I'd like to ask a couple questions (marked *), and in doing so, introduce myself as well. Just came across DhO for the first time a few days ago, and the copy I ordered of MCTB hasn't arrived yet, so forgive me if these (basic) questions have been answered a million times. Pointing me to prior posts or material to read instead of taking the time to answer is completely suitable. Thanks.
* First,
if I have the goal of attaining Stream Entry, what's a realistic amount of practice to maintain? For reference, I'm 33 years old and have been practicing twice a day for a total of between 75 - 150 minutes a day, everyday, since I began meditating at the end of June 2016.
Assuming I keep this practice up for the rest of my life, and I live at least several more decades, is this a reasonable "rate" of practice to give me *opportunity* to achieve Stream Entry? Also note that I plan on attending retreats regularly--my first four-day retreat is in November, and I have a 10-day Goenka retreat schedule in January.
(Obviously Stream Entry is not guaranteed and there's a billion variables and individuality to consider. Just need to know whether I should ultimately be, as a lay person, dedicating even more time--like three hours of meditation/day.)
* Based on my limited understanding of the DhO material I've read (e.g. wiki, few posts), it appears I've been bouncing between A&P and the Dark Night most of my life.
How does one break this cycle and move forward into equanimity instead? Again, for reference, a bit of personal background. I was diagnosed with depression and bipolar as a teenager and have been on meds my entire adult life. Been "stable" for half a decade now after a particularly Dark Night period. Also, I'm a "Highly Sensitive Person."
Had a few odd experiences in my youth. Around 10, I had an extremely specific dream and awoke to find that the situation in the dream was playing out in real life. I was able to become involved in the situation and aid in a way and knew things that resolved the situation, that would have been impossible for anyone, had I not dreamt exactly what was happening and how it would "play out."
Another experience: I had chronic severe migraines most of my early teenage years. One night when I was 16, and had a migraine, I decided to focus on the migraine as intently and narrowly as I could. Suddenly a very hot or cold sensation (can't remember) exploded at base of my skull and traveled partly down the top of my spine. The migraine disappeared and they've never come back. At the time I literally thought perhaps an aneurism had popped in my brain.
Those two questions are it for now.
As for the status of my current practice, I've been practicing anapansati at the abdomen and experiencing intermittent piti since after one month of practice.
Probably half a dozen times now, I've gotten these short (5 - 15 minute) rapturous, blissful, immersive, all-pervasive light experiences, like I'm basking in radiant blazing sunlight, or have been drugged with some heavy, euphoric sedative. After those experiences I'll have an hour of two of "afterglow" where I feel an unusually high level of general tranquility.
Or sometimes (happening more often lately--maybe a couple times a week) I'll feel these super-rapid bursts of vibrations emanating from my chest and out through my limbs, or sometimes just in my head as expanding and contracting pulses.
I've read about "seeing through" your eyelids, too, and have had this distinct experience several times when I first started meditating a few months ago. Amazing to find others have experienced the same things.
And this last week, most days, when I focus on my abdomen for a few moments during daily activity, I get this wobbling, pulsing, or shaking sensation emanating from the bottom of my spine. It's kind of like my upper body is vibrating back and forth, once to a degree that my wife even noticed it.
Any and all feedback (e.g. "you sure like to talk about yourself!

") welcome. Thanks!