What Are These Sensations In The Torso About?

[Afonso]

After months of meditating, I somehow got pretty damn aware of the sensations in my body. I always feel squeezes or tingling sensations in my torso (normally on the chest, around the heart and solar plexus). For the past days I've entirely focused on these sensations while meditating. They seem to dissolve over time and new ones pop up in other place. Some times there are multiple sensations occurring at the same time, so I try to focus on just one at a time. This whole phenomena leads me to some questions: What are these sensations? Why do they dissolve and how? Why do these sensations become very intense when I'm experience fear, shame, or some other negative emotion?

I did a little experiment and smoked a cigar yesterday. I couldn't feel any sensation that I'd otherwise have felt. I felt very relaxed and calm. After that, I started becoming aware of the sensations smoothly fading in and eventually, after an hour or so, reaching the intensity that I am now used to, when I'm normally relaxed.

[Arman]

Annoyingly long post incoming:

I can't say for sure what is occuring within you, but I can share with you my own experience and the framework of understanding that I've developed to make sense of this phenomena. I have had, and still have similar sensations in various areas of the body. Some of the primary ones seem to be similar to the area's you described; lower torso or a bit lower than the bellybutton, as well as chest and back. The experiences manifest as tension, resistance and discomfort of various degrees from a light humming to a sensation of emotional distress, and something a dull or sense pain or pressure.

My understanding is that these are blockages within our personal energetic system (Look up the Meridian system for reference). For assistance, imagine the body as a series of threads through which light or energy move. When the body is healthy and balanced, then this energy moves freely through the system. Different aspects of this energy system correspond to the activity of the nervous system and organs, as well as our emotions, expressiveness and how we operate in the world. When the various centres of flow are open, then we are said to be effective, light and loving, and when the various centres of flow are blocked, then we are said to be ineffective, contracted and dense.

As different areas of the system are 'lit up' by energy flow, it activates different aspects of our being which comes into awareness. Focus and intention are one way to channel this flow of energy. This can be discovered experientially by focusing on various energy centres and seeing the way in which this effects consciousness and the body. For example, by breathing into the perineum to create a sense of grounded stability, or by meditating on the heart and chest area and seeing what effect this has on our emotions and how we relate to ourselves and others.

When blockages occur, then the energy flow of particular centres or channels of energy (meridians) become stifled. This stifled movement manifests itself as the experience of resistance, recurring and exaggerated negative emotions, neurosis, thoughts, feelings, belief systems, selfishness, destructive behavior, bad luck, and an endless variety of physical symptoms and ailments. The theme in which a particular blockage manifests itself depends on the area in which the energetic system is stifled/restricted. There are a few different ideas as to why these blocks or restrictions in flow occur. Some say it is partly due to what we put in our body. Some who follow new age or religious beliefs may say that it is a karmic inheritance from a soul level that is descended or reflected into our earthly vessel. I suspect that the primary factor (and especially the reason for which these more intense blocks that you described) is traumatic experience of our youth. Here is my unrefined theory on this subject:

When we are young (from birth to maybe very early teenage years) we are essentially energetic sponges and our brains are not yet operating in the way they do for us now. When we are young, we are constantly being imprinted by the energies of our environment (parents, language, emotions, belief systems, etc). This is a life function that makes sense because it's how we learn and adapt to our world. This causes issues because not everything imprinted is useful, but that is another discussion. We are healthily able to process and integrate much of this energy, but at some point in a child's life, we come upon an experience that we are simply not equipped to process and integrate. This can come in the form of abuse, emotional distress, confusion, discontinuity of experience, or quite anything, really. Even the most seemingly benign, innocent and mundane thing can be potentially highly traumatic for a child. When an innocent child is met with such an incomprehensible tension that he or she can neither interpret, process or deal with, then this triggers the mechanism of contraction/resistance; So as not to be overwhelmed by this energy, the child reflexively tenses, either physically, psychologically or otherwise, as a means to sedate the experience and protect him or herself. The greatest way we seem to do this is by contracting muscles and shallowing the breath. The energy of that experience, instead of flowing and being integrated like other experiences, is then pressed (or IMPRESSED) into the subconscious. Because this imprint has a higher degree of magnetic charge than other experiences, in time, it reoccurs within us and is always attempting to return to the surface of our awareness in order to be integrated. Like a cork in water, when we are not expending the energy to push it down, it floats to the top. 

