There are many people who have unpleasant experiences when they first try meditation. This is not uncommon. It's only natural that when we've lived our whole lives busy and always doing things, the first few times where we put away all distractions and turn our attention inwards can be unpleasant. There may be repressed emotions and negative thoughts for us to confront. This episode explores the causes of these negative experiences, how to overcome them, and why we must look at, process and heal from them.
Please enjoy other episodes where Todd shares meditation techniques, tips and spiritual lessons from around the world for peaceful and stress-free living. Remember to subscribe to stay up-to-date.
If you have enjoyed listening to the podcast, please share a review. It will help many others find their Path to Peace as well.
*****
If you ever feel like my words brought a change in your life, and want to show your SUPPORT for what I am doing, click here.
Find all of my BOOKS for wherever you are on your spiritual journey: https://www.eastwesticism.org/spiritual-meditation-books/
Want to gift a book to a prisoner? Go here.
0:09
Welcome to path to peace with Todd Perelmuter where he shares the lessons he's learned. spending nine years living with gurus, monks, and shamans, across 35 countries and five continents. Join in the journey as he brings some healing wisdom for living your best life. The path to peace, love, health, and happiness starts here
0:51
Hello, and welcome to path to peace with Todd Perelmuter. I'm your host Todd Perelmuter. Today, the question is, Can meditation give you bad trips. And I'll start by answering that with a common quote about psychedelics, which is that there's no such thing as bad trips, because you learn something from them, and they show you something you need to see.
And as long as you learn something from them, then it's a positive experience, even though it may be a bit dark, or scary. And with meditation, unlike psychedelics, you can always open your eyes, you can always stop, you can always turn off the ride, and you won't be charged for admission. And so no, meditation cannot give you a bad trip. Life can sometimes give us a tough trip.
And when we meditate, we may need to go through a process to heal that trauma. And it can sometimes be unpleasant. It's not the meditation that makes it unpleasant. It's the experience from the past that we're still living with. It still has that rawness and emotional baggage that can cause a dark experience.
But it's not the meditation, it's that experience that is underneath the surface at all times, that when we turn our attention inward, in order to heal and process from it, that it can arise. But if we don't face our trauma, we allow it to simmer and affect our lives in infinitely negative ways. It can turn into chronic pain or cancer, heart disease, isolation, loneliness, depression, anxiety.
And the more we can look at that trauma, or the negative experiences that are being brought up in our meditation, the more peace we can bring into our lives, the more it will not affect us going forward. Because we've looked at it, we've faced it, we've confronted it. And it no longer has that negative weight. And it just becomes another memory.
Because with meditation, we simply look at whatever we're feeling, whatever we're thinking, and this has to take place for growth and healing to happen. Often, our thinking mind, the ego will resist meditation, as well. Beyond any negative past trauma. It just will fight the notion of trying to sit without that constant thinking. As you focus on your breath. It's going to chime in. This is boring, this was pointless. I hate this and do all the things to trick you into quitting. It's a very common experience at first.
And you know, just that repeated thought I'm so bored. I'm so bored. I hate this I hate this is one of the most common negative trips. And this is so important because we've become so impatient, so unfocused. So unable to tolerate a moment of peace and quiet that our minds fight for dear life and resist meditation. The mind seeks instant gratification. It is constantly trying to be entertained and He wants to be anywhere, but the here and now.
Because it doesn't exist in the here and now in the here. And now when you're fully present, you're not lost in thought. And so it's very common when we meditate, especially at first, to have a lot of negative reactions. But again, this isn't a bad trip. This is merely you, acquainting yourself with peace, and merely rediscovering that deep peace and joy that lies within you.
The ego says I want to go drink and I want to go eating, I want to go watch this or that and hang out with this and do anything, that it makes peace, stressful. And the whole point of meditation is to find that lasting joy and peace. So do not worry about any bad trips. In fact, embrace them, because that is when real healing, real transformation takes place, the more you can realize, negative thoughts will arise. And they will also pass, the more you know that because you keep doing it over and over and meditation, you see them arise, you see them disappear, your mind moves on, and can get back to focusing on its breath.
And then thoughts come back in, but you know, you can just go back to your breath, then suddenly, you are free from any impulse, any thought that pops into your head, you can meditate for as long as you want. And you're no longer a slave to every thought that pops in your head. You simply become the watcher of thoughts. You become in control.
And any bad trip is simply like watching a drama on a TV show. You're not in it. And you're not feeling stressed about it. You know, that there is you. There's the thinking mind. And you are identifying with the wisdom and the greater understanding beyond thinking. When you're meditating, you're in a safe place.
Everything is calm and quiet. And so we're able to face these bad trips, we're able to look at these dark places within us learn something about our state of mind about our negativity that we're holding on to that is expressing itself in meditation. And we're able to create real and lasting transformation that can greatly improve our lives.
A Buddhist monk, once told me, meditation isn't about the time you're sitting down with your eyes closed. It's about the rest of your day, and how that meditation impacted it. And in this way, a daily practice can change your day, and your whole life. So enjoy it. Nothing to worry about. Whatever you're worried about whatever fears there are, you can face them, head on and transform them. Thank you so much for listening, peace and love.
8:50
You were listening to the path to peace podcast. Visit eastwesticism.org to join the conversation and receive enlightening emails. If you liked the message in this podcast, make sure to review and share it with people it can help. Peace and Love