littlethrowaway
Joined 10 years ago
Karma
117
Submissions
31
Member since
Sep 15
Recent submissions
Comment · 4 years ago
Wow, this is absolutely fabulous. Thank you very much for making it. Extremely simple to use. Just really well done.
Comment · 4 years ago
Skype call credit can certainly help you out when calling home from overseas!
Comment · 4 years ago
I'm sorry to hear that - and I hope you're doing fine now. I really didn't have any "bad" experience like that (mania is awesome fun ;)), of course, the downside was depression followed by years of medication. They make such a deal about it being a "bad idea to leave midway through" ... I'm glad your teacher said you should (although even then, they're really ejecting you in what must be a pretty vulnerable situation). Anyway, hope you're doing fine now.
Comment · 4 years ago
No, they certainly shouldn't... for various reasons I did a vipassana 10 day silent retreat back in 2010, and, ended up triggering a bipolar episode[0]. No, there was no history of that in my family, it was a complete surprise.
This obviously doesn't happen to everyone doing it, but, while my blog is very much buried now, I still get yearly mails from people saying that the same thing happened to them..
[0]. http://livingvipassana.blogspot.com/2010/02/bipolar-chronicl...
Comment · 4 years ago
Is shoots and ladders the same as "snakes and ladders" ? https://www.amazon.com/HASBRO-GAMING-Chutes-Ladders-Board/dp... is what you're talking about?
Comment · 5 years ago
I do not recommend vipassana unless you've done a _lot_ of meditation before. 10 days of complete silence is a massive strain. I did it, based on little more than a recommendation like this, and had a bipolar episode (no history of bipolar or serious mental illness before). My story [0]
[0]. http://livingvipassana.blogspot.com/2010/02/bipolar-chronicl...
Comment · 5 years ago
I was in Christchurch New Zealand in September 2006 when we experienced a meteorite. http://meteorite-identification.com/mwnews/09122006.htm . Extremely loud, sounded like a truck had fallen over!
Comment · 5 years ago
Heh, I have seen professionals, one literally said "I don't know why you're coming to see me!" ;)
What I'm curious about: Are you suggesting that it is childhood trauma that will trigger a bipolar episode (rather than the 10 days of silent meditation 10 days in a row!)
If "everyone" has childhood trauma, why don't we see a higher incidence of bipolar disorder in the population?
Comment · 5 years ago
It was a long time ago now, 11 years or something. I think I was probably fairly happy, but, maybe at a little bit of a loose end.
The main reason I went on it was because doing a meditation retreat was suggested at a leadership seminar I went to! I was keeping a blog and I thought it would be "interesting" to go on the course. I was right about that ;)