Meditation Difficulties

I've been having some difficulties in meditation and can't understand why. First off a little background info. I have never had any experience with any kind of supernatural energies or entities. I have a natural curiosity about spirits but at the same time the thought of actually encountering such a thing terrifies me.

I've been practicing meditation on and off for some time and recently began trying the chakra method outlined in another thread. No matter what method I use, I always have a sense that something bad is about to happen or is happening. I don't exactly have visions, but I have "visual impressions" lets say. Not that I can actually see anything visually it's just a sense of what something looks like if that makes any sense. Most of these "visions" are of malicious entities of some form or another or some gruesome scene. During last nights attempt along with the "impression" of some kind of spirit I got a sense that it was laughing at me. Almost like a taunt.

I've never felt any kind of love, peace, or contentment during meditation. Does anyone have any insight as to why this might be?

I am under the impression that meditation may lead to the opening of psychic abilities. Could it be that because I am afraid of encountering supernatural phenomena that it is my subconcious that is holding me back and rather than an actual entity that is attached to me?

Maybe this is related and maybe it's not, but I will included it in case it provides some kind of clue. Sometimes, but not very often, I will wake up in the middle of the night. I will jolt out of deep sleep and be very alert. It almost feels like there is some kind of presence in my room. It makes me very uneasy and it's not a pleasant feeling. Like I said in the beginning of the post, I have never actually seen or experienced anything that I can definitively say that is supernatural in origin. Maybe it's just me freaking out for no reason?

If anyone can provide any insight I would very much like to experience the positive that comes along with meditation and move away from the uneasy feelings it produces in me.

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Mav3rick]

I think you are having some kind of visits from both sides of
good and evil showing you future events or the sub hidden message
or signs. It could be warnings to. I think all of us have psychic abilities
in some form or fashion, and it depends on if we reconize them.
I think mine are through dreams.

None of my impressions have ever been of anything good. Like I said, mostly impressions of bad entities and things like body parts, torn torso's, blood, very disturbing things.

Just for the record I am not gothic or into that kind of imagery. I am just your average mundane joe the plumber. Also, I never have those kinds of impressions during the course of a normal day. I only get them when I sit down to quite my mind for meditation.

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Mav3rick]

[edit on 13-11-2008 by Mav3rick]

we create what we fear........

focus on nothing but pure love, since that is your essence. Focus on It and nothing else, all else will fall into place.

Namaste

reply to post by Mav3rick


Hey there Mav3rick,


You'd be surprised how common this is so don't worry too much.

Try the chakra meditation again but this time make sure you visualize good sturdy roots (like tree roots) coming from your base(also called 'root') chakra down into the ground ... right through the floor and down into the earth. This keeps you secure and 'grounded' during your meditation.

Another thing you could try is playing some gentle music when you meditate ... or do an open-eyed meditation by using a candle flame or crystal to meditate with instead. You may not go deep but until you get used to it and feel more relaxed this might be the way to go.

It's all about finding a method that suits 'YOU' not what the books and tapes say you should do necessarily. Also start with really short meditations (5-10mins) and gradually progress.

There are some other techniques on my website that you might like to try out too (link in my signature). Besides being a Pastlife Regression Therapist I'm also a qualified Meditation Tutor so I do know what I'm talking about ... hope some of these suggestions help.

Woody

You've got ghosts mate. Run at them, and if necessary, hard.

I think it was Woody who has some meditation help for
you, that sounds good

You should trying not to be scared i had to do that first before anything.

It's not so much that I'm afraid during meditation. It's just the impressions that I get are very unsettling. I try to work through it, but after about 8-10 minutes it gets to be too much sometimes.

Do you know what the cause of this might be woodwytch?

reply to post by Mav3rick


I have never had any success with astral projection. While I conceede the possibility that maybe that's because it just doesn't work, I really can't say for sure, because I am easily disturbed (being able to sense anything at all makes it very difficult for me to unroot my mind from my physical being- I have to be near sleep or intoxicated to be truly alone with my thoughts).

Also, when I was young (about 11) and still developing my interest in the occult, I read several "worst case scenarios" involving the alleged tendency of the astral body to become trapped by electical fields and the presence of malevolent entities in the astral plane which gave me some negative preconcieved notions about it.

Nevertheless, I have taught myself a few tricks which may help you ease your way in to deeper and less conventional meditative states.

What I have done is attempt exercises which are supported rather than weakened by my limitations.

