Very scary meditation! help!

[dexm85]

Hi everyone! I have been a reader of this forum for a little while, but this is my first post! And most likely won't be my last!

....but I need a little help. I have been practicing deep relaxation techniques for a few months with much success. At this point, I can close my eyes and immediately become deeply relaxed when I want. My brain is clear and every time I do this I receive intuitions about things going on in my everyday life...such as where lost items are, what other people are thinking/feeling, what I can do to solve some problems, ect.

For the past week or so, something scary has been happening. I don't know if I should be worried or accepting of it. Usually when I am meditating/relaxing, my forearms twitch. I just took it as something my body does when meditating. But sometimes, I'll be with my friends, and I'll feel the twitch coming on. Then I'll lose complete feeling of my body and the ability to move or speak and will have to close my eyes. I have to leave the room and regain my composure so that I don't freak anyone out. A few times I would just go home. Last night, the same thing was happening, and I just sat where I was at my friend's place and closed my eyes. Then I started having trouble breathing. I don't know if I wasn't breathing, or if my breathing slowed down to an alarming rate, but it freaks me out. I try to come back into my body when this happens, and it feels like I am slipping away, and I am afraid of passing out. I told one friend what was going on, and he told me to just relax and don't fight it, but it is very scary when I feel like I can't control my breathing/feel my body and can't snap out of it when I need to. It has even happened while I've been driving!

Can anyone tell me whats going on? Is this an intuition or something like that, or am I entering into something that is above my knowledge of meditation? Please let me know what you think, it's very scary!

[cdn2wheeler]

Originally Posted by dexm85

I told one friend what was going on, and he told me to just relax and don't fight it, but it is very scary when I feel like I can't control my breathing/feel my body and can't snap out of it when I need to.

Your friend is right. Just allow it to happen, but instead of focusing on the fear, focus on the experience of feeling the fear. This is hard to describe, but it's got more to do with awareness of the fear rather than the fear itself. An inner dialogue might be something like, "I'm feeling fear. I'm noticing how it feels in my belly, what's happening to my heart rate, my breathing, whether it's making me feel hot or cold..." etc. etc.

Originally Posted by dexm85

It has even happened while I've been driving!

OK, well that's just plain dangerous. If it happens again, just pull over.

Originally Posted by dexm85

Can anyone tell me whats going on? Is this an intuition or something like that, or am I entering into something that is above my knowledge of meditation? Please let me know what you think, it's very scary!

No idea. But whatever it is, reach into it. Grasp it. Hold it in your hand, up to the light. Examine it. Feel it. Breathe it. Understand it.

[dexm85]

Thanks, I think stripping the fear of the unknown I have will help if I just become aware of it. I have tried this before, but with very strange happenings. One time, I felt like someone was in the room with me and it was very scary. I said to myself "don't be scared" and I managed to speak aloud "Who are you? What is going on?" Right after that, my vision blurred and I was unable to breathe again. Another time, my cats came into the room jumped on my bed and sat near me. These are just a few of them. What worries me the most however, is that since I have been learning to meditate/relax, it has been happening unwillingly, like while I am in class or out with friends. I'll try not to suppress it today (I actually feel my forearms twitching as I type) and update on what happens!

[Erin Pavlina]

Ground yourself when you meditate.

Imagine roots going out from your feet deep into the Earth's core.

If necessary, cast your awareness into your feet or your root chakra.

[11N11]

Hey. From what you are describing, my best guess is that maybe you are just experiencing "sleep paralysis." I experienced this lots and lots of times before. I used to be very scared too. However, its not dangerous at all.

In addition, the state of sleep paralysis can work as a transition stage to induce lucid dream as well.

hope this helps.

[Betrade]

I have had a similar experience without the paralysis, but I was under the impression (can't remember why at the moment) that these twitches or tremors often precede an OBE.

I've only actually had one in my sleep (completely involuntary; it was crazy), but you may be on the verge of separation from the body.

I may be wrong, so hopefully someone with more knowledge can expand on this theory.

Also, if it's truly scary, you may just want to take a break from it, learn what it is, then approach it again with knowledge, which should help calm the fear. Fear can get in the way of so many great things, and it often takes years to even realize it. You may quite possibly be on the verge of something amazing, but your fears could be holding you back from letting the experience take it's course.

[dexm85]

Hey all!

Thanks for your replies, they were actually a lot of help. After reading them, and looking up some things on OBE's, lucid dreaming and sleep paralysis, I can see now that what I was experiencing was simply sleep paralysis, or possible the "old hag" syndrome...I don't know much about that. But what I realized that it's fear of dying and the actual spiritual realm itself that is stopping me, so I am working on that...any tips?

One more thing. Since meditating after reading the replies I have been receiving many many more intuitions about things around me, and earlier memories. A lot of times, I find myself ACTUALLY BACK to some forgotten earlier childhood memories. What's really cool, though is that I remember feeling the same meditative way back then when I was younger. While in this state, I receive the intuition that I had these "powers," if you will, when I was a child, but they were not harnessed and developed, but the memories I am returning to were set by me unknowingly entering a meditative state as to kind of create a landmark to return to. Is this possible? I didn't have the best early life, and it actually creates emotional problems for me as an adult, but I have been trying to work on that. Could it be that this is a way for me to figure some things out, or may I be looking too far into things?

[Rahzad]

Originally Posted by Erin Pavlina

Ground yourself when you meditate.

Imagine roots going out from your feet deep into the Earth's core.

If necessary, cast your awareness into your feet or your root chakra.

In addition to this I would like to add that I recommend cleansing the energies of your meditation area, and having protections on your body (visualizations). You don't want to pick up any wandering "negs" in the area - on any dimension.

[Cuddles444]

Fear helps us to protect ourselves in unfamiliar territory. Generally when you are afraid of anything you will feed it with your fear and it will grow negatively. Best solution - accept it for what it is and that you are afraid and try it again at a later stage when not feeling fearful.

[Moxie]

Ummm, I hate to throw a banana peel in here, but I'd also recommend getting checked out by a doctor. Although this could be sleep paralysis, it could also be hyperthyroidism and other stuff. If you get checked out, you know for sure.