Hello all -  first time poster.

About a week ago I got incredibly depressed, attempted to get over it but was distracted because I was driving. Gave up attempts at meditation. Spontaneously got a powerful feeling like a vacuum was attached to the back top of my skull, sucking all negative emotion away. Had a complete emotional reset.

Same thing occurred two days ago - again, was really sad, didn't attempt any meditation of any kind, spontaneous powerful suction feeling resulting in a complete emotional reset.

I've been meditating for 3 years (concentration and vipassana), experienced A&P, and now my practice generally starts with noting not only of direct mental phenomenon (thoughts, feelings, images) but also sensations of self which have started syncing up and cause immense pleasureable sensations (formations?).  

I've never heard of this vacuum thing before. Any ideas? Normally I'd just keep going but since it deals with automaticity and emotional stability, which is what got me into meditation in the first place, I thought I'd ask. Thanks in advance.

howdy Biju,
i have this almost every time i meditate.  in my case it is a transitional energy phenomena usually related to the A&P and equanimity stages.

the first times through it for me were unsettling but that surprise diminished with time and while i find them pleasurable, i try not to dwell on that.

how is your experience in the immediate aftermath?  are you thrown out of your concentration?  do you have a clear space?  a connection with internal visual processes?  things like that?

cheers

tom

Thanks for the reply, Tom.

For the "emotional mind vacuum" this has occurred spontaneously without meditation. I'm not concentrating or doing anything - the first time I gave up meditating before it happened.  The second time I was watching a random video and it started happening on its own.


It's pleasurable insofar as it takes my sadness away suddenly. But it's nothing like the body bliss of jhana or the lightning like pulses of the A&P. 

Afterwards I just went along with my day and didn't test out its affect on concentration. Does this spontenesousness occur with you or anyone else?

It appears that as humans, we can end up conscious (with the aid of contemplation ) vacuum cleaner and by inference conclude that it ought to be truth that we're an expression of this attention.