Now, in an ideal world, this child would grow and learn to integrate and release these imprints as they arise, but we don't live in that world. Rather, when these magnetised charges of suppressed energy return to our experience and awareness, we instead develop and act out countless means to avoid, sedate and suppress what is arising to be integrated. This escapism is one of the primary forces behind unconscious, neurotic and destructive behaviors. In order to avoid having to experience these charges, we either consciously or unconsciously restrict energy flow within our body so as not to 'activate' or light up the imprint. Therefore, there is a tremendous degree of unconscious contraction being held within our bodies at all times in the form of muscular micro-tensions or what Wilhelm Reich refers to as 'muscular armouring' (For more information on this topic in general, read Bioenergetics by Alexander Lowen). So to be clear, there is not really anything 'real' blocking energy flows, but rather it is our unconscious effort to not want to deal with something within us.

Meditation, other practices and spiritual experiences can increase energy flow, and naturally as we release unconscious tensions, there is more light and energy being moved throughout the body which causes increased energy flow in areas which we had been previously restricting this flow. This in a sense 'lights up' those suppressed traumas and that is why you suddenly feel them, or why you may feel them at some times and not others. (Smoking, for example, is one way to restrict energy flow.) This phenomena is part of the reason why meditation can make us happy for a while, but then seems to throw the practitioner into great distress! - this is because unconscious imprints are no longer being hidden from ourselves in the way they previously were. 

We can only suppress so much of this energy for so long. All this contraction limits a great degree of our life energy and manifests itself in undesirable ways. These energies are more obviously seen as emotions like fear, anger, etc. Even these emotions, however, are usually only the surface level of the imprint, and may only be further reflexive resistance to the deeper aspect of the imprint, which can be an abstract sensation that unlike many emotions, is more difficult to describe in words. Once the surface level emotions are released, then the deeper, more abstract aspects of the suppressed energies can also be experienced and released. The deeper root energies of the charges are usually not as bad as the resistance that we were holding towards them. As children we resisted the experience, but as adults we resist the resistance, which perhaps compounds the energy. The real boogie monster isn't scary when you shine the light on him and discover he was only ever a shadow on the wall. 

The way in which these blocks are released and healed is through the light of unconditional awareness. The basic idea is that these stagnant energies will simply and automatically release themselves when we stop 'doing' anything else. This means allowing them to arise and allowing them to be as they are without wanting to change or judge them. We stop being afraid of what is inside us, and instead we greet and embrace it as a catalyst for our growth and maturation. Being with experience unconditionally is a skill that developes with meditation practice. Once an imprint is held within awareness, then the higher intelligence of God or your body knows what to do. We can only resist what we don't understand, and within the light of awareness is pure understanding and intelligence. The experience arises, unravels, and releases. It is that simple. Is it easy? Perhaps not, but it is simple.

I think that about sums up my understanding. Id be interested to hear your own insights on the experience. 

----

I'll provide an illustration of an experience I had and the effects it had on me as a real life example of this subject.

