Does anyone else find it hard to meditate with the whole ADHD thing going on?!! I can't for the life of me.

Does anyone else find it hard to meditate with the whole ADHD thing going on?!! I can't for the life of me.

As far as my impression goes, ADD/ADHD people think to become sage Agastee instantly which is not possible.Meditation is a journey millimeter by millimeter. However, success depends upon the following qualities.

1comprehension,
2,memory,
3.intuition
4.tenacity and
5.non-complacency.
regards

I find meditation very helpful for add and find that mantra meditation works well for people who have trouble quieting the mind. Here is a link to free and easy method I feel works well.
http://www.atmajyoti.org/med_intro_to_om_yoga.asp

Torture not being able to meditate. I cant clear my mind for 2 seconds!

When I first began meditating I tryed to clear my mind of ALL thoughts, which was very frustrating as this is highly difficult and I kept thinking of the meditation process throughout the entire thing "is it working?" "how much time has gone by?" "IS MY PAPER FINISHED YET?" Since then I've changed my goal to clarity, not nessesarly control. I let my mind wander and focus in and out as I choose reflecting on a variety of themes and connecting things I would never connect. I don't try to block thoughts but instead I welcome them and work with them as I can. When I come across a thought with a strong associated emotion I allow myself to just focus on the emotion as best I can...feel it...experience it...and leave it when I'm done. There are no rules, all I'm trying to do is experience and be in the moment with clarity not restraining myself into a space of thoughtlessness or into a mantra I'm not in a place to use.

Music really helps with this for me, enspecially trance/newage music. One excellent song/video I've found is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vhxp-aFT8E. I'm not sure how many peopole out there can watch something while meditating, I'm not to that point yet the visions are just too distracting and make it difficult for me to reach clarity. Mabe someone else outthere finds it helpful though.

Strangely enough, pre ADHD diagnosis I meditated frequently, it was an important part of a whole self-medication program I had going on, without even knowing what I was treating. Now with the meds I have stopped meditating, I just don't feel the need right now. But it was so beneficial that I know I will return. Once I let go of my "am I doing it right" attitude I found meditation easy and enjoyable.

But...I used recorded guided meditations (I have a wide variety to keep my interest) and purests may not consider it the same experience. But for my ADHD mind, it is was the only way I could keep still for 30-45 minutes at a time.

I can do it on medication...

I don't like "sitting still" meditation, but I do Tai Chi, which is often called "moving meditation".

Another way of meditating is being aware of what you are doing at the moment. For example when you brush your teeth you don't think of anything else, but really notice everything about brushing your teeth. Not saying I do that all the time, but now and then I take time to really notice what's going on around me.

I can't do it. Are you kidding me? :D I wish, I only wish. Who knows how many times I've tried! :( All the breathing stuff is not for me. Pilates, Yoga, meditation. I am very, very certain though, that if you try it in a group setting, you have a much better chance to succeed and/or take part. :) I "meditate" when I'm doing cardio sometimes. Tune out, feel focused. Maybe the treadmill/stairmaster/bike is the place for you too? Not a sport or something you have to focus on doing, while you are doing it. Go for a run or something that doesn't exhaust you completely, keep with it, and see what happens. I wish I could meditate. I envy all of that, so much.

Does anyone else find it hard to meditate with the whole ADHD thing going on?!! I can't for the life of me.One of my favorite bumper stickers:

"Meditation is not what you think."





One of my favorite quotes:

"Sleep is the best form of meditation." ~Dalai Lama





All this being said, I would suggest that you consider looking into the possibilities of lucid dreaming if you have not done so already. It's free, and it's available to each of us. www.dreamviews.com (http://www.dreamviews.com/)

.

