Gabriel Antonio

That is a defense mechanism. Because the pain is so strong, your system numbs all emotions as an attempt to protect yourself. I like what @okulele said. Another tool you can use to open up emotionally and heal your inner wounds is psychedelics, especially ayahuasca. But anyway, if you can manage to cry with someone you trust — a friend, therapist, your mom, etc — that would really help you get in touch with your feelings once again. It doesn’t matter if it feels like you’re pitying yourself. Let the tears come. It’s not an easy nor quick process. Remember to go gradually. Little by little... You can’t rush your healing. Btw - Have you seen the movie Inside Out?

LP joke

The word “Leo” should be banned in topic titles... Leo did that Disproving Leo Leo has lost it etc All of those are sneaky ways to avoid doing the inner work.

I was in a period of a lot of emotional pain. Becoming a monk, I thought, was the solution to put an end to all that sufferig once and for all. The main cause of all my misery was social anxiety, which prevented me from cultivating strong bonds with people. So, becoming a monk was an attempt to escape dealing with people and instead meditate all day and not talk.

I have thought about it a lot. Tgat was 2 years ago. Turned out it was just an attempt to escape from my day-to-day problems (aka spiritual bypass).

Interesting... I might try it out but with a lot of caution.

I have been using it in homeopathic doses everyday. It’s crazy how much mucus we end up accumulating. I also find it very good to ground myself. i have had some bad experiences with it in ayahuasca ceremonies because they used too much rapé, and I’m very sensitive to it.

I’m not sure I understand your question. Seems you got a lot of mental masturbation going on lol But anyway, you don’t have to like your life. “Having to like your life” creates an unhappy life. On the other hand, accepting that you don’t like your life is a healthier alternative. Be considerate to your future self. Sure, sometimes we have to go outside our comfort zone, but that’s not an excuse to do stupid shit.

I agree. I have never tried 5-meo, but either way I don’t find psychedelics to be good to treat anxiety. In fact, they can make the anxiety even stronger. The only psychedelic that has helped with that is an old-school one called shamanic snuff. @Jaddo The world is going through that. Accelerated thoughts, excessive worrying. Meditation, if done correctly, can certainly help you. Try not taking thoughts so seriously. Not always easy to do so...

I agree. I don't think it is. What exactly would you do to realize your purpose? Being an artist?

I didn't say it's a psychedelic. Why would you use it as opposed to classic psychedelics?

I don't have experience with MDMA, but from what I read, it's a dangerous drug. Having so many options with psychedelics, why would you choose a drug that can mess up with your brain chemistry?

I agree. If you keep seeing those friends too regularly, there will be no room for you to meet the people you can have the meaningful conversations you're longing for. One trap to be aware of is to not cut ties with those friends too abruptly. I think you'll naturally distance yourself from them. It seems you're already doing that, but I figured it might be useful to stress this point.

I understand your point. In her case, I doubt people even talk about it, after all, she has cleared most of her skin so that's not a very interesting gossip anymore...

Imo, Leo is at his best on that video, mainly because it's a very personal topic for him. I don't think it's necessary to do the affirmations for 5 minutes straight. My voice would probably get tired by the end, and I'd probably do them robotically. Instead, I think if you do them only one to three times but with concentration is enough to program those beliefs into your subconscious mind. My experience: Being too nice is bad. Being too asshole is bad. Because I had been too much of a nice guy for most of my life, it was necessary to apply force to the direction of asshole, but it turned out I overdid it. But now, I seem to have found the middle ground, after exploring the two extremes. Let's use this spectrum: | ------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| Being nice Being an asshole I used to be here: | -------x----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| Being nice Being an asshole Then, I ended up here (about 8 months after I watched the video): | ------------------------------------------|---------------------------------x------------| Being nice Being an asshole And now I'm somewhere around here: | ------------------------------------x-----|----------------------------------------------| Being nice Being an asshole Good luck! Remember: it's a process. Don't rush yourself.

Dude, only you care so much about your appearance. Everybody is worried about their own problems. Do you really think your friends waste their time thinking, "Oh... remember when Claire's face was full of small bumps?" I'd understand if you still had a lot of acne, but you said your skin is clear now. So, seriously, all that rumination of yours is pretty useless.

Either way, that sensation is not a good sign imo. So I'd say he should at least talk about it to an experienced spiritual teacher. @martin_malin Are doing any type of practice? (such as Kundalini Yoga, meditation, etc) Is this sensation happening more frequently and more intense over time? Can you function while you're feeling that? Why do you ask?

You might need psychotherapy and medication. There are no easy answers to dealing with depression.

I quickly scammed through that site, and it seems the guy is trying to have some visibility by criticizing others. Buuu! I wouldn't waste my time with someone who would do that tbh. He has even written two books. Beyond the Power of Now and The Book Eckhart Tolle Does Not Want You to Read. Come on... you really need to use those lame marketing tactics? Btw - There's an interesting site called http://gururating.org/. Too gossipy imo. I started with Jack Kornfield, then Thich Nhat Hanh, and finally Osho. All of whom I fell into the trap of believing them too much. Like, I'd want to change all my life around just because they said something. Today, I just let in what naturally resonates with me. So even if an "enlightened" master said something but does not seem right to me, I discard it. I tend to prefer western teachers, because a lot of those really enlightened people (such as the Dalai Lama) do not understand what a lot of us in modern age go through.

NoFap is for people who are addicted to fapping. Do you think that’s your case?

When we sit to meditate, the tension we have accumulated during our lives shows up. If it gets too intense, try a different posture, or maybe do yoga or get a Chinese massage to unblock your body. Keep in mind that meditation is not about tolerating unecessary discomfort.

I don’t think we should “give up” rationality — but rather transcend it.

First, you could have a "childish" voice and still sound good. For example, Duncan Trussell has said he sounds like a lesbian, but for some reason his voice is magnetic imo. Speaking of NoFap, here's a conversation about it on Joe Rogan. Pay attention to how Duncan (the other guy) speaks: Btw - I doubt NoFap will make your voice deeper. Second, you could search for singing classes. This way, you'll learn how to breathe properly, speak with rhythm, and have musical sensitivity. In other words, you'll sound better. You gotta make sure to find a good teacher though. Third, a speech therapist, as said above, can help with the lisping.