When I was more active in trying to heal, I would devote a lot of sitting time to the release of emotional energies and I was used to sitting with them for extended periods of time. One day something triggered anger within me and so I instinctively sat down in my room to try to allow it to dissolve. This particular charge, however, didn't want to go anywhere any time soon. As I sat with it, I got angrier and angrier and it was like a rage in my chest. As the anger slightly subsided, it was replaced by a stinging pain and tightness in my lungs as I would reach the end of each breath. I sat for hours and the discomfort in my lungs and feelings remained, so feeling overwhelmed, I gave up and decided to nap on the floor in order to not have to go through it anymore. I woke up half an hour later and within a few moments the experience was back, so I returned to the sitting. About a half hour after that, the tension was still there but something within it gave way. As I breathed in deeply, there was a very odd sensation in my lungs when I would reach the end of my breaths. It is like a tight tension was released and although it was very, very tight, I find myself being able to force breath into a deeper part of my lungs that I had not been able to breathe into before. After a few minutes of trying to pace myself breaths in a way to get every single last drop of air in so as to expand my lungs further, I would get to the end of my breath feeling all this pressure, then suddenly it was like a new place opened up and I could inhale even more. As I breathed into this seemingly extended range, an increased energy flooded me and I felt indescribably alive and vital. It was really incredible. I spent the next hour pacing around my room as it became more comfortable to breathe into that part of my lungs because it felt so good. The experience stabalized and my lung capacity increased. It went from feeling wild to breathe into that range, to feeling natural. From that day forth, my breathing was permanently improved to be more relaxed, natural and deeper than before. I still get angry, but not quite to the same degree of intensity of that period of life. 

My resistance, in the form of long held muscular contractions in the chest (in order to shallow the breath and sedate something) had loosened and dissolved, allowing a breakthrough of life energy, and this was the result of releasing only part of that particular imprinted energy.

 

 

 

[Afonso]

14 hours ago, Wormon Blatburm said:

Are they buzzing sensations? That could be kundalini energy working through blocks in the chakras, from what I've heard

Yes, sometimes they are buzzing sensations.

[Martin123]

@Afonso past trauma being released. Very very good shit

[Afonso]

8 hours ago, Arman said:

Annoyingly long post incoming:

I can't say for sure what is occuring within you, but I can share with you my own experience and the framework of understanding that I've developed to make sense of this phenomena. I have had, and still have similar sensations in various areas of the body. Some of the primary ones seem to be similar to the area's you described; lower torso or a bit lower than the bellybutton, as well as chest and back. The experiences manifest as tension, resistance and discomfort of various degrees from a light humming to a sensation of emotional distress, and something a dull or sense pain or pressure.

My understanding is that these are blockages within our personal energetic system (Look up the Meridian system for reference). For assistance, imagine the body as a series of threads through which light or energy move. When the body is healthy and balanced, then this energy moves freely through the system. Different aspects of this energy system correspond to the activity of the nervous system and organs, as well as our emotions, expressiveness and how we operate in the world. When the various centres of flow are open, then we are said to be effective, light and loving, and when the various centres of flow are blocked, then we are said to be ineffective, contracted and dense.

As different areas of the system are 'lit up' by energy flow, it activates different aspects of our being which comes into awareness. Focus and intention are one way to channel this flow of energy. This can be discovered experientially by focusing on various energy centres and seeing the way in which this effects consciousness and the body. For example, by breathing into the perineum to create a sense of grounded stability, or by meditating on the heart and chest area and seeing what effect this has on our emotions and how we relate to ourselves and others.

When blockages occur, then the energy flow of particular centres or channels of energy (meridians) become stifled. This stifled movement manifests itself as the experience of resistance, recurring and exaggerated negative emotions, neurosis, thoughts, feelings, belief systems, selfishness, destructive behavior, bad luck, and an endless variety of physical symptoms and ailments. The theme in which a particular blockage manifests itself depends on the area in which the energetic system is stifled/restricted. There are a few different ideas as to why these blocks or restrictions in flow occur. Some say it is partly due to what we put in our body. Some who follow new age or religious beliefs may say that it is a karmic inheritance from a soul level that is descended or reflected into our earthly vessel. I suspect that the primary factor (and especially the reason for which these more intense blocks that you described) is traumatic experience of our youth. Here is my unrefined theory on this subject:

