carsten888's MAP Journal

[JoSac]

Why thank you CF.

JS

[carsten888]

update:
I had a busy couple of months and my mind was just too full, so I put the book away for a few months. Deadlines have gone, mind is at ease, so I picked it up again and started from the beginning.

I still get plenty of sensations from sponging, but nothing from bouncing. I do the bouncing exercises anyway and just move the focus through my body. But I must say, it is a lot more exciting actually getting some feedback from the body, so you know it is working

I played around a bit and noticed that slow sponging gave me most body sensations. And I mean really sloooow. Like 20 sec for one way on an arm.

The full body circuit works with the breath, which suits me well. I can't feel any body sensations of the energy moving, but just kept at it for 10 minutes the other night and really felt buzzing. So I guess I just have trouble feeling the energy-flow when it is fast, but it certainly is there.

[CFTraveler]

That's perfectly normal. The only time when I feel energy with bouncing is if I do it flat on the floor (not the bed) with my arms up over my head.

[carsten888]

I'm in week 3.
In the book it says to make the mind empty of word-based chatter. But what about sensations of energy or movement?
I was meditating the other day and after a long time of clear mind, I got images which I recognized as hypnagognic imagery. When meditating and a thought comes up I 'capture' the thought as an image (as if I take a photo of it) and then disolve that image by exploding it into small bits. When I get these HI's, should I also disolve those images?

[CFTraveler]

Images, sensations, and other mental activity are fine, just no verbal activity. Hypnagogic imagery is an indication of trance, so it's a good thing. You can embrace them, observe them, or merge into them (phase). But for an OBE with exit, don't merge, just observe your own state.

[carsten888]

thank you.

[carsten888]

"Raise and sponge energy from your feet through your legs to the base center."
Does this mean sponging to the base center and stop just before? Or sweeping through it? Or pressing it in?

How to get that energy into the base center?

[carsten888]

I know that sounds really weird.

Just want to share what really helped me in learning tactile imaging as used in the MAP program. To imagine the brushing feeling for energy stimulation of hands-feet-legs and arms I used a big radiator brush (a new, clean one ). Just after I took a shower. Why just after a shower? Because then I was naked, clean, refreshed and relaxed and the bathroom is nice and warm. So I sat down with closed eyes, cleared my mind and got into 'recording mode' brushing the soles of my feet a few times and paint the lines on limbs: The 4 sides of the legs, and the inner and outer side of the arms, each 3 times up and down. I focus on the feeling of the brush on the skin and just try and follow that. In my experience that made it lots easier to imagine the movement of energy before I could actually feel it.

I used a brush like this:


I hope this helps someone.

Have a nice day.

[CFTraveler]

Whatever works for you.

But sweeping through it sounds right.

[carsten888]

thanks for reply.

I will experiment.