Meditation IMO is making the mind quiet

Possibly a challenge for ADD/ADHD minds yet an incredible place to go to and be , if you can get there

Meditation doesn't need to be done for long lengths of time. It can be as easy as 10 minutes. Personally, I have sturggled with it but its becausae I have not been disciplined enough to continue with practicing. I think there are many different views of what Meditation is and how to best practice it. Personally, I think it is a state where we become closer with ourselves and its the only moments of a day or week that are solely dedicated to ourselves and it is the time to "feel, listen, etc" yoruself. Mindfulness is also often referenced along with meditation in which it is being mindful or ultra aware to our surrondgins. I struggle with it all as I never can stop thinking or going. But, i think its posible with discipline and persistence!

My ADD b/f wants to learn to meditate but every time we try it he falls asleep as soon as he closes his eyes. Yoga works better because of the action I expect. I think chanting and singing or drumming is worth trying for spiritual experience, maybe. Anyone know of a simple way to learn and practise Tai Chi? And is it actually a meditative experience, or more like slow exercise?

Thanks

If your goal in meditation is to 'silence your thoughts'...

The phrase, "when you try to harmonize you only discord.", comes to mind.

Do you think you own your thoughts? http://addforums.com/forums/images/smilies/eyebrow.gif

My best time of meditation are when I am running. Otherwise it's impossible.

I do my mind clearing during yoga class.
I'm going to be trying some guided self-hypnosis stuff soon and maybe I'll get to the point where I'm able to meditate some time in the future.

Yeah tai chi works well and is meditative. I think qi gong might be an even better way to go. Chanting, drumming and singing are all great as well.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7927040711850869190&q=qigong+montaigue&total=204&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=4
here is a link on posture--there are various styles and instructions on google vid.

I took a tai chi class once but had no idea what I was doing and no one really walked me through it. The instructor offered to give me some one-on-one instruction before the next class but the class is already at 7am fer chrissakes! It was all I could do to get there for that. Plus I had a really really hard time understanding what she was saying. So I just stick to my 8am yoga now. :P I don't think my chi wants to be tai-d bad enough for me to get up at the buttcrack of dawn. Lol.

I really think that tai chi would have been too slow and boring for me anyway. I can stay entertained with yoga but the tai chi thing was just so slooooooow and weird.

I'm still intrigued by it. I'd definitely give it another shot if I had another class available. Or I guess I could try a DVD or something. I dunno... how would I know if it was a good one or not? :P

I think the more out of the norm the better. Too many classes today are just exercise, if they have drumming, chanting, that kind of stuff at times--those are the good ones. Also you can sense a good teacher.:rolleyes:

Anyone know of a simple way to learn and practise Tai Chi? And is it actually a meditative experience, or more like slow exercise?
There's a form called Tai Chi Chi'h, where the moves are not practised in sequence, but repeated several times. I know different forms - 54 moves, 108, my favourite is 24 moves - not so much to remember. ;)

For me it started as exercise, but now it's also meditative and spiritual. I've taken Chi Gong too, and it's part of our class as well.

I don't think my chi wants to be tai-d bad enough for me to get up at the buttcrack of dawn. Lol.
Too funny! And I would feel the same way. Thanks gawd my class is at 11 am! I used to do yoga, but I like the movement in tai chi. And I some yoga positions are uncomfortable. But I used to be able to sit in the lotus position.

Videos by Terence Dunn are good because he shows moves from different angles. And there are tv shows here and there if you can find them.

My tai chi instructor likes to do breathing exercises, but I can't get into counting breaths, I prefer to just breathe and pay attention, and not get involved in my thoughts. To me that's the basic idea of meditation.

Meditation doesn't need to be about completely clearing your mind. It's often on focusing on one particular thing (can be hard, but maybe hyperfocus...?). I think a lot of people have weird ideas about what it "feels like" to meditate. It's generally peaceful and relaxed but unless you're very experienced it's not necessarily "transcendent" in an immediate way.

