Freethinking Guru

A lot of great insight and honest perspectives in this discussion. I think it's completely understandable for the OP to wonder -- what's the point of being enlightened? What's the big deal if someone has awakened to the illusion and realized that nothing was there to be awoken? The language used to describe enlightenment makes it seems like nothing really changes -- but the change is simply the realization -- and the realization itself has a snowball effect on every thought and belief that has shaped your entire subjective world. It changes how you relate to the world around you -- and most importantly, in my opinion, -- changes how you FEEL. You won't have the same heaviness, harsh emotions, and psychological baggage you used to carry. Hence, you become en-LIGHT-ened. Keep in mind, this is after a pretty extreme dismantling process of the falsehoods that come into light after the realization. Again, the language that's often used to describe enlightenment makes it seem like nothing changes at all or that there's nothing you can absolutely do -- that confuses people sometimes and leads them to question -- why even bother? As for psychadelics, it's obviously not a ticket to a permanent state of enlightenment, but it can be effective for giving you a glimpse of your true nature without the ego. Interestingly, if you read all the trip reports on Erowid, especially the bad ones lol, you'll notice that the user will come to a point where they lose the sense of themselves and don't even know who they are anymore. If they're not ready for it, they might freak out and call their mom or something along those lines lol. But if you have a notion that you'll experience your ego dissolving while on it, it can be very effective in recognizing what that's like -- so you can better discern the ego and the real you in your normal non-drugged state. - Omar | FreethinkingGuru.com

Like everything in nature, the extremes come with its drawbacks: Schizophrenics may have a hypersensitivity to their surroundings. This may give them the strength of being able to sense others emotions, intentions, and vibrations quite well. They can be very intuitive. Their minds can also be super-creative. With that blessing comes the curse of auditory and visual hallucinations, paranoia, and anxiety. An exaggerated mental construct. It's possible that they may catch glimpses of the state of connectedness with how strongly attuned they are with their surroundings -- but it's also naive to think they don't come with their own set of problems. We definitely want to eliminate the stigma of the condition and icy-ness of the label, but we also want to be careful to not be so naive to the point of being irritating. FreethinkingGuru.com

Thanks for sharing something very personal. It does seem like an issue that's heavily psychological, and as a result, causes tension in your body. This is one of those issues that's almost like a catch-22. You keep thinking about the problem and wanting it to go away --but that just causes more stress and tension -- then you get more stressed when it doesn't go away -- further exacerbating the issue. As a way of not getting so worked up over it, I would completely surrender to the problem. Really accept that it's there. There seems to be a lot of energetic blockage towards that area Practice breathing while letting your body lose its tension completely. If your breathing is shallow in your daily life -- that's a problem. Allow your breath to come into your body and nourish and relax every part of your body. Set the intention for that part of your that's tense and direct your awareness to that area. It's one of those things you can't force. I understand the frustration, but I wouldn't want to delude you into thinking there's a quick fix for it. Your relaxation will come gradually. Just tie your breathing to the gradual easing of tension in your body. - FreethinkingGuru.com

@Shanmugam I think you make a lot of important and valid points. One thing that was very eye-opening for me on your list was how Sadghuru's followers should have no beliefs, and this is something that they all must conform to. That's mind-blowing to me, because it's recognizing that even the hardcore practice of not having beliefs is a belief itself. Woooow! LOL In all seriousness, I agree that one should be open to be critique of a spiritual gurus views. When you feel that you're not allowed to do that, that's really a reflection of the followers and the perceived religion that they're creating around the master. Just like followers of any religion, they take what the master, or Lord, says to the literal truth. Leo does a pretty good job on Actualized to make people aware of devotees and their idolizing ways and it's important to do so, so that people don't fall into those traps themselves. I wrote an article about the cult-side of Enlightenment and shed a little light on how the appearances have nothing to do with actual Enlightenment. I think you might like it: https://www.freethinkingguru.com/index.php/2018/07/05/enlightenment-has-nothing-to-do-with-cults/

I'm sure they have a blooper reel where one of the guys in the back busts out in laughter.

@Viking It can or can't be rude, depending on the context, as others have mentioned: Your demeanor: Obviously, she's going to pick up on your energy and feel whether you are anxious and uncomfortable or calm and relaxed. Are you trying to force the issue of letting it flow naturally? What she's doing at that moment: Probably not a great idea to talk to her while she's running a 5k race or while she's having dinner with her husband. Read into the cues she's giving off. Does she look like she's in a rush or have a closed off posture? No black or white answers on the matter. In regards to the spiritual side of things, I agree with @Arkandeus that pickup might be part of your spiritual path at that point in your life. There's lots to learn from that material. Ultimately, though, you have to determine whether the pick-up is keeping you from being authentic, because it can cause us to cover up our insecurities with an indifferent attitude or some sort of general well-calculated front. Something to keep in mind.

