I probably misunderstood "facing uncomfortable things"
 

I've been meditating for many years, in a probably superficial way (compared to people who really dedicate themselves). Also, I've read plenty of stories (e.g. on this forum) about uncomfortable feelings coming up, and sitting with that. But I think I may have misunderstood those stories.

For me, the phrase "I feel uncomfortable with this issue" points to some kind of emotional discomfort, such as feeling nervous, anxious, scared. In my own meditation, I notice a lot of internal stress, that is connected to emotions (it feels like it could manifest itself as a scream, or as crying, though it doesn't) but the discomfort is more mental and physical. It doesn't feel emotionally uncomfortable to notice these "emotional tensions" (so to speak) but mentally uncomfortable. It's hard though to put this kind of stress into words. It's not a physical pain, it's more like a mental pressure.

Maybe this mental pressure is also something one can "just sit with". It does feel like it may subside at some point (I'm not pushing myself to much at this point, I may sit with this pressure for half an hour or a bit longer, but not much longer). Usually the start of my meditation feels more pleasant and expansive, before this tension comes up (which makes sense, first there is relaxation, then internal tension comes up).

Does this sounds familiar to anyone?

Gem would be a good person to relate this through his own process I’m sure. Hopefully he’ll read and support you.

Sounds like you’re very aware of your processors all the same.

I think for me my mental pressures were another level of mind to let go into the body, so that my more uncomfortable feelings could be released. It was kind of like my judgement on those feelings, so I locked into the mind unable to drop into my body fully, so until I was able to do that, my process couldn’t flow more readily..

For me I literally backed myself into a corner, a corner of my mind that needed to be faced, it was a place I was putting extreme pressure on my own thoughts..

Addressing posts 1 & 2 in my view, the key is to accept rather than negate, whatever is, as it appears in our awareness but with the proviso that we do not assume ownership over the object, the word ‘object’ meaning thoughts, emotions and sensations too. If we own it but do not want it, we fight it. On the other hand, if we do not own it, we merely look at it, in vibrant nonchalance. In as it applies to my approach, this is key shift in orientation, in as how we approach our meditational immersion or for that matter, our moment to moment response to life as it unfolds.

The basic Buddhist (or was it Ramana?) inquiry is useful here, asking ‘to whom do these thoughts or sensations come?’ Slowly, in a continuum of attentive mindfulness, our awareness is animated, poised in the void, in rippleless silence. The images that move upon the screen of our awareness are then merely shadows playing upon it, powerless to impact the core of of our consciousness or aliveness.