5 replies to this topic

[ElixirOfLife]

In the past two years I spiraled down pretty low. I've always suffered from social anxiety and the AD I was on (Nardil) stopped working about 2 years ago.

 

Last November, I decided to see a therapist and she pointed me towards the book by Eckhart Tolle 'The Power of Now' (She specifically recommended the audiobook actually, and I highly support this suggestion vs reading. Tolle's voice is soothing and convincing and hearing him will take you deep).

 

This is a very powerful book and it planted some seeds in my head, which led to a sort of awakening. The process went something like this:

 

1) Realization that we aren't our minds. It's so simple in theory but a bit harder in practice, but understanding the false nature of thought is the beginning of something profoundly special. 

 

2) Realizing our minds are pretty crazy. If you don't beleive me, start watching how often you're lost in thought. Watch how the mind is constantly trying to figure things out, how it talks to itself and constantly judges. It craves for more of what it likes and aversion to what it dislikes - but still never satisfied. (it's now easy to see that everyone experiences the paranoia of schizophrenia, just in varying degrees!). 

 

3) Realizing that it takes a practice (a spiritual practice) to break free of the world of thought. I started by deciding to bring myself to the present moment and stop listening to the mind every time I caught myself thinking. This takes effort and you get better at it pretty fast. Depression and anxiety starts easing up immediately.

 

4) Implement a practice of sitting and just following the breath in and out. When thoughts arise, just gently bring attention back to the breath. This is the key to happiness! Doing this for 5 minutes daily is a great start. Now I look forward to 30 minutes daily. It's very insightful to see what thoughts pull away the concentration, but this concentration is the essence of meditation and leads to deeply relaxed states that can make you feel happy and immune to stress! 

 

If you're suffering, I highly recommend you get a copy of the audio book 'The Power of Now'. Transformation is possible! 

Edited by ElixirOfLife, 29 April 2014 - 04:38 PM.

[username]

Meditation is a great tool. It hasn't brought me any amazing results so far, but I know that I benefit. Once I had a recurrence of my severe depression and was lost in my thoughts and meditation was able to, not make it disappear, but it made it less severe.

I'll take a look at the (audio)book. Thanks!

[blood]

Thanks for the book recommendation!

[Galaxyshock]

Bacopa and Gotu Kola are good herbs to aid medative states and promote healthy anxiolysis. I don't like the use of word "escape" in the title, it's not escaping but observing when you recognize you are not the voice in your head but the one listening to it. Escapism is distraction, intoxication, fantasy, repression etc. to push away the negative thoughts.

 

anyway, good advice and it's definitely a book worth reading.

Edited by Galaxyshock, 04 May 2014 - 10:36 AM.

[platypus]

That is truly a wonderful audiobook, I've listened it many times over while driving and I have to say I agree with almost everything Tolle is saying. 

[ElixirOfLife]

Bacopa and Gotu Kola are good herbs to aid medative states and promote healthy anxiolysis. I don't like the use of word "escape" in the title, it's not escaping but observing when you recognize you are not the voice in your head but the one listening to it. Escapism is distraction, intoxication, fantasy, repression etc. to push away the negative thoughts.

 

anyway, good advice and it's definitely a book worth reading.

 

I think you're right, the word is misleading in the title. There's no "escape" from the mind-body. I also don't feel the need to escape the mind, life can feel pretty nice when the watcher is on the throne. 

 

I did escape something though - what I escaped is the belief that my cycles of thought leading to negativity were out of my control. I also escaped the idea of reliance on pharmaceuticals as the only solution to an off-balanced neurochemistry. 

 

On that topic, mindfulness based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is at least as effective as antidepressants, which I find to be profound!