One thing that seems to work for me stems from auto-hypnosis (hypnotizing yourself). Hypnosis is actually very easy, and despite what anyone might say, when you're in front of a hypnotist, you're still the one hypnotizing yourself. It can be really difficult to completely clear your mind but guided self-hypnosis is a lot easier. You can guide yourself with short, positive sentences into feeling how you'd like to feel (relaxed, etc). Mantras work really well, even if you have no attention span, because you can just keep repeating them until they take hold. Get yourself into a relaxed state, don't rush, don't expect too much and give yourself suggestions... Like I will wake up easily tomorrow morning, I will have more energy tomorrow, (or I will have more control over my already over the top energy). You'd be surprised how well it can work.

Here's another good and complete free qi gong video:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1572962536605659291

I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of people with ADHD meditate more frequently than they suspect. Do you shower for a long time? 20, 30, 40 minutes? If you're like many ADHDers I've met, you aren't washing during that period. You aren't doing much of anything. You're just... showering. This is most definitely a form of meditation.

wow blueroo, I like that remark about showering. True! I get my best ideas under the shower.
I did follow a beginner's Zen course a couple of yrs ago. The idea was to count your breaths and try to visualise the number .. counting from 1 to 10 and starting over.
The buddhist monk that taught us emphasised that we should not try to "not think" at all cost .. just, if a thought comes up, just let it go and don't fret about it (which causes more thoughts :) ).

That was good advice because I find it utterly impossible to not have any thoughts. Most of the time I lose count before arriving at 4, but no worries .. just start over again. And again and again and again. The thing that amazed me while doing that was to learn how my mind operates from the slightly external viewpoint that you get when meditating. I never noticed it before like that .. but what a chaos. Indeed, like a pinball game .. that was my first association. A pinball game with 10 balls. On speed.
Strangely enough though, the overall feeling that I have about how my mind operates is rather sluggish than speedy. But the thoughts themselves are really zippy. Like lightening, hitting things, branching off, causing secondary thoughts.
Maybe it is that the internals are really fast and the external I/O is sluggish. Ah well .. getting sidetracked.

So, I do find it hard to meditate in the sense that it is extremely hard to set myself to doing it. And it is not doable to really empty my head. There is too much going on in there. But maybe that is not necessary, because I did notice that when I persist a while (like 15-20 minutes) there is definitely an effect in that I feel much more at ease emotionally. So there is definitely something happening and it is worth doing.

My psychologist talked to me about hypnosis, and compared it to watching a fire and just gazing at it. I tried it and it was pretty much like that, you get yourself into a deep, relaxed state. Takes practice.

Oh yeah, I have great ideas when I'm in the shower, or at 2 am, or waiting for the bus. And by the time I'm able to write them down, I've forgotten them completely. Even if I have a notebook nearby, the idea is gone by the time I pick up a pencil. *lol*

Most of the time I don't completely clear my head, but sometimes it can seem pretty empty.;)

I can't even pray for 2 mintues without getting distracted :(
I am being punished

What if, what if, what if....

Meditation became a brilliant way to study your mind, your thought patterns, a separation leading to an observation... of SELF...

What if that was what it had become?

And if you couldn't stop your thoughts, then maybe you wouldn't say, "I am an owner of thought, or a thought my self."

Would that be liberating?

You could just let your thoughts flow, like a background noise with the birds and the swooshing trees in the wind,

Another part of the universe that just goes on, going on , flowing on....

A background noise, no bother...

To come to your senses, you must go out (way out) of your mind...

But what would you find outside your mind?

The following posts vibe very well with my idea of meditation(which might not be yours).

I added italics for emphasis

"
The buddhist monk that taught us emphasised that we should not try to "not think" at all cost .. just, if a thought comes up, just let it go and don't fret about it (which causes more thoughts ).

