What to do in dark night of the soul?

[Misagh]

@Aethereus Words of Grace by Sri Ramana Maharshi will probably get you there. 

[Buba]

9 minutes ago, Misagh said:

@Buba I edited my last post to give more insight so read that. And the whole point is for you (ego) to cease functioning, and surrendering to the real You (the self). Not gonna lie. It will feel like dying. Like actually dying. But if you just let go, death is bliss. This is all the advice I can give you: Let go.

When I cant function I cant go to work. It threatens my physical existence as well, not just psychological one.

 

10 minutes ago, cetus56 said:

@Buba Don't thank me too soon. I have a question that you need not answer here.

Is it guilt that is causing this fear?

I have a great fear of embarrassment and letting my parents down. Aside that, meditation induced fear is automatic and no thought scares me at that moment, just unknown fear which makes me shake. It is a real horror.

[Aethereus]

@Buba fear of the unknown. You need to keep meditating despite that in order to grow. In fact, keep living your entire life normally despite this fear instead of being absorbed by it. You can keep functioning normally AND do spiritual work. The fear is the unnessecary thing that makes you feel dysfunctional

Edited September 11, 2018 by Aethereus

[Buba]

Guys, is not meditation a workout for the brain and dark night is like a muscle pain after workout? 

By the way, you are very brave if you are ready to experience this (may be you have experienced this before). I would never like to experience anything like this.

[cetus]

2 minutes ago, Buba said:

When I cant function I cant go to work. It threatens my physical existence as well, not just psychological one.

 

I have a great fear of embarrassment and letting my parents down. Aside that, meditation induced fear is automatic and no thought scares me at that moment, just unknown fear which makes me shake. It is a real horror.

 

[Aethereus]

1 minute ago, Buba said:

By the way, you are very brave if you are ready to experience this (may be you have experienced this before). I would never like to experience anything like this.

I haven't done any enlightenment work but I have worked a lot on my psychology so I'd really like to be in a situation like yours because your situation is getting closer to enlightenment (atleast so I think.)

Also yeah that workout analogy seems very accurate

[Buba]

5 minutes ago, cetus56 said:

 

By the way, do you think antidepressants can help or worsen dark nights or spiritual path general?

2 minutes ago, Aethereus said:

I haven't done any enlightenment work but I have worked a lot on my psychology so I'd really like to be in a situation like yours because your situation is getting closer to enlightenment (atleast so I think.)

Also yeah that workout analogy seems very accurate

Nor me. I just meditated very little and did self-inquiry for 3-5 seconds , actually I did not do self-inquiry on purpose, it just happened.

[Aethereus]

3 minutes ago, Buba said:

By the way, do you think antidepressants can help or worsen dark nights or spiritual path general?

I'm not a psychologist, but I doubt whether they would give any real growth. Maybe they will fix your mood but sooner or later you must face the problem

[yawning_]

one could say the moderate path is the scariest and most depressing of all, as it entails perpetuation of suffering without addressing the root cause

 

to live a delusional life ignorant of and never seeking the nature of reality or actualization of the self is the greatest waste

 

as someone who has experienced years of depression, all i can say is do not let it go untreated - ask the hard questions, face your fears, and work through the resistance. 

address all the facets that might facilitate this feeling; diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, values and beliefs etc...

leave no stone unturned, strength comes from within but cannot be grown by taking the easy route. 

 

remember that darkness only spans one side of the earth at a time, the sunlight is just around the bend...

 

 

ñ̟̥͔̯̳̳͉̜̲͎̉͋͒͋a̱̪̫̹̮͚͇̘̯̥̤̥͓̗͚͔̘ͬ͛ͬ̀͋̐͐m̼̝͉̠͎͙ͥͩͮͩ͛̎̓͗̊̃̂̃ͬả̱̘͕̙͓͎̘̻̯̠̖̭͖̥̤̺̃͌̉̐ͦ͑ś̩̥̯̫̱͚͌̃̆t̪͙̻̘̪͍̰̭͙̤̙͖̙͖̝͇͚̎̂ͮ̊̄͛͗ͯ̓ͧ̈ͩ̈́̑ͩͮ͛ͦ̚e͚̪̺̣̼̪̥̓̉ͦͩ̽̈͊͛͑͊͂̿̅͆ͣ͐̚

 

- yawning gap

[Joseph Maynor]

 

[Buba]

12 minutes ago, Aethereus said:

I'm not a psychologist, but I doubt whether they would give any real growth. Maybe they will fix your mood but sooner or later you must face the problem

Cant I make this facing less painful?

