Dear crawford:

“I just felt my heart/ heart-chakra area become numb.. I just didn’t feel connected anymore and just felt out of touch with my surroundings.. I am not sure if my heart-chakra got over active and overused… Does anyone know this feeling..?

I do know the experience of neurons (nerve cells) being too stimulated/ over active, so much so that it becomes uncomfortable. It can be a joyful neural experience, such  as when eating a very tasty food- but if the neurons over react/ get too stimulated, it becomes very uncomfortable.

Sometimes the response of the nervous system to being overly stimulated is to go numb/ disassociate.

anita

• This reply was modified 3 years, 9 months ago by .

Dear crawford:

You are welcome. I don’t know much about chakras. I know something about science: our subjective  experience of being stimulated has to do with nerve cells instructing certain glands in our bodies to produce stimulating hormones. These stimulated hormones, like adrenaline, are secreted into our blood and reach our heart, muscles, skin, and other organs. It is these stimulating chemicals/ hormones that are the reason we feel stimulated.

When our nerve cells are overly active, too much of the stimulating hormones are produced, and the result is an over-stimulation that is very uncomfortable and distressing. When we feel overly anxious and stimulated, we instinctively rush. It is then time to slow down and become mindful: aware and focused on the here-and-now. To prevent anxiety/ over-stimulation- make it a preventative, ongoing practice to slow down, to be aware of and focus on the here-and-now (aka to  be mindful).

anita

Dear crawford:

“I can relate to being rush-y and over excited so I start walking fast, talking fast which all contributes to my meditative state going away”- rushing and being mindful are opposite states of minds. Whenever you notice that you already started rushing, slow down, every time- this is the nature of mindful practice.

anita