The dark side of meditation

[Green Lady]

I meditated before and it's something that comes very easily for me. I had paranormal stuff happening after meditating for a while so I quit (if I use guided meditations I don't go so deep so I seem to be OK with that).

On a Wayne Dyer radio show this guy rings and says that he's meditating and photo frame glass just exploded or something (the guy was not ringing because he was freaked out by it or anything, btw). Wayne Dyer just says very calmly that that's NORMAL.

I know other people who had paranormal incidents while meditating (most don't mind).

I just wonder why these "side effects" are not widely discussed. Is there a book/article covering what can happen when you start meditating (apart from the bliss and zen feeling?).

[Macedon]

This is actually the first time I've heard about this, I would love to see what people say about this

[wstein]

They are not 'side effects', they are the openings to deeper levels. Beginning meditators are not often instructed on this because they have enough to focus on in the beginning (most take years to get the basics).

[AlmostGodess]

Originally Posted by Green Lady

I meditated before and it's something that comes very easily for me. I had paranormal stuff happening after meditating for a while so I quit (if I use guided meditations I don't go so deep so I seem to be OK with that).

What exactly is happening to you in such state?

[arkimote06]

they also say our body increases in temperature....remember the young buddha Ram Bahadur Bamjon?He's now grown up and have a longer hair...i want that kind of mental ability...he maintained his weight without actually eating

[friend]

my eyes turned green and i turned into a monster!!!



that's me meditating.



those are my green eyes!!



grrr...watch out!

[solongotgon]

I have experienced extreme light headedness which I don't mind or any other physical sensations; but lately I have been reaching deeper states where I feel an extremely heavy amount of energy on my upper body. The energy is dense and it feels like i am holding it in my hands but it goes all the way up on my upper body. It is combined with the light feeling in the crown area. But the dense energy felt so heavy I felt a little nauseous and had to open my eyes to orient myself.

I have read that the point is to experience the heaviness until it goes away. Anyone had similar experiences?

[Green Lady]

Originally Posted by AlmostGodess

What exactly is happening to you in such state?

When I go really deep I go from feeling an amazing bliss to a sudden unexpected fear (more like horror).

As for other experiences they included:

- Feeling presences;
- A cold that passed through my body that was so icy that even calling it "icy" doesn't describe how cold it really was;
- Bed being shaken;
- Light bulbs exploding (that's a classic for me);
- This one will probably make you laugh: I had a bottle of aromatherapy oil (very sturdy glass that I dropped countless times) being thrown on the floor and breaking. It was the "peppermint" bottle and I had the word "peppermint" said in my ear by a scary voice before it happened. Our dog came to our bed because it happened in the living room and started to whine with his ears up towards the door;

These are the incidents I remember the most. And please note that apart from the feeling of presences all other incidents did not happen while meditating but simply during periods when I meditated regularly.

Other good friend of mine has had TV coming on and off. Light bulbs incidents (such as turning the light on in one room and it coming on in another), "someone/something" sitting on her bed, etc.

[Philemon]

I've experienced a few "side-effects," but I feel they are mostly "opening deeper levels" like wstein said. I would like to know a lot more detail about these events in order to offer proper insight, but maybe I can say a little of what I feel intuitively.

You may be still working through some fears/anxieties, or something of the sort. There is no manual for what can result from meditation. Although, certain meditative practices produce similar results. Even simple focused breathing can end up opening doors to deeper levels. You need to work to understand what new perceptions are available to you and decide best how you want to manage these new abilities. There seems to be a lot of powerful "negativity" coming through, and it probably comes more from you than you'd like to admit. Remember your intentions for meditating and keep working to assimilate these experiences into a broader scheme. It will take some time.

[old dead wood]

Meditation teacher B. Alan Wallace has written:

"If you ever experience a dense, dark, tight, fisty quality, especially in the area of your heart or the center of your chest, back off immediately. Back off just as if you found a snake in your lap. It’s really important not to pursue the meditation if this happens, as great damage can be done. Do something cheerful instead. Go eat pizza and ice cream; listen to your favorite music. Do whatever you can to bring lightness back in and get out of that space quickly."

To read the surrounding pages from the book this was taken from, google
"B. Alan Wallace"+"fisty" for the link.

I keep dealing with the same cycle right now: meditate a few nights until I go fairly deep and calm, then fall asleep RIGHT INTO wild dream states that produce a fear hangover, not to mention making scary noises during sleep that wake my wife up and cause her to wake ME up. Sometimes I feel that meditation forces the body and mind to be in "abnormal" modes and they sometimes just want to rebel.

Remember the good old days, during our meditation "honeymoons", when we thought enlightenment and meditation was all soft and fluffy, and we hadn't heard of "dark nights of the soul"?

[Green Lady]

Originally Posted by Philemon

I've experienced a few "side-effects," but I feel they are mostly "opening deeper levels" like wstein said. I would like to know a lot more detail about these events in order to offer proper insight, but maybe I can say a little of what I feel intuitively.

