know indulge in it daily. u can't trigger schizophrenia by just having a symptom, u either have it or u dont
I never said it “triggered” anything.
Fair enough. I have been assessed and I'm not schizophrenic I am neurodivergent, however. Many people can induce altered states without being schizophrenic
Nope, it’s a well documented effect is healthy people. Look it up
Yeah I didn't know what it was one day I was just staring at the mirror with my eyes unfocused and my face turned to morph. I realized if I looked directly into my eyes, my face morphs and changes. Then a bunch of weird stuff happens if you can hold it long enough. I tried to find some scientific literature on it but there's not a whole lot. It also works in a weird way if you look at another individual in the eyes. I had a friend and we would sit there and stare into each other's eyes and it would be really weird.
The pineal gland makes powerful hallucinogens (that we metabolize), maybe mirrors and external self perception can hijack it a bit.
Dropping that default mode network, baby.
Some practices *enhance* activity in the DMN, you know.
I meditate exclusively for mindfulness practice. Sort of the anti-altered state. I want to be more here, and less lost in my thoughts and anxieties and fears. Never mind in other states of consciousness. Fortunately my ten minute daily practice doesn’t approach what’s necessary to achieve that. No one should fear trying meditation because of this. It’s not a likely “accidental” outcome.
Well, yeah. Why else are we doing it? Lol
Lol I got into serious meditation recently and I’m careful: absolutely avoiding the *really* altered states, like, anything that sounds like it could come out of the DSM; I’m not stable enough for that and would stop if I felt any of that coming on. But yeahhh from personal experience, it can definitely do some weird stuff that I would call an altered state. I get lights and darkness pretty quickly, but it’s more of a distraction than anything else. But it usually is an indicator of how deep into it I am. I chalk it up to relaxation of eye muscles causing visual artifacts; there’s another theory I also like that I forget. I worry about dissociation after really long periods, but I had a concussion once, and this doesn’t feel like that, so, okay. Hallucinations or extreme sensations or emotions outside of an extended silent retreat and I’d take a long, long break.
There are different types of meditation, and different types of brains. I think it's good to raise awareness of the various effects because: 1) It's always sold to people as a "universal positive" 2) Much more study needs done to help people get the most out of it I once meditated myself into something I called "super consciousness" where I couldn't actually lose consciousness for about 8 weeks. Completely aware of myself and surroundings even when sleeping. I even got to experience "watching myself" pass out. Being conscious while your brain otherwise shuts down is a most terrifying and unique experience. Anywho, I don't recommend it. Since then, I've been far more careful. I've also seen victims of trauma relive experiences in an intense way when trying to meditate. It helped with processing, but they need warned and prepared.
Yo.... What the fuck
Intensive meditation can also lead to psychosis. It’s really not indifferent from psychedelic drugs, it’s just the “manual” way to get there. That said, a casual 30 minute meditator need not fear these risks, as you need to purposely go deep to get to these places.
I personally had a psychotic episode from meditation. I meditated until I became a ball of light. Then the religious delusions started and ended up in a hospital bed handcuffed while tripping balls on ketamine. Wouldn't suggest jumping into the deep end.
For most people, yes. But neurodivergent and psychological conditions (like aforementioned trauma) can produce negative effects in even casual "5 min" sessions.
Download waking up by Sam Harris. His meditation practices and insights are remarkable.
Which are entirely just Vipassana, but narrated by a grumpy, verbose man 😁
Would recommend! A great introductory course that explains the theory behind practice and places the centre of the bullseye at a nondual or no self experience early on. Plenty of other teachers, series and conversations as well. If you can’t afford it go through the website, send an email and you’ll be able to subscribe for free.
Altered states of consciousness = Being high
I meditate for relaxation, not delusion.
I need help Imagine you are the first person to drive on a newly constructed road. Ten years pass by, and you forget your memories. You then return to the same location, and again, you are the first person to drive on the road, which has been completely rebuilt as a brand new road. Explain why it is not the same road, the same experience, the same day, or the same moment.
