I don’t want to sound conceited, but I do have a sense of what you’re talking about, although not quite that deliberate in practice… until lately. Since I was alone as a kid, and at some point in my life I had taken on the bad habit of a diagnosed case of severe depression (related to being raised very poor around very rich, and not just financially, attachment issues?), I have spent alot of time being familiar with my emotional state and how it is actually manisfested in my body. I have gone through my life much more in tune with myself than the average person is, very much so I would say. For a long time now I have been able to direct myself emotionally when it really mattered, although in a very sloppy manner usually. But it is only until recently that all these years of experience have begun to make sense to me. Buddhism, at least secularly, is making more sense to my experiences than anything that I have found since NLP.

The ability to realize that with practice ones emotions can be directed intelligently like streams flowing off of mountain ranges is the one thing I wish was taught universally everywhere. Although I have been reading about mediation and buddhism since you’ve been gone, your short report is actually one of the most directive and helpful that I have read so far. Is your report enhanced by your insight and usage of language related to understanding minds through NLP? Do you find that NLP misses where maybe a little meditative awareness and cleansing might work? I have been thinking more and more about Erickson’s pain with polio rehabilitation and how that relates to his knowledge about how the mind works when it comes to focus and emotion. Was he a buddha? Heh.

I plan to practice what I know has worked for me and from what I have read to tidy up my skill. I can’t imagine what 10 days of that would lead to. I will probably find a Vipissana training as soon as possible. Thanks again! Peace

Noticing feelings on ones body, as instructed in meditation, reminds me of the stage of NLP reframing where one waits for signals from parts for objections.

As a direct example of what I have gained from meditation, even before I began reading about the Buddhism, is how I’ve been tackling a particularly nasty habit I have developed of waking up with a great amount of tension in my jaw and throat that makes my wakings seem almost unsurmountable. I don’t know why this has started lately, but meditation to relax all of the parts participating in the missery has been the only thing to break it. But I find that I haven’t eliminated it, as I still need to continue practice for it, and if I miss and forget, as it subside alot with little practice now, it comes sneaking back again. As I meditate more I find that I am getting very good at this for feelings and body sensations that are not very unpleasant, but interrupt my thinking or best patterns at different times. And more practice also seems to make the morning tensions go away for longer periods at a time. Eventually I will climb this small mountain to find the root cause of it.

It’s interesting that you appear to be on a parallel path for a time.

My natural circadian cycle to shut down and arise according to the earth’s cycle has typically over-ridden my Fuller experiments. However, I have probably not put enough time into further testing Dymaxion sleep.

I will make it a point to add Paul-Bradley.com to my blog roll. Continued success in your experiements.

I normally set my main alarm for 42 minutes, which I reckon gives me about a 30 minute actual nap time. The other alarm is set for a few minutes later as a safety net to prevent oversleeping. Paul