Depersonalization

[ThatMan]

Last night I decided to meditate before sleep using some sort of a meditative music that was related with chakra activation. I woke up later in the night feeling completely disconnected from my body, as if my body was not my body, as if I was seeing myself outside of myself. That was really scarry, you can't imagine how scary this was, you have to experience it.

The thing is that now I noticed once again the same sensation, I feel totally disconnected from my body, I am wide awake and I can't understand how can this be, how can I see myself as if I am outside of myself, is just a very strange and powerful sensation.

I used to have these dreams where I would wake up screaming that my hand was not my hand or that my body was not my body, I had them from a very early age and they were and are quite rare, now I am experiencing this live, no more dreaming. My grandma had them too.

I think this time I went way too far with my meditation, I see that I am not the only one experiencing this just like that, from nowhere. I did a little bit of research and I found out that this is called "depersonalization", when one loses his/her sense of self.

What have I done now!

Heya ThatMan

Hope you are feeling OK. Perhaps you can head to one of Spirit Guide Sparrow's threads and ask your question there.

Love

JL

[MysticRose]

It sounds like you are "out of body" and are having trouble getting back in and then not able to control it. I have heard of this happening to people who do astral travel. I hope someone can help you; it sounds very unsettling to me. Good luck and good wishes. Let us know the outcome, please.....

I'm not sure what meditation technique you're using but I'd suggest this one. But don't go overboard! Something like 15 or 20 minutes in the morning and another 15 or 20 minutes in the evening, increasing to 30 minutes a sitting in increments of 5 minutes if you feel it's a benefit.

https://www.vipassanaforum.net/meditation/Shamatha.pdf

Specifically because of this:

6) The Neuro-Physiology at work behind the scenes. In the western world we are trained from an early age to identify with our intellect and thinking. We all, to a greater or lesser extent, "live in our heads". The furniture we use, the ways we use it and the habits of body and mind we accumulate add to this imbalance.

This practice of paying attention to bodily sensations as we breathe in and out, and calming the body as we do so, whilst learning not to identify with thoughts has a strong backing in NeuroPhysiology.

One of the most important features and reasons for the success of the practice is that it re-embodies us: that is to say that it reconnects our body and mind - our bodymind.

The brain has twelve pairs of nerves that enter directly into the brainstem bypassing the spinal cord. Most of these nerves serve functions in the head and face: smell, hearing, sight, etc.

The tenth "Cranial" nerve, the Vagus nerve or "wanderer", exits the skull through the Jugular foramen, a hole in the base of the skull. It is one of only two of these pairs of Cranial nerves that enters the body.

the Vagus nerve has branches that connect to the ears and larynx and it plays a significant role in speech and language comprehension through these.

It then travels down the neck inside the back of the throat and enters the chest cavity. It provides feedback to the brain from the lungs and heart including blood pressure, oxygen and carbon dioxide content of the blood (via the Aortic receptors).

The Vagus also provides feedback to the brain from all the internal bodily organs in our abdomen and plays a pivotal role in controlling the stomach and the pancreas. It has strong links to all of the main nerve plexuses (groups of nerves like mini-brains) in the body.

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by ThatMan

Last night I decided to meditate before sleep using some sort of a meditative music that was related with chakra activation. I woke up later in the night feeling completely disconnected from my body, as if my body was not my body, as if I was seeing myself outside of myself. That was really scarry, you can't imagine how scary this was, you have to experience it.

The thing is that now I noticed once again the same sensation, I feel totally disconnected from my body, I am wide awake and I can't understand how can this be, how can I see myself as if I am outside of myself, is just a very strange and powerful sensation.

I used to have these dreams where I would wake up screaming that my hand was not my hand or that my body was not my body, I had them from a very early age and they were and are quite rare, now I am experiencing this live, no more dreaming. My grandma had them too.

I think this time I went way too far with my meditation, I see that I am not the only one experiencing this just like that, from nowhere. I did a little bit of research and I found out that this is called "depersonalization", when one loses his/her sense of self.

What have I done now!

Excepting a medical problem, maybe you found your larger-self, you got more aware of it.

Here's another way to look at it and why technique really is important. It's why I stick with tried and true techniques proven through the ages. The parts I highlighted speak to the Vipassana technique that strengthens the mind-body connection.

There's a saying that goes something like this: Place body on the cushion and then mind in the body. Attending breathe (the object of focus) is an extremely powerful technique for the mind-body connection, however there's one step to take at the beginning of a sitting. It's firmly placing mind in body in preparation for the actual technique. Take a few minutes to do a complete body scan, starting at the feet and with each breathe working progressively up to the crown of the head, feeling any sensation and relaxing the muscles. Now you're ready for mindfulness of breathe/calm abiding practice.

https://saturdaycenter.org/meditatio...ual-bypassing/

Here are some indicators differentiating meditation and dissociation:

If you find yourself better able to tolerate and engage with uncomfortable emotions, both in yourself and in others — you likely have a dynamic meditation practice.

