The Meditation Technique That Backfired For Me (And The Simple Fix)
In a Nutshell
At a meditation retreat, labeling mental phenomena (e.g., "radio" for thoughts) backfired for the OCD-prone speaker, causing endless interruptions and stress. The fix: instructors advised simply "just be still" as the sole focus, calming everything in two sits. Recommendation: try concentration practices like this 10-20 minutes twice daily instead of open monitoring, similar to TM, for bliss and productivity gains within 1-3 weeks.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
The retreat involved group sessions with guided feedback from instructors like Henry and Valerie. After a 25-minute sit, participants discuss experiences such as restlessness or planning compulsions. Instructors provide targeted adjustments for the next session, like specific focuses to try.
Meditation is kind of like sports or exercise. What kind of exercise? There are many ways to meditate: Vipassana, transcendental meditation, Zen.
Retreats help describe what's happening when sitting still with eyes closed, focusing on breath or observing thoughts. Feedback polishes the practice. Similar to transcendental experiences from meditation, psychedelics, or breathwork, which involve not fixating on the self.
During the retreat, frustration arose, questioning the value. Post-retreat in Austin, 3 to 5 days of blissful calm attention followed: everything got done without rushing or future-tripping.
Parallels exist between methods for entering trance states: concentration practices using mantras (like TM) or rhythmic drumming lead to unusual mental states, with payoffs noticed in the following 1-3 weeks.
Labeling practice (from the Way of the Way app, which both speakers use): Label mental phenomena like 'radio' for talking/thought words, 'video' for images, planning, or memories.
For someone with OCD, labeling became interruptive and stressful: endless 'radio radio radio radio'.
The retreat lasted 3-4 days. Henry responded: > "Just be still. That's it. That is the focus. Just sit still."
Two consecutive sits focused solely on just be still. Everything calmed remarkably.
Just like exercise: not everyone suited for sprinting on incline treadmill; some for yoga, lifting. Try different types.
Not suited for open monitoring (noticing all arising phenomena). Prefers concentration practice like repeating 'just be still', akin to transcendental meditation (without the branding).
Recommendation: Sit still for 10-20 minutes twice a day for high payoff.
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