 

7 minutes ago, yawning_ said:

one could say the moderate path is the scariest and most depressing of all, as it entails perpetuation of suffering without addressing the root cause

 

to live a delusional life ignorant of and never seeking the nature of reality or actualization of the self is the greatest waste

 

as someone who has experienced years of depression, all i can say is do not let it go untreated - ask the hard questions, face your fears, and work through the resistance. 

address all the facets that might facilitate this feeling; diet, exercise, sleep, relationships, values and beliefs etc...

leave no stone unturned, strength comes from within but cannot be grown by taking the easy route. 

 

remember that darkness only spans one side of the earth at a time, the sunlight is just around the bend...

 

 

ñ̟̥͔̯̳̳͉̜̲͎̉͋͒͋a̱̪̫̹̮͚͇̘̯̥̤̥͓̗͚͔̘ͬ͛ͬ̀͋̐͐m̼̝͉̠͎͙ͥͩͮͩ͛̎̓͗̊̃̂̃ͬả̱̘͕̙͓͎̘̻̯̠̖̭͖̥̤̺̃͌̉̐ͦ͑ś̩̥̯̫̱͚͌̃̆t̪͙̻̘̪͍̰̭͙̤̙͖̙͖̝͇͚̎̂ͮ̊̄͛͗ͯ̓ͧ̈ͩ̈́̑ͩͮ͛ͦ̚e͚̪̺̣̼̪̥̓̉ͦͩ̽̈͊͛͑͊͂̿̅͆ͣ͐̚

 

- yawning gap

I have read news about people committing suicide or becoming mentally crippled after meditation retreats, so I avoid extreme in meditation and facing fears. Sometimes I stop.

[yawning_]

ultimately even death is not to be feared...

no one gets out alive as they say...

 

that being said, it is truly important to be mindful and listen to the body.  go at your own pace, and prioritize health.

 

just trust that all is in its rightful place, allow whatever arises to pass - as @cetus56 mentioned

 

all the best, bless

 

 

n͉̬̩̫̭̮̻̎̽̚ȧ̲̗͍͕͕̭͙̜ͦ͆ͤ̏ͯ̓͋́͛ͥͫ̐̚m͚̦̺̦̝͋̅̒́̌̆͊̎̋̓ͧͭ̅̏̚a̝͇̦̩̪̠̹͉̺͇̫͎͕̒ͪ̀̉ͭ̎ͥ̓͒͒̍ͪͣͪ͒́ͩͪ̎s̻̤̠̩͎̦̰̣̙̤̋͆ͨ͗̃t͓͖̫̭̤̘̪͇̬̟̺͊̋͊̔͑͑ͭͬͥ͂̅͒̓ͩ̓̎̚é̮̼̹̩̦̜̥͓̜̻͕̯͚̾͑͑̓͂̓ͪ̉

 

- yawning gap

[cetus]

48 minutes ago, Buba said:

I have read news about people committing suicide or becoming mentally crippled after meditation retreats, so I avoid extreme in meditation and facing fears. Sometimes I stop.

@Buba Eairly explorers were warned that if they set out to find new land they would fall off the edge of Earth or be swollowed up by horrid sea monsters like Cetus. I'm sure there were sailors that after spending much time on the seas with only their thoughts started to actually believe in such tales and jumped ship in the middle of the ocean to escape something that existed only in their mind.

[Aethereus]

Like the others said, go at your own pace, don't push yourself too much, it will be much less painful if you allow thoughts and emotionts to just pass (be detached from them). This is how you face your fears: cut through the nonsense your mind creates and go straight for what you want. Stay calm, be loving, be alive. 

