Dear readers,

I suspect that i hit the dukka nanas. And I'm looking for some connection to and opinions of people that are more experienced in the field.


I used to meditate for about a year and a half on regular basis but without instructions by a teacher, it was intended to calm the mind and evolved kind of naturally. No noting was done. Just some sort of a very still sitting and observing.
By the end of last year i had some very relieving moments, burden dropped off and i felt a great allowance toward life.
I also had some very energetic moments, with energy building up and kind of electric phenomena, even thought the experiences where nice i tended to panic a little when this happened.

I got more interested in Meditation and started to read MCOTB. Feeling i had hit something or/and maybe doing it all wrong, I wanted to stop my more natural sitting and put my meditation on a more formal base. So I tried to do the noting about five times. I also tried one PCE off Keneth Folk Dharma one time.

At the I kind of feel overwhelmed by mixed stages of emotional turmoil between fear and sadness, sometimes i feel very nervous, sometimes i feel just like having the greatest hangover ever. Sometimes i feel sick and I can't eat. I can find some rest in between and i can also hold up some positivity as it gets a little better every day. I try to go on as usual (work, etc.) This goes on for about 5 days now.

Since i am a beginner I am kind of scared off to do meditation practice at the moment, even though it is recommended in case of the dukka nanas.

It is as well not the first time that i hit this, the last time was about a year ago, since i didn't have knowledge of the maps I related it to other things. It got much better after a retreat like vacation.

I would be very glad to get some reactions to this post and hear if somme of you sincerely think this could be related to the maps of insight or i'm just panicking/projecting.

Best regards

hello again,

please forgive that kind of unfortunate first-post of mine. i just realised that i have built up a whole lot of tension since reading up alot about A&P and the dukka nanas.
Anyway, this sure can make things feel worse big time and i think it resolves the most of my question.

It was good to make a first contact anyway, to post also helped to reflect my state of mind.

Many thanks for all the usefull posts and comments in here.

I'm starting to go through this a little myself. It's basically withdrawal symptoms of being addicted to the self-concepts, but there's a freeing feeling resting in awareness that's always there.

Hi B A R:

Welcome to the DhO.




In hindsight, I wish I had known the maps several years ago. MCTB was my first accessible view of them and it helped a lot.
So, no matter whose maps you use, knowing that the dukkha nanas can be exhausted (transformed, not shut out) is useful.

I also think it's incredibly useful that you know to identify tension in your body.

What I recommend from my experience of dukkha nanas is lots of simple, cardiovascular exercise to burn off tension formed from mentation, specifically negative ruminations. So, I had a practice of intense 20-minute running/elliptical and sometimes I had hour-long swims. (I still sometimes do these things, but just because I can, not to relieve tension from dukkha nanas.) In addition to burning off negative rumination (by pre-occupying the mind with physical effort which requires the mental capacity to keep encouraging the physical work (e.g.,"keep going, do your best, it's only 20-minutes, come on, you can do it..."), exercise provides endorphins which cause an uplifting feeling, even a super-competency, "Ah, I can do anything!" (which is an exaggerated feeling, but a relief from the exaggeration of the negativity of dukkha nanas).

So, if you sit first, or even read a depressing article in the news, consider paying attention to the tension and the affective feelings. Then exercise. Perhaps do this for awhile until you can deepen your practice safely (such as on a retreat, or in a home retreat, or on a day that you can dedicate to the dukkha nanas - preferably buffered by another day off immediately following that day).

I also focused on getting to sleep early and getting plenty of rest when I could. It was still a very bumpy road for me. I managed to get good and sick for a few years which really brought dukkha nanas to a head!

As you have already seen dukkha nanas can come and go over time. In order to transform them fully, they cannot be avoided, but can be sensibly engaged when they arise.

Good luck!