When we are young (from birth to maybe very early teenage years) we are essentially energetic sponges and our brains are not yet operating in the way they do for us now. When we are young, we are constantly being imprinted by the energies of our environment (parents, language, emotions, belief systems, etc). This is a life function that makes sense because it's how we learn and adapt to our world. This causes issues because not everything imprinted is useful, but that is another discussion. We are healthily able to process and integrate much of this energy, but at some point in a child's life, we come upon an experience that we are simply not equipped to process and integrate. This can come in the form of abuse, emotional distress, confusion, discontinuity of experience, or quite anything, really. Even the most seemingly benign, innocent and mundane thing can be potentially highly traumatic for a child. When an innocent child is met with such an incomprehensible tension that he or she can neither interpret, process or deal with, then this triggers the mechanism of contraction/resistance; So as not to be overwhelmed by this energy, the child reflexively tenses, either physically, psychologically or otherwise, as a means to sedate the experience and protect him or herself. The greatest way we seem to do this is by contracting muscles and shallowing the breath. The energy of that experience, instead of flowing and being integrated like other experiences, is then pressed (or IMPRESSED) into the subconscious. Because this imprint has a higher degree of magnetic charge than other experiences, in time, it reoccurs within us and is always attempting to return to the surface of our awareness in order to be integrated. Like a cork in water, when we are not expending the energy to push it down, it floats to the top. 

Now, in an ideal world, this child would grow and learn to integrate and release these imprints as they arise, but we don't live in that world. Rather, when these magnetised charges of suppressed energy return to our experience and awareness, we instead develop and act out countless means to avoid, sedate and suppress what is arising to be integrated. This escapism is one of the primary forces behind unconscious, neurotic and destructive behaviors. In order to avoid having to experience these charges, we either consciously or unconsciously restrict energy flow within our body so as not to 'activate' or light up the imprint. Therefore, there is a tremendous degree of unconscious contraction being held within our bodies at all times in the form of muscular micro-tensions or what Wilhelm Reich refers to as 'muscular armouring' (For more information on this topic in general, read Bioenergetics by Alexander Lowen). So to be clear, there is not really anything 'real' blocking energy flows, but rather it is our unconscious effort to not want to deal with something within us.

Meditation, other practices and spiritual experiences can increase energy flow, and naturally as we release unconscious tensions, there is more light and energy being moved throughout the body which causes increased energy flow in areas which we had been previously restricting this flow. This in a sense 'lights up' those suppressed traumas and that is why you suddenly feel them, or why you may feel them at some times and not others. (Smoking, for example, is one way to restrict energy flow.) This phenomena is part of the reason why meditation can make us happy for a while, but then seems to throw the practitioner into great distress! - this is because unconscious imprints are no longer being hidden from ourselves in the way they previously were. 

We can only suppress so much of this energy for so long. All this contraction limits a great degree of our life energy and manifests itself in undesirable ways. These energies are more obviously seen as emotions like fear, anger, etc. Even these emotions, however, are usually only the surface level of the imprint, and may only be further reflexive resistance to the deeper aspect of the imprint, which can be an abstract sensation that unlike many emotions, is more difficult to describe in words. Once the surface level emotions are released, then the deeper, more abstract aspects of the suppressed energies can also be experienced and released. The deeper root energies of the charges are usually not as bad as the resistance that we were holding towards them. As children we resisted the experience, but as adults we resist the resistance, which perhaps compounds the energy. The real boogie monster isn't scary when you shine the light on him and discover he was only ever a shadow on the wall. 

The way in which these blocks are released and healed is through the light of unconditional awareness. The basic idea is that these stagnant energies will simply and automatically release themselves when we stop 'doing' anything else. This means allowing them to arise and allowing them to be as they are without wanting to change or judge them. We stop being afraid of what is inside us, and instead we greet and embrace it as a catalyst for our growth and maturation. Being with experience unconditionally is a skill that developes with meditation practice. Once an imprint is held within awareness, then the higher intelligence of God or your body knows what to do. We can only resist what we don't understand, and within the light of awareness is pure understanding and intelligence. The experience arises, unravels, and releases. It is that simple. Is it easy? Perhaps not, but it is simple.

I think that about sums up my understanding. Id be interested to hear your own insights on the experience. 