[StephenK]

4 hours ago, cetus56 said:

Eairly explorers were warned that if they set out to find new land they would fall off the edge of Earth or be swollowed up by horrid sea monsters like Cetus. I'm sure there were sailors that after spending much time on the seas with only their thoughts started to actually believe in such tales and jumped ship in the middle of the ocean to escape something that existed only in their mind.

That's a very interesting way of looking at it. If you don't mind me asking, why did you choose to use Cetus in your username?

[Solace]

The dark night of the soul is another experience that arises in our consciousness. Just like a thought, allow it to be there, and return your awareness to the love in your heart. The hearts love will allow the dark night to pass much faster because it is of the highest vibration in all of life, so the low vibration of the dark night can be healed and transmuted most effectively  

[cetus]

@StephenK   Cetus is the imaginary fear each must face and overcome. He's of Greek Mythology. Leo did a video "The Hero's Journey".

Plus I like gladiator movies.

[kev014]

@Buba Everything you've described so far sounds like Eckhart Tolle's experience with a similar situation. In the introduction of the Power of Now he describes:

 

 

 "Until my thirteith year, I lived in a state of almost continuous anxiety interspersed with periods of suicidal depression. It feels now as if I am talking about me past lifetime or somebody else's life. 

One night not long after my twenty-ninth birthday, I woke up in the early hours with a feeling of absolute red. I had woken up with such a feeling many times before, but this time it was more intense than it had ever been. The silence of the night, the vague outlines of the furniture in the dark room, the distant noise of a passing train - everything felt so alien, so hostile, and so utterly meaningless that it created in me a deep loathing of the world. The most loathsome thing of all, however, was my own existence. What was the point in continuing to live with this burden of misery? Why carry on with this continuous struggle? I could feel that a deep longing for annihilation, for nonexistence, was now becoming much stronger than the instinctive desire to continue to live.

'I cannot live with myself any longer.' This was the thought that kept repeating itself in my mind. Then suddenly I became aware of what a peculiar thought it was. 'Am I one or two? If I cannot live with myself, there must be two of me: the 'I' and the 'self' that 'I' cannot live with.' ' Maybe, only one of them is real.'

I was so stunned by this strange realization that my mind stopped. I was fully conscious but there were no more thoughts. Then I felt drawn into what seemed like a vortex of energy. It was a slow movement at first and then accelerated. I was gripped by an intense fear, and my body started to shake. I heard the words 'resist nothing,' as if spoken inside my chest. I could feel myself being sucked into a void. It felt as if the void was inside myself rather than outside. Suddenly, there was no more fear, and I let myself fall into that void. I have no recollection of what happened after that.

I was awakened by the chirping of a bird outside the window. I had never heard such a sound before. My eyes were still closed, and I saw the image of a precious diamond. Yes, if a diamond could make a sound, this is what it would be like. I opened my eyes. The first light of dawn was filtering through the curtains. Without any thought, I felt, I knew, that there is infinitely more to light than we realize. That soft luminosity filtering through the curtains was love itself. Tears came into my eyes. I got up and walked around the room. I recognized the room, and yet i knew that i had never truly seen it before. Everything was fresh and pristine, as if it had just come into existence. Picked up things, a pencil, an empty bottle, marveling at the beauty and aliveness of it all.

That day I walked around the city in utter amazement at the miracle of life on Earth, as if i had just been born into this world. For the next five months, I lived in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss. After that, it diminished somewhat in intensity, or perhaps it just seemed to because it became my natural state. I could still function in the world, although I realized that nothing I ever did could possibly add anything to what I already had."

 

 

It only gets better from here. If you want to hear directly from someone who has gone through literally the exact same thing as you and come out the other side 'as if I had just been born into this world' and 'in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss' then get this book the Power of Now.

[Buba]

20 hours ago, yawning_ said:

ultimately even death is not to be feared...

no one gets out alive as they say...

 

that being said, it is truly important to be mindful and listen to the body.  go at your own pace, and prioritize health.