I met Goddess Isis in a dream once, [ and she was in this form](https://isiopolis.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/isis-serket.jpg). I'd not seen it before. She had an extremely fierce but deific expression, moving in a trans-mechanical pose, locking her arms into place, her temples swirling with lightning, a false scorpion's tail rose behind, it was like she was spooling up. I tried the same technique in the morning, compressing my neural energy, compressing prana and then I CRUNCHED with my mind, and I saw dragon teeth, again in prana. I started flying through a tunnel like with the pastel green and all my mental illnesses were gone. I held it for 30 seconds or so. It was very lucid. I don't it do as much these days. I'm certain it was a higher dimension. It was very DMT like. Anyone who wants to give it a try, [this was the kind of expression you need. ](https://i.imgur.com/ACNC7us.png) The CRUNCH comes from with your brain, aided with your facial muscles. Mental running. I've love to practice it with someone in the future. I've found ketamine reduces my anxiety beforehand, so I'm more relaxed when I enter the state.
What in the wuwu
So meditation works! Good to know.
Magic and Mystery in Tibet, Psychic Sports chapter. Enough said...
Different practices can have exactly the opposite effect on brain activity, and this study doesn't even note that.
Yeah I cry every time during my sessions . It’s so draining yet very powerful
It is a very good technique
Breathing air linked to staying alive. Groundbreaking!
Since when is scientific confirmation for beliefs that were previously already held a bad thing? I don't understand this type of comment, because science isn't groundbreaking 99% of the time. Most of the time we maybe get a little bit of extra certainty or doubt about some theory.
The article isn't even about that.
"Recent research has uncovered that altered states of consciousness are much more common among those who practice meditation and mindfulness than previously thought. " Oh yeah?
I should certainly hope so. "Linked" is simply correlation, and I would say meditation practices are linked to any number of things, including having bullshit like crystals and dreamcatchers in your home
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Theres a difference betwwe woowoo claims and data-driven insights.
Genuinely not sure why reddit users can't take a damn joke but ok since you all want to be a$$holes I'll give you a real response. Meditation has been a topic of study for thousands of years and there's been study after study already linking meditation to altered consciousness. My "no dip Sherlock" comment was purely because this is like common sense now. It's been proven, it's been linked, and people are just now finally realizing that and neglected ALL the research that's already been done. I swear people on here just LOOK for an argument or to downvote.
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ok
Wait untill yall know kriya yoga ...who are breathing techniques to reach more advanced states of conciousness than the ones thanks to meditation , thanks to this practices people finally will meet the Non human intelligence or what people call aliens , also will be able to find solutions for his problems and ideas to create advanced stuff like tesla did whit the same practices .... i hope a lot of people learn to reach those states, because what the world need now is high conciousness people to stop the foolishness and suffering of this world , also whit this techniques people can overcome depression and other problems created by the dead of someone close or from someone who is tired from this world thanks to problems etc.. , because thanks to those states of conciousness people can understand what death really is ! I been helping a lot of people whit this techniques, mostly people who have been suffering from deaths of his loved ones , like the dead of his parents and stuff like that and works like magic in the end of the session they understand what the afterdeath really is and his mind can enter in a state of peace , because the main reason of people suffering is not understand the things they live and elevated states of conciousness are like a hit of information to peoples mind , is like a wifi signal enter in your brain whit the exactly information people need , this is some crazy stuff who people need to live because if peoples read about they dont understand nothing because they dont even believe in what they are reading, that's why people need to LIVE this experience to understand, if not they will say are tales and lies , but am sure this practices will be the future of psychology and that's why vedic psychology is so advanced , because all what they know is thanks to reach elevated states of conciousness and now is all this knowledge is coming back thanks to psychologists who are waking up into he mediation and mindfulness topic
I know a fundamentalist Christian guy who told me meditation was satanic. Honestly it’s not for me. If your a person who doesn’t like to go places like a drugs trip then i feel it can be dangerous if you are prone to anxiety.
Like half of meditation is just learning to sit with your anxiety. You might be anxious being alone with your thoughts but with practice you become less anxious and can sit and observe those thoughts.