Meditation help

[thehappyman]

Hi all
Hope everyone is good , Basically i have a problem during my meditation i have experienced being a bit panicky when i enter my deep state is there any way i could avoid this because if so then i could move on in to more deep meditation, i did give meditation a miss for a year as i wasnt as devoted but i now have found the power what makes it so lovely. Hope you guys can help.

Peace Daniel

[GilesC]

Hi Daniel and welcome to the project meditation community,

The 'panicky' feeling is something being created by the mind, not your real Self. The fact you are aware of the panicky feeling means you can't actually be the panicky feeling, and that's a good indication that it's not real, but something created by the mind. If you like you can think of the mind as a naughty trickster, that creates fear for itself and actually believes that if you enter a deep meditative state, it will disappear for good. In a sense, the mind will disappear during deep meditation, but it will also return when we come out of the meditative state and that is what it fears won't happen. It is the mind's 'fear' that causes the panicky feeling, and it does that in an attempt to stop you from reaching complete awareness in the state of deep meditation.

Saying that, it's quite normal for this to be experienced. With practice, we can learn to observe the mind creating this feeling, be aware of it for what it is, and choose to carry on, as we know that it is nothing that can harm us. It's not something you can just avoid, but it's something you can expect and be aware of.

Hugs

Giles

[Milamber]

I sometimes get that panicky feeling during meditation too, like a surge of fear through my body when i notice a particually long space of quiteness in my mind and i feel compelled to open my eyes and distract myself from it. Other times i get a rush of energy up my spine and into my head almost like a orgasmic feeling, much more pleasant!

[Edwin]

Originally Posted by GilesC

In a sense, the mind will disappear during deep meditation, but it will also return when we come out of the meditative state and that is what it fears won't happen. It is the mind's 'fear' that causes the panicky feeling, and it does that in an attempt to stop you from reaching complete awareness in the state of deep meditation.

In addition to Giles' excellent post, the same thing happens every night when you enter deep sleep. Conscious thought falls away completely, you don't remember anything at all anymore. And yet you wake up every morning.

Meditation is no different from deep sleep, but now you stay conscious of the thoughtless state. What is there to be scared about ?