BrianC
Well known member
It was my hope that everyone would want to move over to the new thread and share their experiences and questions there. I figured since this thread slowed down, this would be a good time.
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The Presence Process Questions - Has Anyone Here Done It?
- Thread starter BrianC
- Start date
It was my hope that everyone would want to move over to the new thread and share their experiences and questions there. I figured since this thread slowed down, this would be a good time.
Jaxson
New Member
Hi Brian,
Although I haven't read TPP...I'm now curious. I like what you said in this post describing the emotions. I've been doing my own breathing/breathwork...just taking fuller breaths and extending the belly. I don't agree with the many breathing techniques that have you pause anywhere on the in or out breath..to me, that sends the wrong message to the brain...because we hold our breath in fear...In the book, "Issues in Your Tissues" the author states - "We learned to stuff down uncomfortable feelings in our bodies and hold them there with minimal breathing".
So... while doing these deeper breaths, emotions arise...and I also experience a "tearless" crying/sobbing. I just allow it...It could start as anger and end in sadness/sobbing..I just stay with and say " I'm with you my dear"...it dissipates...then I'm ready for the next. There always seems to be traces of emotion in my breathing...subtle but with awareness, they arise. Thanks for your confirming description cuz I sometimes wonder...is this what a suppressed emotion looks/feels like....or is it just me? So thx.
Although I haven't read TPP...I'm now curious. I like what you said in this post describing the emotions. I've been doing my own breathing/breathwork...just taking fuller breaths and extending the belly. I don't agree with the many breathing techniques that have you pause anywhere on the in or out breath..to me, that sends the wrong message to the brain...because we hold our breath in fear...In the book, "Issues in Your Tissues" the author states - "We learned to stuff down uncomfortable feelings in our bodies and hold them there with minimal breathing".
So... while doing these deeper breaths, emotions arise...and I also experience a "tearless" crying/sobbing. I just allow it...It could start as anger and end in sadness/sobbing..I just stay with and say " I'm with you my dear"...it dissipates...then I'm ready for the next. There always seems to be traces of emotion in my breathing...subtle but with awareness, they arise. Thanks for your confirming description cuz I sometimes wonder...is this what a suppressed emotion looks/feels like....or is it just me? So thx.
Pandamonium,
Thanks so much for your response!
The breathing is a bit tricky for me, because my nose is usually not clear, so I have to breathe through my mouth. It dries out and I have to swallow several times and maybe take one drink during a session. And sinus drainage has me swallowing periodically, too. Do you think it's okay to take an antihistamine to dry up my sinuses so I can breathe through my nose for the sessions? That seems like it would help.
I like the pillow idea for sitting. Thanks. I'm having trouble finding a good sitting position where I can keep my back straight (my posture isn't great, so I adjust periodically). The PP says it's important not to move while breathing, so I'm finding this difficult. I always have itches that pop up or adjustments I need to make because of arising pains. The PP says it's all drama and not to react to it. I know it breaks my attention on present moment awareness to move and scratch, but I have to take care of them usually, because they're so irritating or distracting. But I'm not sure what I can do at this point. I'm just making the best of it for now. Did you have a problem with this?
The second revision of the PP says to reduce (or stop) the addictive behavior somewhere around week 7, I think. I can't remember exactly.
After a breathing session is complete, did you have emotions come up that you had to sit with for a little bit each time?
When I finish a session, I've had some different things happen:
1. I shake sometimes. Not little shakes, but big movements. It's almost like it's fear, but I don't feel the fear.
2. I usually cry (often tearless). And sometimes when I shake, I cry, too. The shaking hasn't happened often. I'm pretty sure I was warmly dressed enough, too, but maybe not. It didn't seem like shaking I do when I'm cold.
3. I get a burning sensation in my stomach.
I'm pretty sure the burning is worthlessness and shame and anger toward myself for being worthless. I know I'm not worthless, but I think when I was a baby, I felt worthless due to some things I saw happen repeatedly at that age. I felt fear and anger and shame, too, I'm pretty sure. I thought I was a burden to others and that others would be better off if I were to just die (at least I think that's what I felt). I know I felt that way when I was 22 (almost 13 years ago), because I tried to kill myself. Those emotions seem to be a reoccurring theme with me every so often. From the time I was a baby, I did my best to suppress (control) my emotions. It's very difficult to just let loose and completely feel and just "be." I'm very insecure on some levels, and not so much on other levels. It doesn't help that no one's calling me to do jobs for them right now, either (subconsciously makes me feel worthless, and scared due to money being tighter).
How did you feel after your first time through the PP?
How did you feel after your second time through it?
Thanks so much for your help.
BrianC
Well known member
Jaxson,
That's interesting that you have emotions coming up with your breathing. If you set your intention for that, it'll happen, so I guess that's what's bringing them up. Cool.
It sounds like you're getting little bits of the emotions to surface if there are no tears. I've cried tons in the past couple of years in been doing TPP. Crying is the beginning of integration of emotions, because we're finally feeling and accepting the grief we've been afraid to feel all our life. There's always a fear of feeling our uncomfortable emotions first and foremost (fear, anger, and grief). Once we know how to deal with them, that fear gets processed and we can start feeling them rather than repressing them. I imagine if you do TPP, it'll break any remaining fear you have inside to feeling your uncomfortable emotions, and you'll start having stronger emotions surfacing and full-on tears. Tears are pretty important. I once heard it said that one does not heal till the last tear falls.
As for the pausing between breaths, I like TPP's breathing which has no pauses. However, I also do a special kind of Kriya yoga meditation that has pauses between the 20 deep breaths you take. At each pause, you're supposed to feel inside of you, feel how your stomach feels, your chest, etc. Never has that causes fear in the body. In fact, it's used to relax your body and mind. Either way, I like the TPP breathing better.
What can get a person into a fear-like state is rapid shall low breathing. This has a good use, too. If a person wants to trigger fear that they need to process, they can use that technique to trigger it sometimes. So the intention you have when breathing is important and often determines how useful that breathing technique will be.
Feel free to join the conversation in the TPP thread if you like, especially if you decide to do TPP. It's always interesting and helpful to hear other's experiences with it.
That's interesting that you have emotions coming up with your breathing. If you set your intention for that, it'll happen, so I guess that's what's bringing them up. Cool.
It sounds like you're getting little bits of the emotions to surface if there are no tears. I've cried tons in the past couple of years in been doing TPP. Crying is the beginning of integration of emotions, because we're finally feeling and accepting the grief we've been afraid to feel all our life. There's always a fear of feeling our uncomfortable emotions first and foremost (fear, anger, and grief). Once we know how to deal with them, that fear gets processed and we can start feeling them rather than repressing them. I imagine if you do TPP, it'll break any remaining fear you have inside to feeling your uncomfortable emotions, and you'll start having stronger emotions surfacing and full-on tears. Tears are pretty important. I once heard it said that one does not heal till the last tear falls.
As for the pausing between breaths, I like TPP's breathing which has no pauses. However, I also do a special kind of Kriya yoga meditation that has pauses between the 20 deep breaths you take. At each pause, you're supposed to feel inside of you, feel how your stomach feels, your chest, etc. Never has that causes fear in the body. In fact, it's used to relax your body and mind. Either way, I like the TPP breathing better.
What can get a person into a fear-like state is rapid shall low breathing. This has a good use, too. If a person wants to trigger fear that they need to process, they can use that technique to trigger it sometimes. So the intention you have when breathing is important and often determines how useful that breathing technique will be.
Feel free to join the conversation in the TPP thread if you like, especially if you decide to do TPP. It's always interesting and helpful to hear other's experiences with it.