If you feel the need to actively avoid uncomfortable experiences, possibly see them as “negative energy,” especially anger — you might be by-passing or dissociating.

If you find yourself open to interact in a variety of experiences with an improvising attitude, confident that you will be okay — that sounds like a meditator in action.

If you often feel ungrounded and spacey, that’s a telltale sign of dissociation. Bringing awareness back into your body will benefit.

If you stay ever-the-observer of pain and joy, you may be robbing yourself of the very experiences that will deepen your contentment. You might be slightly dissociated from or bypassing intimacy. It is a subtle shift.

If you go into a haze during your sit-down meditation time, that’s dissociation. Try to return to the point of focus and bring yourself back into embodiment.

If you have a history of trauma and do tend to dissociate, you have to be more vigilant than most. But you probably already know this on some level.

One other thing I'll mention and this is really important.

Meditation is a mental exercise. It leverages neuroplasticity and literally rewires your brain. Neuroplasticity also cuts both ways. It can be beneficial or detrimental.

People like Patanjali and the Buddha had keen insight into mind, psychology and the human condition. They carefully crafted meditation practices to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives.

This is why I can't emphasize enough for anyone engaging in lots of practice the importance of understanding the techniques and executing them properly. It's messing with one's brain and there exists a very real potential for negative outcomes without proper understanding and technique.

Originally Posted by inavalan

Maybe you found your larger-self, you got more aware of it.

Yes,i think so.

Transformation has begun.

Stick with it op,your true self,is now observing your ego who created the illusion/s.

Do some exercises to ground in the present and keep on staying there.

Release emotions,be kind,forgiving,loving and compassionate with your self and be patient.

And be kind,forgiving,loving and compassionate to others.

Focus and stay in this heart space.

All process and may seem painful,but there's sight and rewards at the end of the tunnel.

Blessed be to the inner warrior spirit.: )

[ThatMan]

Guys and girls, I am going to answer you all.

It's because of my meditation, I am actually afraid to meditate more... even 5 minutes of meditation can make me feel as if I am seeing my body from outside of it, this detachment is really scary. Not only this, but when I meditate, I can't keep myself to this body and I keep jumping out of it on and on. When I go to sleep, I have to be carefull not to achieve a state of mind peace because in no time, I see a powerful flash of light and I feel like I am jumping out of my body.

I had no idea that this is caused by my meditation until I stopped and the effects also stopped, when I started to meditate again, then those things I talked about returned. At one point I was living my days as if I was a sphere of awareness stuck in my head area, I was looking down at this body and could not make the connection that it is mine. My tinnitus is also gone crazy, it is so so loud.

[ThatMan]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Here's another way to look at it and why technique really is important. It's why I stick with tried and true techniques proven through the ages. The parts I highlighted speak to the Vipassana technique that strengthens the mind-body connection.

There's a saying that goes something like this: Place body on the cushion and then mind in the body. Attending breathe (the object of focus) is an extremely powerful technique for the mind-body connection, however there's one step to take at the beginning of a sitting. It's firmly placing mind in body in preparation for the actual technique. Take a few minutes to do a complete body scan, starting at the feet and with each breathe working progressively up to the crown of the head, feeling any sensation and relaxing the muscles. Now you're ready for mindfulness of breathe/calm abiding practice.

https://saturdaycenter.org/meditatio...ual-bypassing/

Here are some indicators differentiating meditation and dissociation:

If you find yourself better able to tolerate and engage with uncomfortable emotions, both in yourself and in others — you likely have a dynamic meditation practice.

If you feel the need to actively avoid uncomfortable experiences, possibly see them as “negative energy,” especially anger — you might be by-passing or dissociating.

If you find yourself open to interact in a variety of experiences with an improvising attitude, confident that you will be okay — that sounds like a meditator in action.

If you often feel ungrounded and spacey, that’s a telltale sign of dissociation. Bringing awareness back into your body will benefit.

If you stay ever-the-observer of pain and joy, you may be robbing yourself of the very experiences that will deepen your contentment. You might be slightly dissociated from or bypassing intimacy. It is a subtle shift.

If you go into a haze during your sit-down meditation time, that’s dissociation. Try to return to the point of focus and bring yourself back into embodiment.

If you have a history of trauma and do tend to dissociate, you have to be more vigilant than most. But you probably already know this on some level.

My meditation is simple, I need to do nothing, I achieve a state of mind peace in no time and I "stay" in this peace where there are no thoughts. The problem is that I can't keep myself grounded to this body..