Higher states of consciousness

kerry,

Since I am not a mental health professional, I cannot give a reliable response to your question. I recommend that you consult with a mental health professional for an authoritative answer, one which you can use to guide your life choices.

If you did NOT have mental health issues, I would answer your question about the long-term effects of transcending and feeling "numb" as follows:

The regular practice of transcending has two overall effects: it dissolves stresses stored in the body, and it expands consciousness, bringing more intelligence, creativity, and a deep sense of silent joy. These effects bring about a higher state of consciousness in which silence and security are not lost, even as the "relative" states of consciousness (waking, sleeping, dreaming) continue to occur.

A frequent experience on the path to higher states of consciousness is a sense of "numbness". Activities such as TV viewing seem to happen at a distance, not involving the self as much as previously. This is an early effect of the expansion of the limited, ego-related self into the unbounded, universal-related Self. Eventually, this transition effect will disappear, and what will remain is unbounded bliss, which is Self-sufficient. This is the fully-functioning state of life, in which physical and emotional pain is not found. We are still individuals, with all our abilities and memories, but we function on a universal level, completely harmoniously with those around us and our environment in general.

Note: You may have noticed that we don't put emphasis on higher states of consciousness in the NSR program. There are several reasons for this:

* It isn't relevant for most people searching for ways to manage stress

* It isn't relevant for most people in their early days of practicing NSR

* It can seem esoteric; we want NSR to be a practical program, not "new age" or even religious in nature.

David Spector
Natural Stress Relief/USA