Some decade long experiences

[74LEO]

I'm 36 years old and have been meditating for well over 10 years.

Here are some things that have happened to me when I reached that state.

- I was disoriented and didn't know which way I was facing.
- Found myself choking
- Found myself gasping for air
- Sometimes see a man clap his hands when I can't focus. <--new


Has anyone else had these happen to them.

[Edwin]

- I was disoriented and didn't know which way I was facing.

This is quite normal. A total loss of connectedness with the body is also common.

- Found myself choking

Not too sure about this one. You found yourself choking, means that you probably weren't. Or you might be suffering from Apnea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia . It seems worth talking to a doctor about this. But a lot of times people who go into meditation very deeply come to such a point of body relaxation that periods of 1 or 2 minutes without breathing are quite normal. The body will only breathe when nessacary usally. But since the mind might be scared by this phenomenan, you might suffer a panick attack because of it. Try not to worry about it if you feel you need to breathe, just shallowly breathe like you were doing before ( and don't go gasping for air or take extraordinary deep breaths to relieve your burning chest ).

But see a doctor first.

- Found myself gasping for air

See above.

- Sometimes see a man clap his hands when I can't focus. <--new

I sometimes see houses and streets in increadible detail floating by as if I am flying above them. Sometimes I see a parrot riding a dog's back while whistling a lullaby. The dog I mean, he is whistling...What's your point ?
Just kidding haha !

Whatever you see or experience, allow it to be there. If you can't focus, you are probably trying too hard. Relax, meditation is supposed to be easy.

[74LEO]

Thank you Edwin.
I will try to work through my breathing. This has just started in the past year. I come out of meditation choking or gasping for air. I can't seem to get past this. The man clapped his hands once. Strange. Any suggestions for working through this reaction? Is it stress? Am I having panic attacks?

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by 74LEO

Thank you Edwin.
I will try to work through my breathing. This has just started in the past year. I come out of meditation choking or gasping for air. I can't seem to get past this. The man clapped his hands once. Strange. Any suggestions for working through this reaction? Is it stress? Am I having panic attacks?

It could be stress or panic attacks. But I can never be sure about this as all I have is your words in this forum.
I still think that it couldn't hurt to see a doctor about it, just to rule out any physical problems.
If there can't be found any kind of problem by your doctor, it is more likely to be a psychological problem.

[Teckniec]

Do you ever have this happen when your sleeping? The breathing thing.

[Estgar]

If this has happend before you could link it to Sleep apnea. Accourding to "Exploring Psychology In Modules Seventh Edition"

"Sleep apnea aslo puts millions fo people at increased risk of traffic accidents. Although 1 in 20 o fus has this disorder, it was unknown before modern sleep research. Apnea means "with no breath," and people with this condition intermittently stop breathing during sleep. After an airless minute or so, dereased blood oxygen arouses them and they wake up enough to snort in the air for a few seconds, in a process that repeats hundreds of times each night, depriving them of slow-wave sleep. Apart form complaints fo sleepiness and irritablility during the day-and their disorder.(The next morning they have no recall of these episodes)
Sleep apnea assoiacted with obesity, and as number of obese people in teh United States has increased, so has this disorder, particularly amoung overweight men. Anyone who snores at night, feels tired during the day, and possibly has high blood pressure as well should be cheacked for apnea...."

I'm no expert, but this might be happening because when you enter this low-wave, relaxed state, and maintain it with out going into R.E.M., this dissorder may be what is happening. Like I said, though, I'm no expert and have no right to advise anyone.

[74LEO]

No only when meditating.

[74LEO]

no this only happens when i am meditating.

[iciek]

Originally Posted by 74LEO

I'm 36 years old and have been meditating for well over 10 years.

Here are some things that have happened to me when I reached that state.

- I was disoriented and didn't know which way I was facing.
- Found myself choking
- Found myself gasping for air
- Sometimes see a man clap his hands when I can't focus. <--new


Has anyone else had these happen to them.

I sometimes have the need for air sensation after not breathing for a minute or two. I see it as the body's failsafe mechanism working as it should and after 40 years it has yet to fail me.
Disorientation is not unusual if you've had your eyes closed for some time. It's lucky that most of us are lying down when we wake up.
The man clapping his hands in my opinion is symbolic of the need to pull yourself together, although relaxation and letting go may well deliver more than effort.