Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

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Alex123
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Alex123 »

Hello all.

When it comes to Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
What hindrance is it? I don't think that it is restlessness & remorse simply because it is NOT about indecisiveness about Buddhist doctrine or morality. It might be either fear as some sort of perversion of dosa, or it could be fear due to some kind of clinging to something (to which aggregate?)

What perversion is it? (beauty in ugliness, pleasure in unpleasant, permanence in the impermanent, self in the not-self.)

To which aggregate(s) does one clings too much?

What fetter is it?


What kind of meditation/contemplation would be most suitable for it?

Thank you,
:namaste:
Last edited by Alex123 on Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ceisiwr
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Ceisiwr »

Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:14 pm What hindrance is it? I don't think that it is restlessness & remorse simply because it is NOT about indecisiveness about Buddhist doctrine or morality. It might be either fear as some sort of perversion of dosa, or it could be fear due to some kind of clinging to something (to which aggregate?)
Restlessness as a hindrance is more about being distracted.
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cutting off Māra’s flower-tipped arrows,
one should go beyond the King of Death’s sight.”
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Alex123
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Alex123 »

Ceisiwr wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:20 pm
Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:14 pm What hindrance is it? I don't think that it is restlessness & remorse simply because it is NOT about indecisiveness about Buddhist doctrine or morality. It might be either fear as some sort of perversion of dosa, or it could be fear due to some kind of clinging to something (to which aggregate?)
Restlessness as a hindrance is more about being distracted.
Yes, exactly. Restlessness as a hindrance doesn't seem to fit GAD.
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Sam Vara »

Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:21 pm
Ceisiwr wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:20 pm
Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:14 pm What hindrance is it? I don't think that it is restlessness & remorse simply because it is NOT about indecisiveness about Buddhist doctrine or morality. It might be either fear as some sort of perversion of dosa, or it could be fear due to some kind of clinging to something (to which aggregate?)
Restlessness as a hindrance is more about being distracted.
Yes, exactly. Restlessness as a hindrance doesn't seem to fit GAD.
But the kukkucca bit might: remorse, worry, scrupulousness. It seems to mean worrying about one's past "misdemeanours", and making much of them in the wrong way. I don't know much about the GAD, but does that strike a chord?
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Alex123
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Alex123 »

Sam Vara wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:26 pm But the kukkucca bit might: remorse, worry, scrupulousness. It seems to mean worrying about one's past "misdemeanours", and making much of them in the wrong way. I don't know much about the GAD, but does that strike a chord?
Partially. GAD seems to be generalized fear of many/various situations, including remorse of even minor screw-ups in the past.
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Alex123
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Alex123 »

I was reading various suttas and watched a video below.

If a person has GAD would one be the 3rd type of character? See the image below.
4types.JPG
I copied the chart from:
User13866
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by User13866 »

Anxiety can have a lot to do with general & specific life choices, not treating ourselves well, neglecting something, not living up to our values, not protecting ourselves, debasing ourselves, not practicing, basically abusing oneself, etc etc.

Metta, karuna might be a good start here but one will probably need other perceptions to straighten everything making the necessary adjustments required to stop worrying, remorse, dread & whatnot.

Basically if a person like this was to see a friend about it then he might be advised to take better care of himself which might very well imply making a lot of changes and a commitment to development of good qualities.
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

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Doubt, and thus the associated uncertainty.
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Spiny Norman »

It seems closest to the hindrance of restlessness and worry.
There's an article on the five hindrances and their antidotes on Access To Insight which might be worth a look.
Developing samatha (tranquillity) is helpful in my experience, calming and settling the mind. Or moving attention from head to heart.
Also recognising the distinction between appropriate and inappropriate attention, and mentally "changing the subject" to something more wholesome when worrisome thought patterns arise.
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by pegembara »

Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:14 pm Hello all.

When it comes to Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
What hindrance is it? I don't think that it is restlessness & remorse simply because it is NOT about indecisiveness about Buddhist doctrine or morality. It might be either fear as some sort of perversion of dosa, or it could be fear due to some kind of clinging to something (to which aggregate?)

What perversion is it? (beauty in ugliness, pleasure in unpleasant, permanence in the impermanent, self in the not-self.)

To which aggregate(s) does one clings too much?

What fetter is it?


What kind of meditation/contemplation would be most suitable for it?

Thank you,
:namaste:
Thoughts, Physical sensations and behaviours form a triangle.
Anxiety is basically the physical sensations of palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling etc. Tied up with having a body.
Thoughts which lead to anxiety would be fabrications or sankhara as is the behaviour that results.

If you cling to those anxiety-producing thoughts, they produce your anxiety.
Fetter would be self view(sakkaya-ditthi)

https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/ ... ore-facts/
And what is right speech? Abstaining from lying, from divisive speech, from abusive speech, & from idle chatter: This is called right speech.
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Alex123
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Alex123 »

pegembara wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 7:22 am Thoughts, Physical sensations and behaviours form a triangle.
Anxiety is basically the physical sensations of palpitations, shortness of breath, sweating, trembling etc. Tied up with having a body.
Thoughts which lead to anxiety would be fabrications or sankhara as is the behaviour that results.

