Graham: Fred will be my guest tonight on The Brilliance Within. Click here for more information: https://tinyurl.com/q25xczj
By Fred Cheyette, not dated, https://www.fredcheyette.com
There were times in my life when I experienced ecstatic highs: in workshops, during meditation, in therapy sessions, and at other times when I entered a somewhat altered state. This state of being rarely lasted long and usually I was not even aware of coming out of it. Later I often couldn’t even remember what it was like to be there. And more often than not I felt somewhat depressed.
One day I asked one of my health practitioners why I kept returning to the old patterns. She said that when I have an expansive experience it is as if I have taken a huge breath in. The inevitable “exhale” often takes me back to the old way of being. At that moment I had the thought that if I accepted the exhalation or contraction as a natural and expected occurrence and became aware of the contraction and even welcomed it, it might allow me to end up in a different place.
A week later, just before starting a training that was likely to lead to expansion, I discussed this concept of “conscious contraction” with fellow participants. I did in fact get a high feeling and the next day watched myself contract. The contraction held just as much joy for me as the expansion. I was aware that what was happening was natural, that I was returning to a more stable state.
The wonderful part was that the stable state felt as if it were at a higher emotional and spiritual level than I had been at prior to beginning the expansive experience. A week later a friend who had been with me during that time and had heard me talk about this concept said that he and another person watched themselves contract and had experiences similar to mine.
I wonder whether if by acknowledging the inevitability of contraction, the inhale is contained and nurtured by the knowledge that it cannot and will not last forever. Therefore it feels safer and can leads to a more stable high state. The converse, that the contraction is accepted as natural and inevitable, leads to a safer exhale and a more stable “low”.
Since first writing this years ago I have thought about this from time to time. And usually when I was in a high energetic state I didn’t think about coming down. Recently however, I remembered! And when I came down I felt calm and peaceful. My base line state was higher than before and has remained there.
I have shared this with many people. The feedback that I have received is that others experienced the same feeling of comfort when they consciously knew that they would contract.