Meditation?

[Fitzo]

Just curious.

It has often been suggested to me that I take up meditation because it would really help me with things like relaxation, anxiety and insomnia etc.

I'm sure they're probably right ......but I just CANNOT do it. After about 30 seconds of trying it feels like torture!

If I'm in a group with a leader I'm literally counting the seconds until I can get out of there.

When I try to explain that I just can't keep my mind still they think I'm not really trying.

Has anyone else had any success with it?

 

[Chance]

This is a whole different take on it... I have no idea if it will help you, but it makes more sense to me anyway. I cant stop my brain, and this is sort of about that and it being okay.

 

[SusanLR]

My brain is usually a run-away train, but, I can meditate.
And I do find it helpful. I calms me when upset and does help me sleep soundly.

I have taken quite a bit of interest and education in psychology through life. I started with my cousin who was a psychologist, doing what he called Guided Imagery.
It is like a mild hypnotic state and the mind finally calms as you calm from listening to the person or you can get tapes/CDs also. The main thing is not to try too hard.
Just listen to them and I find my mind thinking about what the person is talking about which will be describing scenes and asking you to create scenes of your own while he talks and describes pretty and positive scenarios. When successful, the brain will go into an alert state of Alpha.

My cousin also taught me self-hypnosis.
I know not everyone can get into that, but, it can come in handy for sleeping or zoning out in cases where you need to be still for long periods. In my case like for MRI scans and dental work or if you are in the hospital.
There is much of this on You Tube. Just type in search for New Age, hemi-sync, meditational music whatever.
Dr. Emmett Miller is my favourite.

Then came what most call actual meditation which is controlling the mind at will. Breath counting and proceeding to different alterations of it is a good place to start. When I was younger, I knew a Zen monk and we did Tai Chi and meditation. I could do very complicated meditations like Chakra and Kundalini meditations sitting in the lotus position for an hour.
I couldn't even do a lotus position now.

But, it came easy to me and I don't know what I'd do without it daily. Have a lot of panic attacks probably.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Some people just struggle with meditation - whether it's guided or not.
My mum is an example of someone who cannot meditate; she can't sit still to do it and her mind won't stop racing.
I can do it through, and I do find it helpful when I do.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

This is a whole different take on it... I have no idea if it will help you, but it makes more sense to me anyway. I cant stop my brain, and this is sort of about that and it being okay.

Used to think Alan Watts was the guy, read a bunch of his books.
(A book on the taboo, against knowing who you are)

A good practice. A big drinker apparently- not sure if that helped him or not.

'Attend to the sound of my voice and not the meaning of the words'

You haven't the most relaxing voice, mate but may do the modern equivalent - get a gong app.

 

[Fitzo]

This is a whole different take on it... I have no idea if it will help you, but it makes more sense to me anyway. I cant stop my brain, and this is sort of about that and it being okay.

Thanks Chance. I tried listening to it but the gong really bothered me. I seem to be particularly sensitive to sounds today. But I will try again another day when I'm not so sensitive.

 

[AGXStarseed]

Try listening to one of the recordings at the bottom of this page; listen through headphones and at a comfortable volume.
They're only a minute long each: Natural Energy Booster - Increase your energy level with binaural beats

 

[Butterfly88]

I've tried it but had a little trouble. I'm okay for five of ten minutes but then my brain wanders and starts thinking about what feels like 1,000 different things. Though if I got better at it maybe five or ten minutes would be enough to relax. Right now it feels like it takes too much effort to be relaxing.