Strange effect of meditation

[rhaenyra]

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing well. I am quite confused about what happened during and after one of my meditations and have no idea whom to talk to about this. A week ago I started meditating regularly (every day) for a duration of about 30 minutes, lying still and listening to guided meditation. I don't know if this was the right way, but it made me feel very good. After a few days, with my eyes closed I noticed a silhouette of a circle that spread and shrank repeatedly, it was indigo-colored. Two days after this, I first felt tickling in my face, then arms and legs, until almost my whole body went numb. I was still aware to some point and could stop, but the only this I could really focus on was my breathing. Following this, a wave of pleasure rising from the bottom of my stomach (which happened earlier, but never in this intensity) started overwhelming my body, almost leading to an orgasm, and I literally almost started "separating" from my body, like I'm about to fly up. I never felt anything this strong during meditating. However, I had to stop because my heart was pounding very hard at that moment and it was becoming scary.

Alright, so now, after I stopped, my arms and legs were numb for like 10 minutes, waves of heat and excitement rushed through my body. I felt like I could do absolutely anything, so I exercised to the point where my muscles were burning. All of this was in the evening, so when I went to sleep, this hyperactivity settled and turned to calm pleasure. I felt safe, tucked in, like I possess some knowledge others do not, nothing could touch me or worry me... but it gradually turned to something that felt almost like a panic attack.
Waves of something that felt like adrenaline rising from the bottom of my stomach (I'm not sure really) became much less satisfactory, more intensive, my heart was pounding again and there was this numbness/jerking in my arms and legs again, as if I can't control them. This scared me very much, but eventually I managed to calm down and fall asleep.

The next day, this feeling is still present, but once again it turned into something pleasurable. I felt inspired, calm and changed. Changed would be the right word. Perhaps changed would be the right word. I don't know if this is all inside of my head, but it's like I can feel the energy "flowing" through my body everytime I just pause and listen to it. All of this happened two days ago. Could somebody tell me what excatly would all of this mean? I'm confused about it and don't really know whether it would be dangerous to go on with meditating in this situation, if it could lead me to something that is too much for me to take at this point. Sorry for long post and thanks very much.

[mobius]

It sounds like you're describing something very similar to my own (also new) experiences. Reading your post actually gave me goosebumps a little bit. It's nice to know we're not alone.
The major differences are the hallucinations and exact routines... But I also was shocked by the suddenness of the intensity of the effects, I was first overcome by pleasant feelings, then had a couple mini-panic attacks. One day I woke up feeling different, changed somehow, but I couldn't describe how. I had the feeling (delusion? ) that I maybe I was gaining super powers or something

I'm sure someone here with more experience can give helpful advice.

As for my own experience; I simply dialed it back a bit and I'm still meditating but not for very long and not as intensely. I think this is something that should be done gradually and with care.
 I heard in a podcast recently what I think is good advice:
"meditation is like mental exercise. And like physical exercise, if done incorrectly it can do more harm than good. It requires patience and practice. If you do too much at once, you'll be sore the next day."

I think it may be like defraging your PC; you're arranging pieces in your brain. And also like physical exercise it is maybe not without a little pain. No pain no gain they say. I would say don't give up, but don't go blindly ahead at full speed either. Talk to people with experience like people here.

[mobius]

It sounds like you're describing something very similar to my own (also new) experiences. Reading your post actually gave me goosebumps a little bit. It's nice to know we're not alone.
The major differences are the hallucinations and exact routines... But I also was shocked by the suddenness of the intensity of the effects, I was first overcome by pleasant feelings, then had a couple mini-panic attacks. One day I woke up feeling different, changed somehow, but I couldn't describe how. I had the feeling (delusion?) that I maybe I was gaining super powers or something

I'm sure someone here with more experience can give helpful advice.

As for my own experience; I simply dialed it back a bit and I'm still meditating but not for very long and not as intensely. I think this is something that should be done gradually and with care.
 I heard in a podcast recently what I think is good advice:
"meditation is like mental exercise. And like physical exercise, if done incorrectly it can do more harm than good. It requires patience and practice. If you do too much at once, you'll be sore the next day."

I think it may be like defraging your PC; you're arranging pieces in your brain. And also like physical exercise it is maybe not without a little pain. No pain no gain they say. I would say don't give up, but don't go blindly ahead at full speed either. Talk to people with experience like people here.

