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Hypnagogia in Meditation
Amida
Explorer
Everynight when falling asleep I fall into the hypnagogic state, where I see all sorts of images, scenes, and hear talking, music, etc.. It's the state between consciousness and sleep. You're not asleep but not fully conscious. You can easily pull yourself back to full alertness from this state, but you're lingering on the border crossing over into sleep. I see countless images, scenes, and hear voices, music, etc., all marvelous and terrible; things I've never seen or heard.
There's something called "Daytime Para-hypnagogia", where one experiences the faint voices in the head, or sees the faint images while awake and relaxed. I find when I meditate, I'm often clouded with Daytime Parahypnagogia, which can be quite strong. I'll see images of people pop up I've never seen, landscapes, and phantom voices speaking things I've never heard.
Sometimes this can be disturbing while trying to meditate. I experience this A LOT. Anyone else experience this?
There's something called "Daytime Para-hypnagogia", where one experiences the faint voices in the head, or sees the faint images while awake and relaxed. I find when I meditate, I'm often clouded with Daytime Parahypnagogia, which can be quite strong. I'll see images of people pop up I've never seen, landscapes, and phantom voices speaking things I've never heard.
Sometimes this can be disturbing while trying to meditate. I experience this A LOT. Anyone else experience this?
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Comments
Positively, it is a sign of some samadhi/tranquility development
The images are the same as when the mind dreams in sleep. The mind is venting or purging its 'busy-ness'. It is part of the purification process.
If this occurs when sitting, just make the consciousness effort to keep the body upright & broaden your awareness to the sitting posture (but also maintain the tranquility, somehow - find the balance).
Kind regards
Peace
One question, Amida. Are you getting enough good quality sleep?
This happens to me too sometimes. I see all vision, voices, planets, ceremonies etc.
And there is always some sort of bliss, a sensation of extreme pleasure/extacy comes with it. I never ever wanna get out of that feeling. But unfortunately it is impermanent just like everythingelse...
I wouldn't say it's anything anyone mentioned here so far. It's all within the mind, like a bunch of mind chatter, like flipping through TV stations quickly, but the TV is in your head and you don't have the remote.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia
i think this happens to me every once and a while when i'm falling asleep. right when i'm hovering on the edge between awareness and a dream. it's quite odd when you take a moment to pay attention to it. it is just like flipping through channels. frequently, i will "wake up" from this with a fierce sensation of falling. not sure why. i think it's just a symptom of a restless mind. i've never had it happen during meditation though.
Author: Dr. Gurstelle Emile
Location: William Paterson University, USA
The author reports on a newly identified and previously undescribed state of consciousness, Daytime Parahypnagogia (DPH). A DPH episode consists of a flash image, dream, thought and/or creative insight. The content of the experience is often quickly forgotten. The dissociative state is momentary, spontaneous and unnerving, to some extent akin to almost falling asleep. Of 164 clinical psychologists and 247 college students surveyed, 46 to 54 percent reported experiencing signs consistent with DPH; of those, approximately half reported that such events interfere with tasks requiring attentiveness. The paper details the experiential nature of DPH and its impact on daytime functioning.
@Bodha8,
Maybe it is the "Monkey Mind". Subtle concentration does seem to help to some degree.
@zombiegirl,
Yes, it's very common on the edge of sleep.
There is a large article on hypnagogia here, called: The "Sleepless Sleep" Hypnagogia – the Shamanic Trance-State
http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message634317/pg1
I was doing a search for this topic, found this discussion, and I said, hey I'm a member! In my practice this sometimes occurs, but I do not attach, and proceed. This morning it was a little more intense, with images in light and in dark bakgrounds. It also made me feel like I was moving forward, tunnel like. My state was very serene, upright, relaxed. I barely noticed breathing. I did not @zen_world engage, rather noted, observed and concluded. It was different, and natural.
@Rojeho First of all, this thread is 7 years old, and while interest is encouraged, it's probably better to start a new thread of your own, after 7 years (!) secondly, the member you mention was banned and won't be reading your response any time soon....