Meditation and the Obstacles to Meditation

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What is it that stands in the way?

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Meditation and prayer are based upon turning the “eye” within. It is seeking the silent center which is the residence of the soul. It is a very deep place, and also a very high place, both at the same time.

Resistance is a term coined by Sigmund Freud. It is, indeed, a very, very essential bit of knowledge. To put it into plain language, it is the way that we resist or avoid knowing ourselves. And each of us has unique mechanisms for doing so. The secret is to use that wonderful capacity for self-observation, for looking within, and, as we do, we develop strength of mind, strength of purpose, strength of soul. As we look within we might find, each in our own way, obstacles. These are obstacles to quieting the mind, to seeking the silent and holy center. There is a purpose to this, and it is to avoid knowing ourselves too well. It is a way of giving into fear, the fear that we might discover something we don’t like about ourselves. But it is a great thing, for only with self-knowledge can we change, can we come into command over those things we would like to change. In short, the resistances to meditation are the resistances to knowing ourselves. The secret is to discover, to tolerate this knowledge and this anxiety and to transcend. To “let it go,” to “let it change.” I will give examples. The reward is that we become ever better people, ever higher, ever closer to the soul, to each other and to God’s goodness. For there is a natural buoyancy of the soul, a natural goodness within us, which is suppressed by the things that society has taught us.

And so what do we do in order to go into meditation, and to encounter and transcend these resistances?

First, make the body very comfortable. The body seems to have a mind of its own, and wants to have its own way. It often expresses its desire to remain on the scene, to claim attention by throwing forth an itch or a pain or a hunger pang. The idea is to transcend, to tolerate and to let go. And surely, as you will notice, the itch will depart, the hunger will quiet down, and the Self, the High Self, will have gained a victory.

The same is true of emotions. The emotions come upon us. They want to have their own way. They are insistent. Our feelings of anger or love’s longing, or sexual insistence, or impatience, or ambition are there. They want to drive us to their own ends. But as we seek peace and quietude we tolerate them, absorb them, and they too will quiet down, in the course of which we have gained ascendancy and psychological muscle. We have advanced in character and height. And we have progressed toward that silent realm which is the residence of the soul.

The same is also true of intrusive thoughts. We are taught by society to keep our minds and attention on the superficialities, the things that have to be done, the every day material matters. But if we will attend them, know them, and let them drift away like balloons carried by the wind, they will subside. We are left with the quietude and silent bliss of the realm of the soul. And in this place we find, and we may receive, inspired messages, thoughts and visions, which are unexpected. These are inspirations, messages from the creative High Self, our connection with God. They are not to be doubted but held in mind. Too often we dismiss them as “only our own” or “They can’t be true; they are only imagination,” but I would say to hold them long enough to save their beauty and their application to life.

What are some of the examples of resistance? In my own case I often have an itch here and there, which seems intolerable. But like an airplane breaking through the clouds into clear sky, after a time they disappear. Or I remember being taught meditation, as I sat cross-legged on the floor, but at the moment when I said, and meant, “This can go on forever,” I was engulfed in a world of velvety black and peace. No pain.

Or in another case, a patient, a very successful woman in the publishing world, said, “I want to meditate when I awake, but all I can think of is, “Where’s my coffee? Where’s my coffee?” This is the body making a claim of its own. But the hunger, too, can be tolerated and transcended.

Another patient, a woman who so sadly had lost her son in the World Trade Center, began to relax. But then she had the vision of a smoky mirror, and the smoke woke her up, for it reminded her of the horror that she felt about her son’s death. This is to be tolerated and, bit by bit, transcended, allowed to die down and find its proper place, and ultimately let her have peace with the memory.

And in another case, a very talented artist said, “I would like to meditate, but my mind is too active.” I knew that this drive toward activity of mind and ambition was part of her inheritance from a very successful and driven family. Her task is to tolerate the driven-ness and the ambition, in the interest of finding the quiet place where inspiration will come in. She said further, “I feel guilty if I am not accomplishing.” This is the opposite of letting go, and letting be, and letting the secret unfold, the secret being that the more we set aside self-consciousness, and surrender to our higher guidance, the more we will have success and creativity.

So as we encounter these resistances, and as we absorb them and transcend them, we grow, and we grow toward un-self-consciousness, toward altruism and toward the release of the natural buoyancy of the soul, the natural goodness within us. We move toward greater love of ourselves, or each other, of God, and all of God’s creations. We move toward the quietude and the ascendancy of the High Self within us.

Maurie D. Pressman, M.D.
200 Locust Street
Philadelphia, Pa. 19106
Tel: 215-922-0204
Email: mauriedavid@earthlink.net
www.mauriepressman.com

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Maurie D. Pressman, M.D. is the author of Enter the Supermind, Visions From the Soul and co-author (with Patricia Joudry) of Twin Souls: A Guide to Finding Your True Spiritual Partner. Dr. Pressman is Emeritus Chairman of Psychiatry at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia and Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Temple University Health Sciences Center. He is Medical Director at the Center for Psychiatric Wellness, clinics that operate in Philadelphia and Haddonfield, N.J. These clinics bridge traditional and spiritual psychotherapy. Dr. Pressman can be reached at 200 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106; telephone: 215/922-0204; fax: 215/922-3008; email: mauriedavid@earthlink.net; website: www.mauriepressman.com.

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