When I first began meditating I tryed to clear my mind of ALL thoughts, which was very frustrating as this is highly difficult and I kept thinking of the meditation process throughout the entire thing "is it working?" "how much time has gone by?" "IS MY PAPER FINISHED YET?" Since then I've changed my goal to clarity, not nessesarly control. I let my mind wander and focus in and out as I choose reflecting on a variety of themes and connecting things I would never connect. I don't try to block thoughts but instead I welcome them and work with them as I can. When I come across a thought with a strong associated emotion I allow myself to just focus on the emotion as best I can...feel it...experience it...and leave it when I'm done. There are no rules, all I'm trying to do is experience and be in the moment with clarity not restraining myself into a space of thoughtlessness or into a mantra I'm not in a place to use.
"
- morethanadiagno

"
That was good advice because I find it utterly impossible to not have any thoughts. Most of the time I lose count before arriving at 4, but no worries .. just start over again. And again and again and again. The thing that amazed me while doing that was to learn how my mind operates from the slightly external viewpoint that you get when meditating. I never noticed it before like that .. but what a chaos. Indeed, like a pinball game .. that was my first association. A pinball game with 10 balls. On speed.
Strangely enough though, the overall feeling that I have about how my mind operates is rather sluggish than speedy. But the thoughts themselves are really zippy. Like lightening, hitting things, branching off, causing secondary thoughts.
Maybe it is that the internals are really fast and the external I/O is sluggish. Ah well .. getting sidetracked.

So, I do find it hard to meditate in the sense that it is extremely hard to set myself to doing it. And it is not doable to really empty my head. There is too much going on in there. But maybe that is not necessary, because I did notice that when I persist a while (like 15-20 minutes) there is definitely an effect in that I feel much more at ease emotionally. So there is definitely something happening and it is worth doing.
"
-Luthien

Look, stories of success... but what gave them such success?

They did not cling to conventional 'pop culture' ideas of meditation, to fascinating results...

- Zach

Not only do I find meditation difficult, but it sometimes triggers an anxiety reaction. It happened once in my therapist's office -- was he ever surprised! I talked to someone who taught meditation at an ADDA conference who said that I wasn't that unusual for someone with ADD. She said some ADDers do better meditating while doing something active like walking.

I do find that prayer is very helpful, especially praying for others, and helps quiet, calm and focus my mind. The empty mind thing just doesn't work for me.

I'm absolutely unable to "meditate". When I took a philosophy course in college the instructor assigned us to meditate every day for a week and then we were to come in and describe how it went. I lied about mine.... I could NOT clear my head. I have to think that other people in the course also weren't honest. After 30 seconds... ok 5 seconds... it went like this....

My mind is clear, did i just hear a noise, is the dog in the trash, I need to take the dog to the vet, man that's going to cost me money.... focus.... I need an oil change, this assignment is stupid.... GEEZ focus already... I quit.

sigh

Clearing your mind is difficult(if not impossible)...

Meditation however??

Nope, not difficult....

For reasons already stated in this thread, but if you don't read them, or don't feel they apply to your concept of meditation, then i suppose you will continue to struggle....

By why keep struggling???

Makes me think of High School... struggling because of a rigid system of poorly formed ideas...

I have trouble meditating ...I even have trouble Praying for long...

I always start thinking and wander off all over the joint..I even tried Praying for help Praying :)

I have trouble meditating ...I even have trouble Praying for long...

I always start thinking and wander off all over the joint..I even tried Praying for help Praying :)

Haha - I get like that at times too. Are you Christian or of another faith?

Being Catholic I find structured prayers like the Rosary are the best. Orthodox Christians have a variation called the 'Jesus prayer' (repeating the biblical phrase 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner').

Or else simply taking a verse from scripture and prayerfully repeating it and concentrating on it.

I have trouble meditating ...I even have trouble Praying for long...

I always start thinking and wander off all over the joint..I even tried Praying for help Praying :)


Tracy, don't worry about thinking and having your mind wander off, just let it happen...

Just try that, give it a while...

And as a game, try not to connect with your thoughts... You can stop your arm from moving right?(unless you have some other disorder, in which case disregard this.)

That is because you have control of your arm(in most cases).

Why do you think it is that you can't stop your mind from wandering?

Part of the idea of meditation is to teach you how your mind works...