I focus on an unreliable sense (like the sense of direction) until I begin to question it (like when you say a word so many times that it doesn't sound right anymore) and then convince myself that my senses are incorrect and that I am infact in a place where I am not. For example, if my head is pointed North as I lay trying to meditate, I will convince myself that my head is pointed east. I will then focus on a place I have slept where my head DID point East, until I am able to feel as if I am laying in that room again. I can then imagine myself getting out of bed and walking through a place I have not been in years, remembering minute details of the setting and of events which transpired there.

So my fixation on physical sensation becomes a positive, and because I am not trying something mystical, I am fully confident that no harm can come to me.

I find it incredibly relaxing, and sometimes use this technique to put myself back in the moment where I made decisions I regret, in order to make peace with decisions that haunt me.

Using such techniques to build a history of peaceful meditative experiences may help overcome your subconscious objections to deeper meditative experiences.

Just a humble suggestion from a marginally successful amateur.

Hey there Mav3rick,

There are many potential reasons that could be causing these problems.

1/ It could be nothing more than your subconscious/imagination creating these images by way of some axiety, that you probably don't even know you have in the conscious sense.

A little bit like vagaband mentioned ... sometimes our subconscious mind can put us on 'high alert' when we try something a little different ... kind of 'expect the worse' or 'this is what could happen' senarios, particularly when we start to venture into unknown, spiritual territory. This is why it's so common. You only have to read some of the threads on here about demons, possessions etc ... and it's enough to send us all running for the hills. The reality of this is that yes, such things can happen ... and do, but very, very rarely.

This is why it's important to protect ourselves when we pursue such practises ... including meditation.


2/ Another likely explanation for your experiences could be that you are a natural 'sensitive'. This may always have been the case but until you started to open-up with meditation it's lain dormant.

There is one of two things you can do if this is the case ... (i) forget about meditating ... however that doesn't mean your natural ability will automatically cease ... (ii) continue trying to meditate but always use protection and try to regain control ... this is done with perserverence and patience.

I'm afraid there is no quick fix here.

Having said that I would definately try the 'open-eyed' meditations that I suggested for a couple of weeks. This will lay a stronger foundation ready for you to progress to the next level.

Do you live in the UK ? If so I would be happy to give you some tuition ... in fact I'm offering my 6wk meditation course again in the new year.

Woody

I've been having meditation problems as of late, too... but I must have gotten a little further in my astral travels than you because man when I first got a hang of meditation, I was going all sorts of crazy places and seeing all sorts of crazy dimensions and just having profound info bombs and stuff... but now it seems as if there is some opposing force intentionally blocking my meditation.... but for me, it already tried the blood and guts, but I had already gotten a decent hang of meditation and got into some really peaceful states by then so it didn't affect me like it is affecting you. That's weird because I don't like horror movies at all, but.... anyway.... the methods of blocking me were more of a physical nature.... poking, electric shock sensations, one time I got shoved, stabbing sensations in different parts of my body, especially my head, and I've had some physical problems since then. I have always been a freestyle meditation type of dood... but lately the place I reside has been filling with not so good vibes for some reason, but it's just an urging to get out.

I believe our problems, although different in symptoms, stem from a similar source. There are entities around you at all times. Some good and just passing by, but some are parasitic and they don't want you to ever know about them or gain any knowledge of the possibility of them existing, so they stifle your meditation, and depending on the personality type and the level of expanded awareness the person has, they have quite an extensive set of methods for dealing with our astral pursuits.

For some people who have inherent abilities and pursue spiritual practices, but who don't have what would be considered true higher degrees of awareness (still stuck in the ego), they will be allowed to travel here and there, they will be allowed a glimpse of the astral pane.... but a heavily manipulated glimpse.... this is why you get all these people who get deep into meditation and proclaim themselves to be prophets and start speaking like some sort of holier than thou deity or some cult leader.

Medical and psychological practices discounted the effects of negative spirits (demons) a long time ago, proclaiming science as the new authority...
but I believe many many many of our seemingly incurable problems and diseases are symptoms of negative etheric and even negative extraterrestrial influence (take certain viruses or highly exotic and bizarre diseases and parasites for example of the latter).

There's a lot we don't know about what constitutes living beings, and how and where a being can live... but it is precisely this ignorance that prevents us from solving ESPECIALLY psychological disorders. There are all sorts of good and bad unseen forces out there, but I think what we're dealing with mainly is one quite specific group, and it is this group that has designed everything about our society the way it is to distract us from venturing inward into our minds and figuring out truth for ourselves, and if all else fails, including misleading and possession and things of that nature, they will resort to all sorts of different severity levels of psychic and even physical assault.... in some cases resulting in catatonia, paralysis, or death. These beings are powerful, but we are more more powerful once we realize it. They can only control or block you or hurt you if you give into the fear and you allow them to hurt you.

