Help me! I don't want my teacher to think I'm a nut!?

Question

I don't like lying to people I had to do this assignment where I meditate for 15 minutes every night and record my experience.
The thing is, now I am supposed to write a paper about my experience and I don't know what to do because some really freaky things happened while I was meditating! I slipped very deep into a dissociative state on two of the nights that I meditated and had almost a "religious" experience. I don't know what 2 write if I don't write the truth but I am afraid my teacher will think I am a weirdo and that I am making this up!The one night I did it with my eyes open and I saw a sparkly patch on some clothes and then my body appeared to vanish and I felt as if I was a hologram. A few nights later I felt disconnected from my body and completely euphoric; it was as if I was being transported somewhere and that somebody wanted to show me something. I used to meditate with my dad when I was a kid, so maybe this was a factor.
Anyways,what should I say?What would you do?

Oh... and paranormal hampshire... yeah, that was on the one night, but not on the other... and aside from that the caffiene pill and rum and coke were way earlier in the day; its not like I loaded myself up on a bunch of it.

yeah, I don't know if anybody will even be reading this still at this point, but this experience has really made no sense to me. I hesitate to make any attempt to explain it. I'm not really a religious person; though I'm not averse to religion either. I guess you could call me agnostic. I'm not doing any seeking. I really had trouble wraping my mind around this. I can write the first time off, possibly, to the caffiene that I had 12 hours before that and the rum and coke I had 5 hours before it. The second time, I had had a cappucinno, also around 12 hours earlier... I suppose it is definitely possible that my body is just highly sensitive to those substances and that I am also capable of being highly aware of the internal states I am experiencing. It is very strange because I didn't mean for it to happen, I didn't expect it to happen, I didn't know it was going to happen. It just did. I guess while I'm not ready to subscribe any specific meaning to this event, I do believe it...

... is possible to manipulate your experience of consciousness... I do think it is not outside the realm of the explainable to be able to regulate your internal experience... the mind controls itself and in turn controls the body. I understand that I may have "reduced activity" in some regions of my brain or "increased" it in another as a scientist will tell you, but I'm not going to try and tell you what it means within a religious context, because I really don't know, and trying to ascribe a meaning to it is dangerous.

And the story goes alot more in detail than what i originally described.

This is what I wrote in my journal: (with some details, that even then I was afraid to write, even to myself)

04/05/07:

Nothing is happening. I am focusing on my breathing and then, all of the sudden- BAM! I don't know what is happening, but a Hindu would probably tell you that his or her chakras are all completely open at once. Then I am off like a rocket. I feel my mind...

...disconnecting from my external body. My body is not part of me at this point, but I can still feel it; it feels dead; kind like of bigger than it is; like a big, bloated marshmellow.

My mind has gone within itself. My body exists, but completely independent of my mind. I feel it but it feels foreign. I begin to feel euphoric elation, not unlike the kind you feel at the peak of an orgasm, and become aware that my eyes are blinking rapidly. Suddenly it feels as if I am being transported somewhere;I am being guided somewhere, gently nudged along. I am going somewhere for a reason and somebody wants to show me something when I get there. I feel at this point, completely normal inside once again, I have my body back but I am completely relaxed and I feel as if there is a big circle, ball, or orb, a fuzzy form of energy outside of my body; right in front of me. It is almost in my lap. I feel as though if I were to open my eyes right now, someone would be standing here. I get the...

...notion, though crazy as it may be, that it is a very real possibility that it may be my cousin Kyle. He is my age; 19. He died this past November in a motorcycle accident. I don't know that it is him but it feels like someone or something. I suddenly become aware of the feelig of my pulse beating throughout my body and realize that I had stoped focusing on my breathing long before this point. I am 10 minutes in now, but I feel as if I can't go any further into the meditative process right now.

All benefits of this meditation session have been recieved and sitting here still for 5 more minutes would be pointless.

P.S. Many of you have asked what class this was for: my college comparative religions class. The assignment was actually one of five we had to chose from; the other 4 were having to do with Taoism, Fundamentalism, the Palastinian state controversy, and the Irish Republican Army and Northern Ireland.

The assignment description for this one read as follows:

1) Meditation Assignment: Set aside 15 minutes for five days in a row. If possible, find a quiet spot, tune out all distractions, sit in a comfortable position, turn down the inner-mind-chatter, and be still concentrating only on your breathing. When you are finished, jot down your impressions of this experience. Was it boring? Did it seem like a waste of time? How difficult was your attempt to “turn off your mind?” Was it relaxing? Was it beneficial? Would you consider making a short period of meditation part of your daily routine?

...And then you are supposed to write a five page paper about it.

