Meditation and Eye Movement

[Celebration]

I meditate, but not particularly deeply, and not particularly often. Usually I use some CDs with binaural beats to get myself into a meditative state. The other day I did that, and had a sort of spontaneous REM activity. I didn't try to stop it, but it seemed like it would have required effort to stop it unless I wanted to stop meditating.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? At the time, I wasn't having any third eye visions or anything similar.

Purposeful eye movement that is similar to REM is really good for clearing PTSD stuff, or other emotional baggage. I could not sense that I was clearing anything at the time, and it certainly wasn't purposeful.

Anyway, I thought it was pretty interesting that I was experience this one aspect of dreaming while being very awake (though meditating).

I have been trying to figure out how to use this adventageously, should it happen again. I don't seem to be able to do the third eye visualization at will. It just happens spontaneously sometimes.

Here is Wikipedia on EMDR--

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMDR

[Bluestar]

1. REM movements are consistent with being in the "alpha" state

Hypnotists take participants from the "beta" consciousness state to "alpha". The telltale sign that the subject is in alpha is the REM eye movement. You can achieve this state by relaxing your body one part at a time, telling each part of your body to "relax and be at ease" starting with your toes and moving up to your facial muscles. When you are sleeping, you are in "theta" consciousness.

In the alpha state your body and mind are much more susceptible to suggestion, thus the usefulness to hypnosis--that is probably why you experienced something so profound.

[cassiepriam]

2. Might have been SEMS

As you go from Beta waves (waking state) to alpha and theta waves you have something calleds SEMS, slow eye movements. This is common and is one way researchers measure what stage you are in.

[emcguffie]

3. yes yes

Spontaneous kundalini yoga seems to be happening to lots of people these days.

Eye movements are part of that. There are other kinds of movements as well. SOmetimes I feel like a yoga master takes over my body and makes it do things I have no idea how to do.

Go with it.

[hvn_nbr_2]

4. I have eye movements occasionally during meditation but it's rare

I've been meditating for more than 30 years, and it's happened a few times. I think it used to happen more often than now.

BTW, it's always cool to find someone who knows what binaural beats are. I got several CDs for Christmas that use binaural beats.