I say again, don't try to stop thinking, let them go completely, try to consider them as part of the outside world, like birds chirping outside, or a TV going off in another room...

Getting lost is not a bad thing...

what do you think you will gain from a 'clear mind?'

Perhaps you will gain the idea that clearing your mind completely is not a possibility, and doing so will drive you insane to the point you will give up, in which case you have finally gotten the idea of meditation...

Zen Mentors are tricky characters, they would drive you insane to teach you a lesson, to make you learn from experience...

If you can trust me on this, you will have success, but that would take a little faith on your part, in my ability to make accurate observations.

So will you try it? :confused:

I don't want a clear mind :) I'l just like to be able to meditate or Pray, without thinking about what to cook for tea..or if it is raining etc...Just to be able to do that would initself be a blessing ;)

I will try your theory though..thanks :)

no problem Tracy!

I know you would like to stop your thoughts,

Some times it is easier, instead of stopping them, to just pay them no attention. :)

The only time i ever truly move my attention away from my thoughts, is when i am in a really noisy environment..

Man do i love job sights!!! But they don't help me work at all... :p

Why do i love them? hammers, saws... all these noises going in unison and they sound connected to me, it is very soothing...

I become entirely lost in them, I couldn't attend my thoughts if I wanted to...

This can be irritating if thinking or working is your goal... But for purposes of meditation, 'I become the noises'...

The chattering of people in super markets with the bright lights, sensory overload!!!

But i don't freak out(unless I have a dead line to get some items and get out) I just relax and let them take me to the happy place...

that to me, is truly meditation...

I remember rides on school buses when i was younger, i would just stare out the window and i was gone, i wasn't being attentive to thought processes at all(but i did get strong visuals)... And i would always miss my bus stop, when i came back to reality i had no idea where i was. The bus driver wouldn't even notice i was on the bus half the time. :p

But it felt so good, it brought me to a particular state of mind, which was soothing and to me it felt a lot like freedom.

You try and stop your thoughts ONLY to see that you can't, even when you aren't experiencing your thoughts, they are still doing there thing somewhere in the back of your mind, trust me on this. :D

That idea of trying to stop them, is an exercise to demonstrate the futility of the exercise.

Life gets you caught up in all these binds where you feel you are supposed to perform in a particular maner...

You adjust to particular reactions that are excepted in a given culture... When you experience another culture...

WHOA, CULTURE SHOCK!!!!

Your ingrained(rather reflexive) actions are not longer fit for the context...

The idea is to become SPONTANEOUS!!!, like the adder who always says whats on his mind before he can consider the effect it will have...

That is spontaneity!!!!

And there is nothing wrong with it! Whats funny to me is peoples disliking of your not meeting there personal needs of being a predictable object in there reality!

So you don't give these people what they expected(the act and react protocol of a given culture) and they think you are rude...

But those same people in another culture will be the RUDE ONES, because there inflexibility causes them to think there are right and wrong ways to react. When they get back from this strange new culture, they will tell all there pals just how weird those folks over in someplaceicouldname were.

How long is this post now? i don't even know because I'm not using some template of a proper post reply; it's all spontaneous given the context I have found my self in.

For some reason I feel I should help people here to find a new concept of meditation... Maybe I am just wasting my time, but at least I had a lot of fun writing this post, and telling you a little story!

If it helps I would be very very happy that I connected with someone and brought them some form of understanding. :)

- Zach

I have trouble meditating ...I even have trouble Praying for long...

I always start thinking and wander off all over the joint..I even tried Praying for help Praying :)

I was raised Catholic and always wondered what people were saying as they kneeled there and prayed. For the life of me I couldn't focus enough to say anything but "Thank you God for. . ." I guess I just figured I didn't care enough to focus on it. Catholic guilt.

I've read some of the posts in this thread that talk about letting your thoughts flow and meditation is really about knowing what you are thinking, etc. but I have to agree with the original post in that I've never felt that I could do any sort of meditation. Yoga was also hard . . . to focus on just the breathing.