A note on “micro shifts” - It seems that these types of things are happening so commonly now (about 5 a month) that they it is imprecise to call them “shifts.” I suppose this is just a pattern of gradual progression. That being said, I did seem to have some newfound clarity on the emotional end of things at the beginning of this month. I had an interaction with a person that triggered a feeling of connection. After investigating for 4 days I noticed that I had slightly more baseline access to metta than before. On the 9th I met a new spiritual friend that I will be working with in addition to Richard. This friend suggested that I try a visualization exercise which is to imagine the “perfect parent.” This is a 2nd-person, relational mode of meditation, which is new to me. The main points are to feel protection, attunement and love. I started by focusing on an amorphous sense of beingness which was transmitting these three qualitie...
At the intersection of deep meditation, growing up, and mood disorder.