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Inner_silence
USA
50 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 11:33:54 AM
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Hello Yogis,
In your experience how does one overcome the fear of getting startled while in DM ? I have this primordial fear that I am going to get startled anytime. Every bit of sound or vibration external or internal is amplified in DM and I am wondering how to workaround this.
Thanks for your advice. |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 11:44:07 AM
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Hi and welcome Inner Silence. In fact a very big welcome for inner silence as it is the foundation of spiritual development.
Best way is to find yourself somewhere you find secure. Sometimes certain places can lead to a weird feeling that your going to be surprised. So find somewhere which feels comfortable, safe, secure.
I have a room that I have tried to meditate in several times, the feeling that someone is watching is very strong and so I no longer try. |
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Inner_silence
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 12:04:02 PM
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Thanks, Karl.
There is this feeling of something watching and there is also this light sound of foot steps (may be just wood cracking or breeze) which I do not hear when I am not in DM, in the same location. To top that I have this plastic bottle of water near me and when the plastic pops, it hits me like an explosion.
I may need to get a pair of noise cancelling headphones if it is okay to wear something over the ears. |
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brother neil
USA
752 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 12:11:45 PM
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| maybe its your angels |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 1:51:38 PM
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Hi Inner silence,
sudden sounds are definitely amplified in DM over here too, as is the mind's creativity in making something out of nothing. What I do is cultivate the habit of ignoring such things, and find that in time, even when something startling happens (house creaking, gusts of wind, loud footsteps, and yes, bottles popping), you can tease apart your body's reaction from your sense of being startled even in that split second to minimize the after-effects. Contrary to what some other systems advise, I find it is safer from an energy-disrupting point of view to be startled and become more desensitized to it as opposed to fueling the fear of the inevitable. |
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Inner_silence
USA
50 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 3:14:41 PM
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| Thanks for your advice and support Brother Neil and AumNaturel ! |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 3:46:56 PM
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Water wings and the a public swimming pool before tackling the mighty ocean 
I agree with desensitisation, but sometimes there needs to be an element of getting comfortable before gradually re-introducing the disturbing element. Army officers in the first and second world wars thought that a good dose of shell bombardment would cure the shell shocked. Many were shot before it was realised that PTSD was a reality.
Once you get started with meditation then the increasing stillness becomes the catalyst for increasing tolerance to noise and environment. Noise shouldn't be discouraged, but if you can't get going it can easily wreck a good habit before it settles in. |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 6:10:28 PM
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| karl: I agree, it is more about inner silence than desensitization; the body, after all, should react to something startling. I don't rule out desensitization entirely since it plays its own part in some way, if only to dispel anticipation of the reaction after the fact (sudden noise) which acts instantly to lessen it. It is the fear that sounded like a (reasonable) minor hindrance to the habit, not the intrusion itself. |
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karl
United Kingdom
1812 Posts |
Posted - Mar 12 2012 : 6:51:13 PM
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Yes, anticipation of an event. That's correct. Thing is, as stillness grows, then that fear is seen as a thought, the noise becomes a thought also, just like scenery.
So, we can go the route of desensitisation and therapeutic intervention using hypnosis and other aids, alternatively AYP does not ask that we have a confirmed lifestyle of clean living, strong nerves or lack of fear. Instead it is does these things as part and parcel of doing the practices. Therefore it is not necessary to have learnt to sit in the lotus position, be vegetarian, be teetotal or drug free to begin. We are free to use whatever support is necessary to begin and then establish the practices in a workable way.
For some this might mean desensitising, hypnotism or even drug therapy to calm the nerves. Nothing is excluded. I just think the simplest way is just to find a comfortable and secure lace that you can feel confident about. |
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SeySorciere
Seychelles
1571 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 05:38:07 AM
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Dear Inner-Silence,
Welcome. I would suggest that you protect your space before sitting down for meditation. Imagine light/love energy coming from your heart to form a sphere around you. Pray to Archangel Michael to protect you within this sphere. You'll be amazed how quiet it will go and how safe you will suddenly feel within your bubble and can happily give no more thought to sudden noises or watching presence.
Sey |
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AumNaturel
Canada
687 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 12:02:46 PM
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| karl: I see your point much better now, and again I agree that that is indeed what AYP is more about and not the micro-side stuff (interventions), even if they aren't wrong in themselves, can hang off into other systems and over-complicate what's been shown to be effective with redundancies. I'll also point out that I said "contrary to what some other systems advise" to expand the topic's idea a bit (outside the 'what I do' against fear of being startled). |
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Overcoming fear, help please
