Some observations about meditation

I have had your second point out on me - i told the lady I ******* hate beaches and, after a long uncomfortable pause, she suggested we try something else! 

The same lady tried some regression techniques on me - she wasn't actually qualified to and got really upset when I laughed during it.

It was actually really helpful and allowed me to reframe a particularly nasty experience and cured the PTSD I had related to it. Allowed me to move on from an event I'd been looping for almost 20 years.

I did tell her (later) it was helpful but I dont think she believed me and was still upset about the laughing. Crazy!

Tamarinda said:

Sorry this is a special interest which is why I'm writing so much!

Thank you for taking the time out to explain.

You are clearly very thoughtful and professional when you teach.

Sounds great!

The teacher would say this before the meditation- ie give options about what to do if something feels uncomfortable. Then afterwards the teacher would ask people to share their experience and make personal suggestions. I taught 8 week mindfulness courses in small groups so as the weeks went on people got to know each other and get more comfortable sharing their experiences. 

People can feel a bit nervous or shy about saying that they found something difficult or didn't enjoy the meditation, so usually the first person to speak would say something positive (like they found it relaxing). I would then encourage people to say other points of view by asking something like 'did anyone have a different experience' or 'did anyone find the mediation difficult?' Once one person opens up usually others follow and share their genuine experiences. This is great because it gives the teacher a chance to give them some suggestions. 

Some people find certain things hard such as paying attention to their breath (this is triggering to some) or feeling different parts of their body. Some suggestions could be holding an object you like (such as a teddy or crystal) and focusing on the feel of it, looking at an object in the room that you find comforting or listening to the sounds around you (all depends on what senses people find most soothing). 

On an 8 week mindfulness course most of the meditation is done at home on your own anyway (the class is only once a week) so the class would start with a discussion about how people got on with the meditations at home. 

By the end of the course people have found out what works for them.

Sorry this is a special interest which is why I'm writing so much!

I've done some neurodiversity-informed mindfulness training that was designed by the ND community. It was through PESI and was good. 

Having taught meditation myself, I don't think what you're describing is meditation. It's relaxation and some guided imagery, but not I feel meditation which is much more internal and dosen't try to take you to another place. I've done a lot of guided imagery too, some people are very bad at it, they rush, they don't take the time to build a picture involving all the senses, they leave people in a sort of internal no-mans land and even worse they bring people out of a state of deep relaxation to quickly which leaves many feeling really ungrounded.

Most people do have a love of nature and I can understand that if you don't it will be really difficult. I'm often dubious about the benefits of taking things like meditation and mindfulness out of context, these things have a spiritual background and to my mind shouldn't be just picked up and used wholesale on everyone. There are some people who I would actively advise to avoid meditation, deep relaxation and guided imagery, like if they have a history of schizphrenia, disassociative states  or halucinations, at best you might have trouble bringing them back from wherever you've taken them and at worst you could bring on a full blown psychiatric episode.

But if I were the person doing your classes or whatever you call them, I would take the time to find out if anyone has any fears, phobias and things they really don't like and try to accomodate them.

Tamarinda said:

With meditation options should always be given anyway (for example - if that doesn't feel comfortable you can try XXX) and after a meditation there should be a chance to feedback and talk about what worked for you and what didn't so that future meditations can be amended

How can this be done in a group which is what I was thinking of in my reply?

I personally have only seen group meditation classes advertised (and only been to group mindfulness classes) where for practical purposes 'one size fits all' is more the thing.

I'm a mindfulness teacher so I facilitate meditation. These are really good points ad I've often thought that there should be some specific courses for ND people.

With meditation options should always be given anyway (for example - if that doesn't feel comfortable you can try XXX) and after a meditation there should be a chance to feedback and talk about what worked for you and what didn't so that future meditations can be amended. If you feel uncomfortable with the nature imagery I suggest ignoring what they say and just imagining yourself somewhere which feels soothing for you.

Unfortunately a lot of people who facilitate meditation aren't actually trained in mindfulness so they don't know how to adapt it to different people. 

Unknown said:

Why assume everyone loves nature? Its a cliche

Unknown said:

Another bad one is when the facilitator takes you to their simplistic idea of a peaceful place

I suspect it's more than just a cliché. 

I should think that the majority of people find elements of nature relaxing and peaceful.

Unknown said:

Anyone here who facilitates meditation please note!

The meditation will be aimed at the majority.

Most people won't find this relaxing:

Unknown said:

Its a cliche, give me urban concrete and cities, motorways, mines, factories and our post-industrial “red wall” northern conurbation any day

Unknown said:

Another bad one is when the facilitator takes you to their simplistic idea of a peaceful place.

What is a peaceful place for you? Is it bed, the sofa, the floor etc? The key to this part of the meditation process is to find a place to visualise that helps you relax so don't take their suggestions if they don't work for you.

There is also a state of mind that really helps here where focussing on the positives and trying to ignore the negatives is important. Can you find the elements of these places you choose that make you feel good? Keeping your focus in spite of the urge to consider the negatives takes a lot of practice - it took me several months to master this.

With practice you can learn to compartmentalise the feelings more so it enables you to endure a lot more than you currently can when you need to,and this also improves mood which further improves quality of life.

This is my experience anyway - I hope you find a way to get more out of the technique.