You may be still working through some fears/anxieties, or something of the sort. There is no manual for what can result from meditation. Although, certain meditative practices produce similar results. Even simple focused breathing can end up opening doors to deeper levels. You need to work to understand what new perceptions are available to you and decide best how you want to manage these new abilities. There seems to be a lot of powerful "negativity" coming through, and it probably comes more from you than you'd like to admit. Remember your intentions for meditating and keep working to assimilate these experiences into a broader scheme. It will take some time.

More than I'd like to admit? My God. I admit it all.

The energy in my home has been DENSE - full stop. The problems/situations have been dealt with but the energy is not light yet (because there's still a lot of emotional healing to do).

So, do I continue meditating or just leave it until I deal with my negativity/fears/anxiety?

[Green Lady]

Originally Posted by old dead wood

Meditation teacher B. Alan Wallace has written:

"If you ever experience a dense, dark, tight, fisty quality, especially in the area of your heart or the center of your chest, back off immediately. Back off just as if you found a snake in your lap. It’s really important not to pursue the meditation if this happens, as great damage can be done. Do something cheerful instead. Go eat pizza and ice cream; listen to your favorite music. Do whatever you can to bring lightness back in and get out of that space quickly."

To read the surrounding pages from the book this was taken from, google
"B. Alan Wallace"+"fisty" for the link.

I keep dealing with the same cycle right now: meditate a few nights until I go fairly deep and calm, then fall asleep RIGHT INTO wild dream states that produce a fear hangover, not to mention making scary noises during sleep that wake my wife up and cause her to wake ME up. Sometimes I feel that meditation forces the body and mind to be in "abnormal" modes and they sometimes just want to rebel.

Remember the good old days, during our meditation "honeymoons", when we thought enlightenment and meditation was all soft and fluffy, and we hadn't heard of "dark nights of the soul"?

Thanks. I forgot to mention the wild dreams!!! Those happen with guided meditation/hypnosis too, for me. It happened the other day and I woke up screaming (that I can live with because "monsters" go away when I wake up).

[Philemon]

As you meditate deeper, you reveal your shadows. The path to englightenment, I presume, requires these shadows to be addressed. I would agree that you should walk away from powerful negativity, or dark weight, if you feel it could be harmful in any way. But you would still want to examine that experience, attempt to trace its origin, ask questions about it.

I think a lot of negative experiences during meditation originate in the meditator. Although, certainly other possibilities exist. I sometimes have dream battles with negative spirits -- sometimes I decide they were a part of me, other times I sense I was fighting them for someone else.

[Philemon]

Originally Posted by Green Lady

More than I'd like to admit? My God. I admit it all.

The energy in my home has been DENSE - full stop. The problems/situations have been dealt with but the energy is not light yet (because there's still a lot of emotional healing to do).

So, do I continue meditating or just leave it until I deal with my negativity/fears/anxiety?

I meant no offense. I wrote that pretty quick.

It's hard to tell you to continue or stop meditating. On some level, meditation should/could help you here. But I understand the need for a temporary hiatus. I had to walk away from it for a little while, not because of fears, but the experiences were becoming so powerful I just felt like slowing down and giving myself some time to process it all.

Do what feels right to you. Maybe you don't need to stop meditating, just find some new intentions or strategies. It sounds like you might have some strong psychic abilities you could develop.

[Green Lady]

Originally Posted by Philemon

I meant no offense. I wrote that pretty quick.

It's hard to tell you to continue or stop meditating. On some level, meditation should/could help you here. But I understand the need for a temporary hiatus. I had to walk away from it for a little while, not because of fears, but the experiences were becoming so powerful I just felt like slowing down and giving myself some time to process it all.

Do what feels right to you. Maybe you don't need to stop meditating, just find some new intentions or strategies. It sounds like you might have some strong psychic abilities you could develop.

No offence taken, really.

I've had other powerful episode too when I was going through a sceptic phase and decided to challenge spirit...and then had to step back big time and I've been a believer but very cautious since.

[old dead wood]

Originally Posted by old dead wood

I keep dealing with the same cycle right now: meditate a few nights until I go fairly deep and calm, then fall asleep RIGHT INTO wild dream states that produce a fear hangover, not to mention making scary noises during sleep that wake my wife up and cause her to wake ME up. Sometimes I feel that meditation forces the body and mind to be in "abnormal" modes and they sometimes just want to rebel.

I've just about "had it" with my attempts to meditate. I may be the wrong psychological make-up. I think I'm just too naturally passive and do-nothing. This description fits me perfectly:

Dilation

Since a couple of nights ago, when I had a VERY deep and peaceful meditation - 20 minutes (which I hardly EVER have), I followed it with intense nightmares and a lingering feeling of nausea, weakness, and fear. In the last two days I have had a major panic attack ( hadn't had one in years) and
a digestive episode where I seemed to pass some very nasty "stuff". I never had depressive / anxiety episodes until I started my "spiritual" quest over 20 years ago. I need to go out and achieve some real-world goals. There is nothing that mandates everyone chase an elusive "nirvana".

[ANIA425]

There is this show called "The Haunted" that has people tell their own personal experiences with the paranormal. This one episode (relative evil) the woman tells how she had a negative experience with meditating. It is interesting. Links for parts 1 and 2 are below if you wanna take a watch on youtube.
YouTube - ParanormRUs4's Channel
YouTube - ParanormRUs4's Channel