For your safety, though, if these images are getting really really bad and horrifying.... I would find a Gnostic circle of some sort and/or contact a monastery and talk to someone who has experience and training in dealing with these beings. It's hard to know who is legit, though... but going to online Gnostic/Mystic forums and stating your case there might help.... even if you don't believe in what I'm proposing here.

Hell I hardly believe it muh'self.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Woodwytch, I think it's interesting about your theory on number 2. I do have a friend who is an empath and she has told me before that I have potential to be sensitive to things that other people are not. Unfortunately, I don't live in the UK. I'm from the U.S. When you mention protecting yourself, how exactly do I go about this? The only thing that I know of is envisioning the white light surrounding me, but sometimes that is hard to focus on. I don't want to cease practice, even though the thought of the unknown scares me. I think my desire to learn truth is more. Why else would I be on ATS lol?

Dunwichwitch, yes it's hard for me to except things conciously, but I feel that what you are saying has truth to it. My friend who is the empath has told me of some outlandish things that I could hardly believe were true, but I trust her and feel that she is not making things up to test my gullability.

Someone else mentioned astral travels earlier, I think it was vagabond. I don't think I have ever travelled anywhere in the astral nor is that necessarily my goal. I'm always aware of being right in the middle of my room so I've never had an OOBE. It does feel a bit reassuring to know that I'm not the only person who sees gory things, maybe I'm not losing my mind afterall

I would appreciate as much help as I can get on this topic. Does anyone have any links to good information? I know you wanted me to look at your website woodwytch, I just haven't gotten a chance to do that yet but I will definately. You sound very knowledgeable.

Thanks everyone

Imo i believe what you are experiencing is not supernatural, or rather not an outside force. It is yourself. i used to experience something similar quite often, and still do from time to time, only my block is greys. i see them in my mind lurking in shadow or ready to spring from a hallway or another room. I've come to realise that it is not real, merely a projection of my inner mind and some sort of dissociation with an internal part of myself.

I deal with this by practicing no-mind meditation in the hardest place possible: my work. i'm currently working in a lowes and so i'm constantly bombarded by customers asking for this or that or my advice on a certain items. being able to practice no-mind while helping these people brings one to a new calmness. and has allowed me to develop a technique for getting rid of the "grey block" by visualizing the images that come at me as a kind of glass photo where i shatter it and as the pieces go away so too does the block.

perhaps it would be beneficial for you to try this as well.

If you keep seeing things you do not want to see stop for a moment and just watch. Its the fear that's preventing you from going any further. Just watch with a passive attitude. Do not let those images bother you. But rather embrace them as a learning experience.

[edit on 11-16-2008 by CPYKOmega]

Originally posted by optimus primal
Imo i believe what you are experiencing is not supernatural, or rather not an outside force. It is yourself. i used to experience something similar quite often, and still do from time to time, only my block is greys. i see them in my mind lurking in shadow or ready to spring from a hallway or another room. I've come to realise that it is not real, merely a projection of my inner mind and some sort of dissociation with an internal part of myself.

This is what my initial suspicion was. I'll try this glass shattering technique and let you know how it goes.

Originally posted by CPYKOmega
If you keep seeing things you do not want to see stop for a moment and just watch. Its the fear that's preventing you from going any further. Just watch with a passive attitude. Do not let those images bother you. But rather embrace them as a learning experience.

[edit on 11-16-2008 by CPYKOmega]

How do I just stop and watch passively? It's not like I try and interact with the images or conciously try to push them away, they are just there. Usually it brings me from my meditative state back to my normal conciousness so I just wrap up my session.

If it simply is a fear of the unkown, how do I come to terms with that? I don't understand why I have such a "spirit" phobia. It doesn't make sense for me to have such a fascination with the paranormal, but at the same be afraid of the truth.

As I said in another post, this images thing stopped me for quite awhile.

It's from yourself, your fear, your mind is saying, STOP THIS NOW.

Is it okay that I ask how old you may be? This did not stop for me until I was about 18 or so.

Do things to make yourself feel more powerful, become one with yourself. Become somebody with enough character to not care if you see a burning baby or a dead body.

If it does not bother you, it won't happen anymore.

I'm 26. Why would the mind be so demanding that I stop doing this if meditation is the key to setting it free?

ME DI TA TION DIFFI CULTIES SOUNDS LIKE

WOMAN


TO ME THE SABOTAGING WHORE OF THE DEVIL THE SATAN ASSHOLE