starsofclay

@Dan Arnautu well I ain't no expert, but it sounds to me like you need to be focusing more on psychological health and personal development, instead of enlightenment (as you said). You are already taking the first step because you are realizing this yourself and listening to your body. When I'm feeling anxious, I like to use a mantra that counters the effects, so depending on what may be making you anxious, let's say its lack of confidence, then use a mantra like "always confident" or just "confident" The trick is, you can't make yourself think a certain way, but you can redirect your focus and attention towards a certain idea, and then your thinking will follow. To me, a mantra is no different than affirmations. "Letting go" is also a good one for anxiety and panic attacks.

because my ego is still in control...... wait.... that's just a belief.... I'm in control.... wait.... there is no me.... goddammit no one is in control...... wait, is that a belief?

@Ether either way, the older we get, the more our beliefs solidify. Then again, the wiser we get, the more they dissipate. And yes I realize these are just more beliefs.

yeah that's deeper... definitely interests me. also when you realize that no matter how many people/places/things are in your dream, you are only playing with yourself, which is basically the same as waking "reality"

yeah and progress gets slower the older you get .....so its good to start early

good job, I myself have taken huge strides in overcoming anxiety and depression with mindfullness, self-reflection, etc. I still suck at meditation though, but have promised myself to have a steady practice by the end of this year (my ego works slooowwww....) Some days I feel like I have beaten my issues, and some days they rear their ugly heads. Some days it just depends on the hour, lol. It doesn't help that I have a very stressful career, and one simple mistake leads to mine and my client's suffering (I own a dog grooming business). However, I'm teaching myself that most of these mistakes are completely out of my hands and are subject of the all-great-infinity(or, myself) not giving two shits about my happiness. Therefore I just have to deal, and let go. Sink or swim.

Well I've only started exploring this side of reality, and of course lucid dreams are very elusive, especially when starting out, meaning not many people will become good at it and will give up too early to experience benefits. However, one reported "benefit" is the afterglow one gets after a really good lucid dream, which can stick with you from hours to days after you wake up. I can definitely report that myself. Other reported benefits range from . Emotional and Psychological healing . Body healing . Direct contact with your true self/source . Direct contact with ego/subconscious . Better dream guidance because you have more chance of remembering the guidance and applying to your life. A really great book that touches all these and more is Lucid Dreaming : gateway to the inner self by Robert Waggoner.

Splash some holy water on you, if it sizzles, your body is unholy.

is marijuana a psychedelic? it's definitely a hallucinogen, for me anyway... I would love to try this whole 5-meo thing everyone seems so excited about, but I "lost my mind" two years ago on LSA, and I can't do that to my husband again.... by the time it was ending and I was yelling out "I'm God! Oh my God... I'm God!"... he was calling my mother and had her all worried... yeah it was a mess. Was a very interesting experience though...

There was a free book I found on the google play store, that talked about they are basically trying to find the next incarnation of Jesus. This person would be someone who has gone up through the ranks of free masonry and then through meditation the christ consciousness will be cognized (downloaded) into the person. I'll have to see if I can find it...

@PsiloPutty have you read Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self, by Robert Waggoner? If you are a natural LD'er, you should definitely read it. It is not a how to book, it mainly focuses on what you can DO in a lucid dream. It is very interesting stuff.

@littleBIG yes this happens to me. Just pops in out of nowhere when I'm doing random things, like at work. Can be dreams from years ago, even though I've only recently started working on dream recall. I've always had vivid dreams though. This is much more pronounced sometimes if i smoke a bit of Marijuana but that is not required

@NoSelfSelf yeah but that's something I can't answer yet, however if you are wanting to relive memories I was suggesting it may be possible in lucid dreaming

@NoSelfSelf when you are lucid dreaming, you could try asking to relive a memory. According to the LD forums, you shout a request out loud and wait for a response. Would be a good experiment to try... I'm still working on inducing LD's myself, they just happen randomly and I am only about semi-lucid usually

@Angelo John Gage beat me to it- squatty potty!

perhaps we are already in one of those

thank you, looks like you put a lot of work into that!

@lmfao image streaming is supposed to raise iq by being able to instantly picture or recall bits of information due to the practice

@CGeo i find myself doing deep breathing with pursed lips when I'm feeling anxious... Really slows down the breath and keeps me kinda mindful when doing it. As for exercises I would lay down and take deep breaths until you feel your lungs expand, and then hold it for an increasing amount of time. You'll notice that your heart will beat a little faster sometimes when doing this, but that's a good thing because blood is getting pumped into your lungs

@Shakazulu yeah they're fun, aren't they actually I just tried some wall squats, they definitely target the knee

https://www.webmd.com/pain-management/knee-pain/injury-knee-pain-16/slideshow-knee-exercises this one looks pretty good and straightforward. The wall squats is probably the best and easiest to do. One thing it didn't mention is that you have to FEEL the stretch in the knee, or at least put your attention on it while doing the exercises. and of course, don't over do it.

I found this website, listing some more obscure self-help techniques... some of them I have heard from, and the others sound interesting. Number 6 is a little... out there... but who knows? Perhaps I'll try it and find out haha. https://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/six-self-help-techniques-that-work-even-if-you-dont-believe-they-will/ was curious if anyone has experience with eft/tft, and image streaming Numbers 2 and 3 look pretty interesting.

This thread is NOT about non-duality. This is to post favorite self help and development techniques that have helped you, and may help another. This is about what makes you feel better... good....and possibly great. To start: I have really gotten into affirmations very recently. For me this is a little crazy, because the past 32 years of my life, I always considered this thing kind of cheesy, corny, and "not for me." However, I do believe in the power of suggestibility and subconscious programming, but I have previously used other methods for this. It probably helps that I picked up a pair of wireless headphones, (which I'm loving), and now I listen to affirmations while doing housework, driving, shopping, or some impromptu yoga in the back yard. Smoking a tiny bit of marijuana increases suggestibility, but not required of course Here is a great one I have found with nice background music and really good affirmations, whether you have anxiety or not: I will update every now and then with other techniques I use or have used, but in the meantime, would love to hear from others...

Haha interesting... I was thinking of looking up some knee stretches earlier today... Thanks for the reminder ... I'll let you know if I find anything good

@d0ornokey are you talking about using them together, or separately? Just like anything, they should be tools, not crutches. Weed gives me insights too. Usually ones that have to do with empathy and love, although sometimes some really deep shit too. The trick is to see if they still make sense or resonate the next day, while sober. That's more of a chance it's a good insight and not stupified by being high. It really has changed my life though, I've made so many life changes due to insights that effect my every day life, like how I treat others and how to not let myself dip into a bad mood, which was a constant problem from way before I started trying weed. Just be careful though. Even though its not chemically addictive, it's is very much psychologically addictive. Especially once you get to the point where you feel like you can't be in a good mood without it. You should let it show you the road map to happiness, not depend on it always taking you there.