 

just trust that all is in its rightful place, allow whatever arises to pass - as @cetus56 mentioned

 

all the best, bless

 

 

n͉̬̩̫̭̮̻̎̽̚ȧ̲̗͍͕͕̭͙̜ͦ͆ͤ̏ͯ̓͋́͛ͥͫ̐̚m͚̦̺̦̝͋̅̒́̌̆͊̎̋̓ͧͭ̅̏̚a̝͇̦̩̪̠̹͉̺͇̫͎͕̒ͪ̀̉ͭ̎ͥ̓͒͒̍ͪͣͪ͒́ͩͪ̎s̻̤̠̩͎̦̰̣̙̤̋͆ͨ͗̃t͓͖̫̭̤̘̪͇̬̟̺͊̋͊̔͑͑ͭͬͥ͂̅͒̓ͩ̓̎̚é̮̼̹̩̦̜̥͓̜̻͕̯͚̾͑͑̓͂̓ͪ̉

 

- yawning gap

Yes, I want to be flexible, to see spiritual path as a dance.

20 hours ago, cetus56 said:

@Buba Eairly explorers were warned that if they set out to find new land they would fall off the edge of Earth or be swollowed up by horrid sea monsters like Cetus. I'm sure there were sailors that after spending much time on the seas with only their thoughts started to actually believe in such tales and jumped ship in the middle of the ocean to escape something that existed only in their mind.

Yesterday I said to myself I trust in God, Existence and my fear decreased, but I had to say it every time again when fear increased.

 

15 hours ago, Aethereus said:

Like the others said, go at your own pace, don't push yourself too much, it will be much less painful if you allow thoughts and emotionts to just pass (be detached from them). This is how you face your fears: cut through the nonsense your mind creates and go straight for what you want. Stay calm, be loving, be alive. 

I dont trust in meditation, spiritual path 100% because of these reports

15 hours ago, Solace said:

The dark night of the soul is another experience that arises in our consciousness. Just like a thought, allow it to be there, and return your awareness to the love in your heart. The hearts love will allow the dark night to pass much faster because it is of the highest vibration in all of life, so the low vibration of the dark night can be healed and transmuted most effectively  

:)

9 hours ago, DrMobius said:

Hi Buba!

You've been given a lot of great advice and wisdom on this thread. I want to thank and compliment everyone for their input. Allow me to add something.

You will not like hearing this, as it will sound counter-intuitive and maybe even harsh. But in order to heal, you must abandon all desire to improve your situation. What you are doing right now is chasing your own tail. You are clinging so hard to fears and what-if scenarios. The very fact of worrying so much generates your suffering. This pain is based on nothing but your imagination.

So you need to let go. Accept whatever comes. Eliminate the friction. The truth is, there is nothing wrong about you or your life. Reality is perfect, and you need to recognize it. Let your thoughts say whatever they want and start loving them. Bite the bullet and dive into your emptiness head first. If you just turn off your expectations and your paranaoia, you will see for yourself that there is absolutely nothing to fear! Your pain stands on nothing. Realize this and it will turn into laughter. That's right, you can transform your most bitter pain into laughter.

First step, and you can do it right now. Just relax and stop taking yourself so seriously. Existence is but a game. There's no good or bad, there's just what is. Stop expecting, and just tune into the present moment. Is something biting you? No. Everything is calm and peaceful. Life is smiling at you. So smile back.

Just fucking let it all go. It's waaay dumber than you think.

Okey. Lets see what will happen : )))

 

7 hours ago, kev014 said:

@Buba Everything you've described so far sounds like Eckhart Tolle's experience with a similar situation. In the introduction of the Power of Now he describes:

It only gets better from here. If you want to hear directly from someone who has gone through literally the exact same thing as you and come out the other side 'as if I had just been born into this world' and 'in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss' then get this book the Power of Now.

I have read this book. Actually this book brought me to the spiritual path.

[cetus]

3 hours ago, Buba said:

Yesterday I said to myself I trust in God, Existence and my fear decreased, but I had to say it every time again when fear increased.

@Buba Here's a picture I took that represents passing through "The Gate of Fear". I know exactly what you mean b-c I've been there. I can't tell you how many times I've come up against the fear and turned away. But that's what builds the trust and faith within us. I alone would have never passed through the gate.