@Viking I'm not an expert on his methods, but I could see the breathing techniques of Wim Hof being beneficial for a couple reasons. First, you are practicing conscious breathing and clearly taking in more oxygen into your circulation than you would when your breathing is occurring subconsciously. A lot of us are on autopilot with terribly shallow breaths, so I could see how this part would make a difference. Another way I see it being beneficial is that you may are clearly directing your energy in certain areas of your body, so this could release blockages of some sort. It's tough to say how it would help your self-development. Overall, I think it's another one of those tools you find along the path that could benefit you, but isn't the end-all, be-all solution to all your problems. The philosophy of Wim Hoff is kind of interesting though, especially how he alludes to the fact that we as humans keep shielding ourselves from the environment in so many ways (adjusting thermostat in the home, bundling up, etc), and it causes our body's regulating and adaptive functions start to atrophy. I think there may something to that.

@Salvijus This is a really nice quote from Mooji. Discerning between your pathological mental chatter and your true self is very challenging in the beginning, but you develop that discernment over time. It becomes more obvious when what is not you starts to feel more and more foreign in your being. It's all about shedding those foreign layers off of you. Thanks for sharing!

@lmfao If you're looking for a historical figure who's been influential in psychology. You don't have to look further than Carl Jung. He coined the process of individuation, which is where the conscious and unconscious parts of you become integrated into a whole person who subsequently becomes high functioning. It has a lot to do with the "shadow" parts of yourself that are coming into your awareness. Based on your post, you're already doing this. Just by you becoming aware of your anxiety, you can now look at it objectively and not attach so much of your identity to it. It will fall away gradually (not overnight!). You can start to notice the weakness of it's hold on you. You can apply this to ANY of your neuroses. Just keep continuing the practice of noticing those thoughts and emotions that are not in alignment with your being. See my blog post about dealing with your shadow: https://www.freethinkingguru.com/index.php/2018/07/07/how-to-free-yourself-from-your-shadow/

I can understand how someone's experience in a psych hospital could really shape their view of psychiatric treatment in a very negative way. This comes down to the attitudes and behaviors of the PEOPLE administering the treatments to the patient. Hospital employees can create an environment where they want to silence you with the medications. They can also come off as very intimidating in their approach. It may even seem like some don't even consider or care to know about any alternatives. Also, the financial motivation can play a part in this environment. That being said, the medication and the research that goes into it, are just honest attempts at being able to treat these still relatively mysterious psychiatric conditions. Nothing evil about research itself. Also, there are instances, when psychiatric medication is absolutely necessary, especially in cases where a patient is at risk of killing themselves or others. I don't know if psych meds are the best option for treating a person's respective condition or not. It may be the case that it just turns someone into a docile zombie that isn't going give other members of society problems. It may or may not slow down a person's progress to self-realization, but it's important to know that it's an option to try for many people out there who need to function now. I would encourage people to have a balanced view until we can find out what the best course of action is to curing psychiatric illnesses.

I always see weed and hallucinogenic drugs as tools to aid in one's self-discovery. It's most effective for that purpose if that's the motivation of the person who is using it, although some people can stumble upon insights and perspectives from using these drugs on accident. Just like with everything in life, moderation is best. People can get addicted to meditation as much as they can with weed. It can act as a way of filling a void, or as Sadghuru mentioned, a way of "hunting for experience". There's nothing inherently wrong with the use. It all depends on the motivations and statehood of the user. Freethinking Guru: Enlightenment for the Rational Mind

@Emne You can start by not putting women on a pedestal above you. Understand that all humans beings are equal. Your inferiority is leading you to have awkward encounters with them. Also, know that your looks are not as important as your confidence. Start by getting more comfortable in your skin by accepting yourself fully with all your imperfections. Then you'll start to be more natural and people will feel at ease with you. Freethinking Guru

May I suggest an unorthodox way of dealing with your social anxiety? Try not to push it away or cover it up with affirmations. Take that anxious energy and notice the possibility of channelling that into excitement. What is excitement? It's strong anticipation for an event. Don't treat the anxiety as something that shouldn't be there, because it's always going to find a way to come up to the surface. Comedy Improv groups practice channelling their nervous energy all the time, and there's an alertness and excitement that comes along with it. If your social anxiety is at a level that's strong to the point where you become paralyzed mentally and physically with fear, then try walking around in a venue with a lot of people and just allow your anxiety to come up. You don't need to approach anybody, Eventually your body will process that excess anxiety. Try it and see how it feels. Freethinking Guru: Enlightenment for the Rational Mind

One technique for self-inquiry is to start with watching something, like a feeling of restlessness in your body. Then you ask yourself if you are that feeling? Then you realize you're not the feeling of restlessness but maybe a neutral observer. Then you ask yourself, "Can I even perceive this neutral observer?".These questions are posed in many different ways, but it's all about inquiring where the self actually is. How far can you trace back levels of perception? Freethinking Guru: Enlightenment for the Rational Mind