This is a good thread.
A few points:
1) It is true that this is a stage-specific thing: as TPG says: unpleasant with blockages: Stage 3 (Three Characteristics), when it turns pleasant and the energy is flowing well, A&P.
2) When trying to cross the A&P, it is ok to focus on the energy movement, the impermanence of each little pulse, the tensions where they are blocked (suffering), that the energy moves on its own (emptiness), as in the 3rd and 4th insight stages, there is a lot of overlap between more energy-focused work and vipassana, and both lead to basically the same thing at that level.
3) Focusing on energy work at the later stages is harder, as in Dissolution that follows the A&P, nearly all the vibratory/chi/chakra/channel/whatnot will not be easily perceived, and this can cause frustration to the person who had good success with a more energy-focused approach in the early stages (where it works well), and thought it would work well later, which it doesn't. There are those who level this basic point at the Goenka tradition and say it is why it is very good at getting people to cross the A&P and not so good for those who which to cross the Dark Night.
4) In the later Dark Night, the vibrations tend to be wide, feel dispersed, are peripheral, feel too complex, too irritating for most people to have any sense of success from standard energy-movement, blockage clearing approaches, as the deeper one goes, the worse it tends to get. However, staying at a level of things vibrating, however they vibrate, and regardless of whether or not it feels good or right, can be the subtle shift that makes it work out well, and makes the subtle shift from a more energy-clearing approach to a pure vipassana approach. I got very far in my early practice because I could just stay with things vibrating, however they vibrated and however much it sucked, and it allowed me to make rapid progress in insight.