[rhaenyra]

hey, sorry for late reply. i also tried in the last couple of days to chill out a little and started meditating for around 15 minutes a day. Anyways, I simply think that perhaps meditation isn't the right thing for me. It doesn't make me peaceful at all, it makes me either ecstatic or anxious, there is no inbetween. I feel quite the pressure on the area between my eyebrows and still tend to see an indigo colored ball sometimes when I close my eyes. There have been tingling sensations in my hands today all day, together with these sudden, not so intensive but still unpleasant adrenaline rushes.

[mobius]

hey, sorry for late reply. i also tried in the last couple of days to chill out a little and started meditating for around 15 minutes a day. Anyways, I simply think that perhaps meditation isn't the right thing for me. It doesn't make me peaceful at all, it makes me either ecstatic or anxious, there is no in between. I feel quite the pressure on the area between my eyebrows and still tend to see an indigo colored ball sometimes when I close my eyes. There have been tingling sensations in my hands today all day, together with these sudden, not so intensive but still unpleasant adrenaline rushes.

You should do what you feel is best for you. If it's causing lots of pain then maybe it's not for you, or try a different (more milder?) type of meditation. Clearly meditation effects everyone differently. Just reading several of the posts here already I see people's effects and opinions on it varying wildly.

The pineal gland is somewhere around the level of between your eyebrows which is why some believe it to release chemicals (or have something to do) with meditation. Which is where the proverbial "third eye" pictured since Ancient Hindu times comes from. The gland releases melotonin which regulates sleep. IMO deep meditation has a lot of similarities to sleep (at least for me). I often experience REM and am definitely in a state sort of between asleep and fully alert.

Maybe you ought to say something to a doctor about this? Idk, though since meditation seems to fall somewhere in between science and pseudoscience so I feel like doctors may not pay any attention to it.

Since my initial strange reactions I think I'm calming down (I haven't had any more panic attacks or anything). But I seem to be getting minor headaches and eye aches...

[Merrikay]

Hi! Hoping my message finds you well. This is just an idea, but perhaps in the “letting go” that comes with meditation, old patterns are trying to re-assert themselves resulting in the anxiety. Perhaps the anxiety stems from something else, (rather than the meditation) something you haven’t dealt with and need to? I’m not knowledgeable about the dangers of meditation, so I hope someone else may be able to provide some insight in that regard. I do believe meditation is for everyone though, and hope you find the answers you seek and don’t give up the practice quite yet.<3

[mobius]

Hi! Hoping my message finds you well. This is just an idea, but perhaps in the “letting go” that comes with meditation, old patterns are trying to re-assert themselves resulting in the anxiety. Perhaps the anxiety stems from something else, (rather than the meditation) something you haven’t dealt with and need to? I’m not knowledgeable about the dangers of meditation, so I hope someone else may be able to provide some insight in that regard. I do believe meditation is for everyone though, and hope you find the answers you seek and don’t give up the practice quite yet.<3

I sort of feel the same way when I think about it.
There's something weird I feel, in that simply sitting still can cause such grief or amazement. You're not doing anything, just sitting still and quiet. It makes me wonder that if anxiety and etc is released during this time... that really meditation is simply revealing what was always there being held down or releasing something. Or this is your brain telling you there are problems needing to be dealt with. Just like having a bad dream is often interpreted as problems in your real life you're not facing.
I've not read anything yet to see that meditation can actually cause serious mental or health problems but there are certainty oddities.
Also I think a lot of anxiety may simply come from gaining insight into the mind, which sounds funny but if you think that we go through out lives day by day and never pay close attention to ourselves, then if we suddenly start to (through meditation) it'll likely surprise us. Idk...

Btw my feet and (sometimes hands) often fall asleep (or begin to fall asleep) during deep meditation btw, this is most likely the tingling your feeling.

[rhaenyra]

I've suffered from mild anxiety in the past, I still do sometimes but not as much as in the previous year. Let's say that meditation has helped me overcome it as much as I could and achieve peace of mind, so when this started happening.... it quite confused me.

perhaps in the “letting go” that comes with meditation, old patterns are trying to re-assert themselves resulting in the anxiety

I believe this is the issue. I've probably dug too deep, and should chill out a little. There are other relaxation methods after all.