Discovery - meditation

There is so much information on meditation available on the internet, that I don't need to repeat it here. But probably the first question is, “why meditate?”

It’s beginning to be established that it is very good for you and even after a relatively short time our biomarkers are improved. Long term meditators are measured as about 6 years younger than non meditators but if you’re suffering from M.E/CFS, would you want to live another 6 years? So let's get well!

I frequently hear people who give up on meditation, say that whatever they did, they couldn’t stop their thoughts. Well no, you probably won’t because that’s what brains and minds do, they think. The point of meditation is to observe our minds, to distance ourselves from our thoughts, to challenge our thoughts and habitual reactions that are triggered by both inside and outside events including the things we do, the people we meet, the places we go. I found that life mirrored back to me exactly what I needed to learn about myself. In other words, increase my awareness because awareness brought healing. To become aware that we are not our minds, we are the observer of our minds, of our bodies, our thoughts, our emotions and feelings. All these things come and go, but we remain so we cannot be these things.

By observing our feelings and thoughts, we can become free of their influence, free to allow the energy to flow, and for us to heal.

Meditation will also allow you to still your mind so that you can become aware of all the emotions that you don't want to feel. This is not a threat and a reason not to meditate! As we block our uncomfortable emotions they become stored in our bodies. They don't go away and all to often we adopt negative and self destructive behaviours, including taking legal and illegal drugs, eating too much or too little, too much or too little sexing, over and under exercising and so on.

Meditation can help us to allow whatever arises to be OK, to accept it all without judgement or comment. To feel into it, gently but with persistence and often, outside help. To observe it, and to let go of our identification with it. To move from a sense of "this is who I am" to "this is just a sensation arising in my body." I am not it

When I started meditating, I found it incredibly difficult. My whole body wanted to get up and move, I could feel my left foot pressing hard into the floor urging me to get up and go. So I found a different way, I discovered music with binaural beats and by listening to that, I was, in effect, being meditated. My brainwaves were being altered so that much of the repressed emotions were brought into my awareness. Often, especially at the beginning, this was an uncomfortable process and my symptoms were exacerbated briefly but over time, as I allowed the memories and associated feelings to emerge, I recovered and healed.

Frequently, what was felt in the body as severe discomfort, was of no major import to the adult me. Alarming and frightening for me as a 4 or 5 year old, but easily dealt with as an adult.

Recovery

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

Einstein

So by bringing adult awareness to the issues of our past histories, our inner child, the younger me, the younger you, we are able to solve our stored problems, we integrate and release. We heal.

I frequently thought that it was a cosmic joke that, although we don't want to feel these unpleasant feelings, and they can be seriously unpleasant, we do anyway, because they are our symptoms. The symptoms may be in the form of pains, illnesses or behaviours.

Another thought I have is that our illnesses and symptoms are akin to what Jung called the shadow which is an unconscious part of us that contains all that we don't know, are unaware of, that we don't like about ourselves. But we also have a "golden shadow," equally unknown but it contains the good bits and it's good to know these too.

“The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.” Jung

“This thing of darkness I acknowledge mine.” (William Shakespeare)

"Our illness makes us honest." The Healing Power of Illness, Rüdige Dahlke & Thorwald Dethlesen

"Illness comes to heal us" ibid

When we become totally aware of the feeling and unafraid to feel it, not only are we free, we also experience a curious sensation, a mixture of joy, love, bliss. That is my day to day experience of life so I have moved from feeling like s... to a profound sense of fundamental wellbeing. That is why I know this way works.

Resources

There are many different types and if one doesn't suit, try another and if it stops working, try another.

Different types of meditation:

Brainwave entrainment -

iAwake

Holosync

SomaBreath Trypnaural

Feedback Devices -

Muse Headband

HRV apps

Inner Balance

On the breath -

Your own breathing

HeartMath

Omnibreath

SomaBreath

Miscellaneous -

"Who/what am I?"

Mindfulness

Insight meditation

Mantra

Chanting

Body scanning

"What is stopping the love flowing?"

Walking especially in woodland/forests

Simply sitting with your back to a tree.

Next - ask questions