How to escape from thoughts.

Having trouble meditating? Just CAN'T visualize? Can you NOT focus; is your mind a wanderer? Well, this doesn't completely remove visualization but it hacks away at at least 90% of it; better even more, it's simple.

0.) STRETCH! (this always helps with achieving SP with me)
1.) Lie down
2.) Be comfortable. Make it so that you'd be agitated if you had to be moved.
3.) Imagine becoming transparent. Instead of capturing thoughts, let them roam without you. You are transparent, separate from your thoughts right now.
4.) The greatest part; You're not even thinking anymore! :)

After a while, you just 'stop', i.e. you finally realize you've fit a massive amount of time into a relatively miniscule while.

Well, at least, it works for me :P

That's a good start for some mind-calming techniques, however it is important to keep in mind that everyone's mind works differently. Some people have the ability to just sit and silence their mind naturally. Others require a bit of practice, or perhaps a specific thing that works just for them.

I find that some things pertaining to the mind are a simple matter of practice. Practice silencing thoughts. This is easy while fully conscious, however it becomes difficult when you begin to enter the HA stages before losing consciousness.

My first recommendation for calming the mind is calling on a mistake that many people make. Try to avoid thinking about controlling your thoughts by telling yourself "not to think", or to "not think". The way your mind works, it will not recognize negatives. So although you are telling yourself "don't think" or "I must not think", what your subconscious hears is "Think." or "I must think".

I have found that learning the fundamentals of neural linguistic programming can really assist with matters of the mind, and particularly assist with lucid dreaming. Just a thought.

i modified a technique years ago that i was introduced to while attending the dallas ft worth zen center around 1985. i was told to visualize thoughts as clouds and let em drift out of sky of minds eye. i modified to visualize thoughts as noise birds / crows / gackles.. i then saw em all in a tree and i visualized firing off a shotgun in my imagination and watching them fly away. works to this day. occasionally a thought / bird comes back but they quickly leave as i reload and laugh....

any other ideas?My head is a torrent of “its not working” “shut up” “UH! I m never going to LD if I keep talking to myself!”, etc. I have a head filled with several people in a room all shouting stuff at once. Please help me I want to WILD.

I focus on listening to whatever sounds reach my ears. There are almost always more than one sound, and when you try to maintain awareness on all of them simultaneously, the mind chatter shuts down. This is basically Castededa's technique. Be gentle with yourself. The voice in your head is your ego not wanting to lose control. Getting agitated and telling yourself to shut up only fuels that control and makes things worse. Instead try looking at the gyrations of your ego chatter as humorous, "Oh, there it goes again, trying to distract me with its trivial concerns. Such a futile attempt. I know perseverence will win in the end." Also avoid coffee, strenuous exercise, video games, and anything else that cranks your adrenaline.

I just don't get why some people ask you to imagine things; isn't that just a good way to start a chain-reaction of thoughts?

Naw, I decided to do something unconventional because, well, 'being transparent' is easier imho.

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Originally Posted by marcc

I just don't get why some people ask you to imagine things; isn't that just a good way to start a chain-reaction of thoughts?

Naw, I decided to do something unconventional because, well, 'being transparent' is easier imho.

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Doesn't being transparent also require you to imagine it?

This might sound overly simple, but that's because it is. Just silence your mind. Literally. It can take a lot of practice, or it can come naturally. Usually thoughts come in form of words, correct? So when you hear a sentence start, just interrupt it with silence. It's difficult to understand, but not very hard to do. Just takes practice.

A thought originating as,

"Damn, I forgot to go to the store today."

Can be silenced with practice. Start small. Just try to catch the sentence as early as you can, and cut it off. So that the above sentence becomes,

"Damn, I forgot to go to ------"

Over time and with practice, you'll be able to catch the sentences earlier and earlier:

"Damn, I for---"

"Damn, I------"

"-----------"

Until there is complete silence. It sounds silly, but this method worked wonders for me, and will likely do the same for you. Silencing the mind is a pro-active thing, it's not going to happen by itself, YOU have to work at it to get it that way.

You're only limited by how motivated you are to succeed. I am EXTREMELY scatter-brained, and have constant streams of thoughts running through my head. Practicing meditation, and silencing your thoughts via the method above is a good idea for you. When I meditate/WILD, my mind is filled with the noise of silence. If I can do it, you certainly can.

Hmm. I find it easier to be mindful of my thoughts.

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Originally Posted by marcc

I just don't get why some people ask you to imagine things; isn't that just a good way to start a chain-reaction of thoughts?

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I see it this way. Imagining things is visualizing, which is pictures. And pictures don't have words.

Exactly. Visualization is a powerful thing. You just have to learn how to silence your thoughts.

Visualize = what you do in some WILD techniques. How would visualizing be bad?

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Originally Posted by TTTman

I see it this way. Imagining things is visualizing, which is pictures. And pictures don't have words.

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"A picture says a thousand words"

thanx. ^_^

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rainman

That's a good start for some mind-calming techniques, however it is important to keep in mind that everyone's mind works differently. Some people have the ability to just sit and silence their mind naturally. Others require a bit of practice, or perhaps a specific thing that works just for them.

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I was like this, i use to not be able to sleep at night because i couldn't relax or clear my mind of thought.

But ive put a lot of work into changing that, ive since been able to try myself to lay down relax, and clear my mind of any thoughts. But however i still stay aware, and i can WILD, but if i just want to goto sleep, i just stop trying to stay aware.

Everyone should learn how to relax and clear your mind and let go.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by TheMoon

I was like this, i use to not be able to sleep at night because i couldn't relax or clear my mind of thought.

But ive put a lot of work into changing that, ive since been able to try myself to lay down relax, and clear my mind of any thoughts. But however i still stay aware, and i can WILD, but if i just want to goto sleep, i just stop trying to stay aware.

Everyone should learn how to relax and clear your mind and let go.

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I do the very same thing. Takes a lot of practice, but worth it.
It is almost like meditating with total control.

I really need help on focusing and clearing my mind, Maybe this will help.