If you cling to those anxiety-producing thoughts, they produce your anxiety.
Fetter would be self view(sakkaya-ditthi)

https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/ ... ore-facts/
Thank you!
:namaste:
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zerotime
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by zerotime »

Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:39 pm I was reading various suttas and watched a video below.

If a person has GAD would one be the 3rd type of character? See the image below.
4types.JPG
probably "going the wrong way through fear". Although also the rest about delusion, hate, desire. Anyway, I doubt if in that situation the knowledge of these details can help, when the fear already arose and is already established and working

In a natural or uncivilized situation, the first manifestation of those symptoms (fear, acceleration of palpitations, breath) has the atavistic purpose to leave a threat, to run away. Although in a civilized situation this cannot be satisfied and the anxiety grows.

These symptoms are a message not well digested in conscious ways. The first excitation feelings are lacking of a physical exit and the anxiety is developed. Commonly, this is not any specific cause but an incoherence in our way to experience the reality. When our way to experience the life is not developed in accordance with the heart, the anxiety appears like a symptom about there is no attention to that. Symptoms are messages about we should leave psychically or physically the experience.

Inside the Dhamma texts the fear is very related with -self clinging. However, -self clinging become too powerful for the survival of our psychic and physical structures. So it is doubtful the anxiety can decrease by pointing to -self detachment while we are engaged in those situations. That stage on detachment is more common at the end of a process.

Maybe it can be more useful establishing a careful attention to the arising of feeling and desires inside oneself, specially to the speed of its proliferation.

Many times we experience common feelings in the daily life without enough attention. However, these little inputs can be very important for the development of anxiety. In example, the common discussions in the job or even a blind slavery to the daily routine. Because sometimes there are stages in life in where the common daily experiences can start to feed symptoms of anxiety, despite before it was not in that way. Sometimes this is like a necessity for the "warrior's rest", about the necessity to rest after a lot of time engaged in daily psychical fights.

Message of anxiety is about a betrayal to the heart. We are forcing to ourselves to experience the reality in a different way of how really we should be at that moment
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by User13866 »

zerotime wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 1:12 pm Message of anxiety is about a betrayal to the heart.
I like this a lot, it's well put.

A person breaks himself by ignoring & being ignorant about the inadequacy of his living which results in anxiety.
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by Pondera »

Alex123 wrote: Wed Oct 19, 2022 9:14 pm Hello all.

When it comes to Generalized Anxiety Disorder,
What hindrance is it? I don't think that it is restlessness & remorse simply because it is NOT about indecisiveness about Buddhist doctrine or morality. It might be either fear as some sort of perversion of dosa, or it could be fear due to some kind of clinging to something (to which aggregate?)

What perversion is it? (beauty in ugliness, pleasure in unpleasant, permanence in the impermanent, self in the not-self.)

To which aggregate(s) does one clings too much?

What fetter is it?


What kind of meditation/contemplation would be most suitable for it?

Thank you,
:namaste:
Anxiety, as I understand it, is a heartfelt emptiness, a profusion of sweat on the forehead, and a foreboding voice in your mind which repeats over and over “I can’t do this. I can’t do this.”

As much as anxiety seems to be about the future, I regard it as a thing of the past. What we have done yesterday, we are more or less destined to do tomorrow. We weigh the responsibilities of the future on a scale that uses the past as a counter measure. And the past is entirely more heavy than the future. It has, after all, already happened. The future is out there somewhere perhaps, but has yet to occur.

So, I come to terms with my own anxiety by trying not to compare today with yesterday, or weigh today against what I did the day before. Was yesterday a good day? Will today be as hard as yesterday? As easy? Etcetera.

As that is the case, all hindrances are emanations of perception and feeling. What we perceive and feel in the past conditions our anxiety towards what has not yet happened - the perceptions and feelings in the future.

To cut to the chase, I think anxiety is the hinderance of sensual desire and the fetter of sensual desire. The “draw back” of sensual desire. By learning to guard our senses and curb sensual desire, we do not create a pattern of craving which reaches out from the past in order to mold the future.

When that is the case, we overcome the first hindrance and put anxiety aside.

Hope that helps.

:anjali:
Like the three marks of conditioned existence, this world in itself is filthy, hostile, and crowded
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Re: Generalized Anxiety Disorder & meditation/contemplation for it?

Post by zerotime »

User13866 wrote: Thu Oct 20, 2022 2:30 pm A person breaks himself by ignoring & being ignorant about the inadequacy of his living which results in anxiety.
yes, I agree. This is the growing we are seeing these days. It happens in the real life and also in front Instagram and similar projections to live an alien life.
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