RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Kelly Gordon Weeks, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 9:34 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 9:34 AM

Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 191 Join Date: 8/9/20 Recent Posts
Is it possible to experience cessation while laying down to sleep? The reason that I ask is that I've recently experienced several pops right before nodding off at night. Last night I heard a pop and had some very lucid/psychedelic images right before falling asleep.

Not that it really matters if it's cessation or not, or that there is anything that can be done about it. I was just curious if others have experienced this as well.

Thank you for reading!

-Kelly
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Pepe ·, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 11:31 AM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 11:31 AM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 713 Join Date: 9/26/18 Recent Posts
Check Daniel's criteria: 

- List of symptoms for ñana diagnosis
Arising and Passing Away (the whole section)
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J W, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 12:35 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 12:35 PM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 671 Join Date: 2/11/20 Recent Posts
Hey Kelly, really interesting question. I also wonder if it's possible to experience cessation while you ARE asleep.  And, I think the answer to both is, yes, you can!  (That is of course, as far as one can 'experience' cessation at all...)  

Whether or not what you experienced was cessation, I'm not sure.  Assuming you are looking for diagnosis, and I'm not sure you are, I would just ask if you retained consciousness throughout and was there an experience of anything at all?

I think I've have had experiences similar to the one you describe.  There can be images either of a sort of more ebbing/flowing psychedelic variety, which can be moving patterns or cartoon-like characters, or it can be more of a singular 'flash' of an image, which sometimes takes the form of a face or a figure.  A few times out of nowhere, I've had this sort of whoosh or pop in my ears, I am one of those people who can make a roaring noise voluntarily, this popping noise almost reminded me of that, except it was completely involuntary, or at least seemed that way. And then there's been the in-dream experiences which are even more intense, indescribable even.

Can you describe your experiences in more detail?

Thanks for sharing!
George S, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 12:50 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 12:49 PM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 2722 Join Date: 2/26/19 Recent Posts
Hypnagogic phenomena (jerks, pops, images, sounds) are pretty common, probably not a cessation unless you have good reason to think otherwise.
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J W, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 4:22 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 3:34 PM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 671 Join Date: 2/11/20 Recent Posts
Agreed. But to be fair, Kelly's question was not whether or not she experienced a cessation, but rather if it was possible.

As for whether images can be associated with cessation, from chapter 31 of MCTB:

"The no-self door has to do with the teachings on the mirror-like nature of the mind, the Spirit of God moving upon the face of the waters (that oh-so overlooked line from Genesis 1:2), God making man in his image, merging with a tantric manifestation and thus cognizance of a Buddha or “guru” which you realize in that moment is of the same nature as your own cognizance, seeing our “original face” (from the classic Zen koan), thinking of who created thought (à la Rumi), etc. It relates to observing directly the collapse of the illusion of duality, the collapse of awareness into the intelligence or cognition of the perceived. It is a bit like staring back at yourself (or something intelligent regardless of whether it looks like you) with no one on this side to be stared at and then collapsing into that image. Sometimes there is just the collapse without any obvious image for those without strong visual tendencies."

https://www.mctb.org/mctb2/table-of-contents/part-iv-insight/31-the-three-doors/

(edit: I should clarify, I don't think my experiences I listed (like ear pops, psychedelic images) were cessation, there's some I am not sure about though.  What I'm trying to say is that I think it's possible not because I have experienced it, but because I don't see why it wouldn't be possible.)
Jazz Muzak, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 7:14 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 7:13 PM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 36 Join Date: 9/27/19 Recent Posts
I have had cessations while going to sleep or while awake in the middle of the night (between sleeps), but cessations don't have pops and psychedelic imagry in my experience. There's a particular entrance and exit and nothing in the middle (skipped frames basically), I wouldn't call them psychedlic at all. Pops and fancy imagry strike me as more of an A&P thing personally.
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J W, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 8:25 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 8:25 PM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 671 Join Date: 2/11/20 Recent Posts
So, you're saying it's possible?

(Again, not to confuse the original question and my response to it... which was if anyone had had similar experiences to what was described. Not whether or not those experiences were cessations.)
Jazz Muzak, modified 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 11:43 PM
Created 3 Years ago at 3/23/21 11:41 PM

RE: Cessation While Trying To Sleep

Posts: 36 Join Date: 9/27/19 Recent Posts
Ah, well in response to the question "have you had similar experiences", I would say yes. If you asked what those experiences were, I would say that they were probably A&P experiences and hyponogogic funny stuff that happens before sleep. Very normal.

I would also say that true cessations while going to sleep are quite possible, I've had them many times. Seems to be a "good time" for me to have them actually. Something in the gentle resting concentration and relaxation of pre-sleep perhaps. YMMV

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