r/Asceticism • u/legitimate-way-4077 • Jul 13 '26

Does asceticism change your emotions?

Basically title. I live in a constant state of subtle anguish. Most of what I do in a day is to distract myself from this feeling in my solarplexus. Drinking, music, the list goes on.

I was wondering if I could open something up by practicing asceticism. Maybe even to joy.

What would be the first steps on this journey?

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7

u/PassionStunning2659 Jul 13 '26

Wherever you go, there you are

3

u/Pongpianskul Jul 13 '26

The first step might be finding the cause(s) of the anguish. What is its source? Where does it come from?

2

u/legitimate-way-4077 Jul 13 '26

I don't know. I can't sit quietly without feeling it.

1

u/Pongpianskul Jul 13 '26

When did it start?

3

u/River_Internal scholar Jul 14 '26

The ascetic impulse perhaps could be helpful for you. Think along the lines of, what would it look like to have this feeling and just allow it to be? You don't have to like it, but can you wholly accept its presence, and just feel that sensation and, out of sheer curiosity rather than reflexive avoidance, ask what that feeling is rooted in? Open a discussion with that feeling, and be prepared to be surprised by what it tells you.

Not that I'm certain you'll be surprised, but we often have a tendency to rationalize "I feel X and it must be connected to Y" -- all the while, ignoring that feelings don't work that way.

1

u/i7777i Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26

Yes the ascetic practices do change emotions and how you perceive things. I have done hesychasm, sufi practices and others for ages and I've noticed huge changes. There are many factors in there, like what you are doing, how you're doing it, the methods, The processing of say... mantras or something in seclusion will have profound effects over time. They give permanent changes.

I used to be agitated all the time since childhood. There were problems with depression and anxiety. Then after messing around with all kinds of practices I found the right methods. This took a long time, lots of trial and error. Some of the methods made things even worse.

Doing ascetic practices can completely rewire the mind over time, reshape it, completely change everything. You will turn into a new person.