So you see... thats sort of what my problem is... I have no trouble filling 5 pages if I tell the truth... I could fill 20... but how do I fill up five pages if I totally lie and pretend like nothing happened?

Thanks so much to everybody who took the time to listen to and give their input on this situation!... I appreciate you very much. And I think I already wrote my paper right here! I should just turn this in!

Paranormal Hampshire... I would be very interested to know what you think of my experience knowing the additional details of the account.

Answer 1

well, thats pretty cool if you ask me... who cares if your teacher thinks youre a nut? why did he/she assign you the project in the first place? to see if you could calm down? it seems to me, you have experienced an OBE, or out of body experience. (do your reasearch, cuz its fascinating, and you could put that in the report too) i think you should write exactally what happened, and if she/he doesnt like it, then what can you do?

Answer 2

Tell the truth, that is the assignment.
I have learned that when asked to tell the truth about something that should be entertaining (ie: a failed road test or a meditation session) students will add to their personal stories to make them more interesting.
Chances are if you do tell the truth they will think you were using your imagination (by the way they do attempt to teach imagination and creativity) but they will look at it positivity, not as though you are a crazy person.
If they call you out and make accusations, be playful. Question how they know your making it up and then claim you must have misunderstood the assiginment.
Have fun and be honest.

Answer 3

I wouldn't worry so much about the teacher as I would about other kids seeing it. It's OK to talk to your teacher before you write the paper. Explain that you had these special experiences, and you want to keep them completely confidential. If the teacher can't do that, then ask how much you should edit out.

It all sounds in the realm of possibility -- I assume the teacher knows you have a good imagination. Do the assignment in the spirit of scientific exploration, and you should be fine. You can probably find similar experiences in psychological texts that back up what you felt. Your teacher may be able to help you find it. Certainly, s/he should be able to help you put it in perspective.

Good luck!

Answer 4

That's all normal. You are actually resting your brain and allowing yourself to stop thinking for a while. Nothing you said hasn't been anything I or anyone else hasn't experienced when meditating.

Tell the truth as your teacher is grown up and has experienced life enough to know its normal.

As far a religious experience? That's what deep ritualistic prayer is about. It calms you down and you experience a sense of euphoria. Perfectly normal.

Answer 5

I would answer truthfully, and figure that if your teacher is the type who is going to assign meditation for homework, that is someone who probably won't consider any hallucinatory behaviour all that odd anyway. Unless its all really a plot designed purely for the purpose of embarrassing you in front of your classmates. Either way, if you don't hand it in as an assignment, you can always parlay it into a short story somewhere...

Answer 6

Now i am not to sure what to make of this as you have already posed this question but last time it had the twist of you having seen something " after having taken a caffeine pill and drinking a rum and coke " see link below
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=Aq8fzN9oKNQdch7rp3RvyLf7xQt.?qid=20070404154813AAnXCVe


o.k just thought i would point it out as i was a bit confused ...when i meditate i also feel similar to you and as i use Angel meditation its nothing more than i would expect our angels guide us and show us things...they guide and enlighten us ...now i would like to offer a suggestion if i may.......i am wondering if when using your meditation you are going beyond meditation and you are starting to drift off onto the astral ?? just a thought and maybe something Worth looking into ? have you ever astrally projected ?? or tried it ??

Answer 7

That's tough. I wouldn't be comfortable sharing something like that because it's a pretty private, personal experience. Your teacher should understand that; maybe he/she does. Write what you feel comfortable sharing even if it's vague, or ask your teacher before you write it if you have to put in all the details. If the teacher doesn't like that you weren't detailed in your essay, just explain your situation and maybe he/she'll up your grade. What class is this for? Just my opinion, but that's a little nervy requiring students to share personal experiences like that with strangers.

Answer 8

Interesting when I was in my teens, I used to meditate infront of my mirror, basically hypomtizing my self through starring at myself in the mirror. I used to watch my face morph into these weird things. Anything is possibly; you are more receptive because you had earlier experiance with meditation and you are able to completly relax yourself and let your spirits free. Don't feel weird for what you are experiancing; the teacher wanted to know the outcome. Tell about it and don't be reluctant. Maybe it is her own investigation for something he/she has encountered and wants to ease her mind.

Answer 9

You might be surprised how receptive your teacher is. Plus, it gets boring grading the same old thing over and over...your assignment will probably be a refreshing experience for the teacher. Tell the truth. Who knows, your teacher may be able to relate.

Answer 10

I think you should write the truth. Write what you experienced and felt - this exercise should help you gain some perspective.

Worst case scenario: Your teacher will not think you are a weirdo, just very creative.