Meditation and states of consciousness

Meditation and states of consciousness

We experience several levels of consciousness:

● Wakefulness

● Deep sleep

● REM sleep (dreams)

To benefit from these states:

● Catching hypnagogia: that moment between waking and sleeping, when consciousness remains active just long enough to record the images that appear.

● Dream lucidity: practise noticing, even during the day, the signs that you are dreaming. With practice, you will recognise these clues in your dreams.

● Conscious trance: a deeper state in which we connect with our inner wisdom.

Social anxiety disorders

Social anxiety affects our sense of belonging to a group. Rejection, physical or virtual, can be very painful, especially in adolescence (around age 13). With age, the importance attached to other people's judgement diminishes, and anxiety subsides.

● Self-observation: examine your thoughts and automatic responses without judgement.

● The vicious circle: the more we fear an awkward behaviour, the more likely we are to produce it.

● Disproportionate fear: our fears are often exaggerated compared with reality.

● Centring one's life on one's fears: systematically avoiding certain situations reinforces anxiety.

● The key to management: examine your thoughts closely and check their plausibility. The mind tends to assume that others are always judging us, which is rarely the case.

Social anxiety begins early and can shape our way of life for a long time. If you recognise these symptoms in yourself, do not hesitate to take stock of your mental health and consult a professional.