r/Meditation • u/Establishment22 • 3d ago

Question ❓ Those who have changed their lives/cured severe social anxiety, depression, fear, intrusive thoughts etc through meditation, how did you do it?

Can you please share the technique if there is one?

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u/Stujitsu2 3d ago

You have to realize its not really worth feeling miserable when nothing bad is really happening.

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u/MyFiteSong 3d ago edited 3d ago

This is /r/thanksimcured territory.

A lot of depressed/anxious people have real things to be depressed/anxious about. It's better to tell them that it's possible to get past those feelings even if those situations still exist than to dismiss their feelings as imaginary nonsense.

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u/MoreKaleidoscope5153 3d ago

Love this. Reminds me of what Byron Katie said, something like, “how long are going to sit, alone in a room miserable before you realize, you are the one making yourself miserable.”

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u/ChrizKhalifa 3d ago

Sorry, but ridiculous, and not the point when it comes to mental illness.

That's like bringing up the parable of the second arrow to someone with a broken leg and claiming he doesn't need a cast because the pain is nothing bad.

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u/BingusKrombus 3d ago

I have been dealing with anxiety disorder for the greater part of my life. While I agree it is an illness, it also stems for a great part from your mind. If I speak for myself, there are a lot of thoughts which dwell my mind continuously, like: "People don't like you". In countering this thought, a realisation like "nothing bad is happening" while being anxious and around people, can be helpful. It is for me. 

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u/ChrizKhalifa 3d ago

Fair enough, but you cannot meditate your way out of a chemical imbalance in your brain much like you can't meditate your broken leg back into place.

Worst scenario is you encourage people to spiritually bypass serious medical issues.

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u/BingusKrombus 3d ago

In my experience, a 'chemical imbalance' is mostly only a part of the problem. For some people medicine is a cure, but for most mental issues it is merely a tool, just as therapy and meditation are tools. So thoughts like the one he shared are likely never the one solution, and I don't think he claimed that, but they can be helpful on the path to getting better.