Fearful Meditation Experience

[Jorke]

So first things first I had to tell that I'm new to meditation stuff. I think I have been regularly meditating for 4-5 months now. And every time I have different experiences in meditation. Some good some bad, but oh boy todays was different and I'm still shaking. So as always I sit on the floor and start meditating. Letting my monkey mind run as always... Some time later like five minutes in I started to see some funky images and flashy colors in my mind. Seen some old terrible nightmares' flashbacks. I have now no idea what I have seen exactly but mate it was terrifying and yet so familiar. I have never felt like that before in meditation and I have never been that scared in my whole life! Is something wrong with me? Has anybody experienced stuff like that before? Did I do something wrong, any ideas?

Edited July 30, 2016 by Jorke

[Azrael]

17 minutes ago, Jorke said:

Has anybody experienced stuff like that before? Did I do something wrong, any ideas?

Yeah, relax. That's totally normal. You'll see a lot of psychedelic side effects with meditation if you go on. Now, it's a little scary and you think it's huge. Some time later you try to chase these experiences - because they seem so mystical - and some time after this you'll have so crazy experiences w/o even looking out for them any more. At least the visual ones.

The Zen people call this Makyo. I had and still have extreme open / closed eye hallucinations, from stuff just blurring out, looking like a dream to being completely locked in my unconscious re-living past memories. It's crazy sometimes, you can learn some from it but you won't find what you are looking for in it.

After having - I don't know - like dozens over dozens of such experiences it seems to me that this is connected to the mind purging shit out of your unconscious. Just an intuition from me. Every time I had big leaps in my practice shortly before or after I had intense experiences that are like the one you described.

But yeah, it's normal. You do everything right. Just keep on, it'll lose its scariness and turn into a well known guest after some time. 

[Pelin]

I've been experiencing something like this, too, and whoever I told had a different opinion about it. And the opinions scared me more. Thanks @Jorke for opening it up and @Arik and @Piotr for the insight. It is relaxing to know it is common and "this too shall pass". 

[Jorke]

Thank you all for replying and make me feel good again. Yesterday I was worried, but now thanks to you @Piotr and @Piotr  I feel more relaxed and eager to do meditation even more. Also it is always nice to know other people having same experience, so thank you as well @Pelin for being supportive in that way. Thanks again mates.