----

I'll provide an illustration of an experience I had and the effects it had on me as a real life example of this subject.

When I was more active in trying to heal, I would devote a lot of sitting time to the release of emotional energies and I was used to sitting with them for extended periods of time. One day something triggered anger within me and so I instinctively sat down in my room to try to allow it to dissolve. This particular charge, however, didn't want to go anywhere any time soon. As I sat with it, I got angrier and angrier and it was like a rage in my chest. As the anger slightly subsided, it was replaced by a stinging pain and tightness in my lungs as I would reach the end of each breath. I sat for hours and the discomfort in my lungs and feelings remained, so feeling overwhelmed, I gave up and decided to nap on the floor in order to not have to go through it anymore. I woke up half an hour later and within a few moments the experience was back, so I returned to the sitting. About a half hour after that, the tension was still there but something within it gave way. As I breathed in deeply, there was a very odd sensation in my lungs when I would reach the end of my breaths. It is like a tight tension was released and although it was very, very tight, I find myself being able to force breath into a deeper part of my lungs that I had not been able to breathe into before. After a few minutes of trying to pace myself breaths in a way to get every single last drop of air in so as to expand my lungs further, I would get to the end of my breath feeling all this pressure, then suddenly it was like a new place opened up and I could inhale even more. As I breathed into this seemingly extended range, an increased energy flooded me and I felt indescribably alive and vital. It was really incredible. I spent the next hour pacing around my room as it became more comfortable to breathe into that part of my lungs because it felt so good. The experience stabalized and my lung capacity increased. It went from feeling wild to breathe into that range, to feeling natural. From that day forth, my breathing was permanently improved to be more relaxed, natural and deeper than before. I still get angry, but not quite to the same degree of intensity of that period of life. 

My resistance, in the form of long held muscular contractions in the chest (in order to shallow the breath and sedate something) had loosened and dissolved, allowing a breakthrough of life energy, and this was the result of releasing only part of that particular imprinted energy.

 

 

 

Amazing. I'm very thankful for your explanations and telling your own experience. Just for your information, I've read the entire post.

As to my insights on the experience, there's very little I can talk about, since I have just recently became aware of these sensations. I, too, can now inhale much more air than I was previously able to, and also a lot smoother. Back in the days, when I inhaled fully, my body used to contract a lot, making the process very difficult. Now, there's no contractions that I'm aware of. I can't put the difference into words, but I can try to put into a graph.

Inhaling -> Lungs fully filled with air

The whole issue of contractions just dissolved as I started becoming more aware of it, and always drawing some attention to my body in every moment of my day. I can say that I feel more energetic and calmer, although that can be the placebo effect talking.

What I'm absolutely sure is that now I don't give myself to these bodily sensations. I remember, a year ago, before I got into this journey, when I felt deep tightness in my chest when I was heartbroken. I found myself wanting to go to sleep so that I wouldn't have to experience this pain. I didn't know better at the time. Now, when I'm in the middle of an argument, when I'm rejected by a girl or when I'm a target of humiliation, I can shine awareness on the sensations that come up. It's so powerful. For example, a tightness in my chest can appear when my beliefs are being threatened by someone. A tightness in my head can appear when I hear an annoying sound. My body can contract everything on the inside when I'm being humiliated and/or when seeing that girl that I like looking at me. It's so amazing, I get to see everything happening in the moment. Yet, since I don't give in to these contractions/sensations/feelings, I remain super calm. It's actually funny to see the body reacting and just accepting it, not reacting to its reaction. Because of this, I find myself a lot more confident when taking action. This is especially great for approaching girls.

My last 3 or 4 meditations sessions have been about focusing on any present sensations. In the first minute or two, it can look like there are none of these sensations present. However, when I focus my attention on the torso and just focus on it, I can spot at least one sensation. Then, I focus and focus and focus on it till it increases in intensity. After a while, I can fully feel it and easily remain aware of it. Sometimes it dissolves, sometimes it is still there, even after the session is over (~30 min).

Edited February 10, 2017 by Afonso