reasoning is not the thing i’m asking about, it’s more like... i’m pretty sure it *feels like something* to want to go swimming, e.g. maybe if the kid pays attention to their experience they notice a sensation of being “pulled towards the water”
i’m asking about that
Conversation
the phenomenology of desire, not the logic
maybe this is a confusing question but i am coming from a background of having my wants deeply suppressed by my parents and they tend to hide under large piles of conditioning and suffering
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if your favorite food was in front of you, what does it feel like, and how does your brain react over the next 5 or so micro-decisions?
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hmm interesting question. honestly it’s pretty muted. there’s like a kind of “oh good, my favorite food” and then i eat it on autopilot
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You can manually undo the muting by mindfully savouring the pleasure of each bite
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i’ve occasionally tried doing this and the experience of having food in my mouth becomes overwhelming / disgusting so i stopped 😕
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Hmmmmm
Do you get a "flinch away" response from leaning into other kinds of pleasant sensation, besides taste?
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Like, does it become overwhelming / disgusting to let yourself savor the moment-to-moment embodied experience of...
- a really lush texture, maybe soft / fuzzy / satin, or flower petal
- a fragrance you enjoy
- a resonant song on good headphones / speakers
?
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yes. every sensation is overwhelming when i tune into it
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i’m jumping into this a little late and probably need to read the whole convo more carefully, but i mean this seriously when i ask it, QC: have you tried smoking pot re: the sensory overwhelm you describe above?
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i haven't touched pot since maybe 2014 or something. would be interested in theory but i get overwhelmed thinking about how to actually get some
(i know, i know, i live in berkeley, that's not where the difficulty comes from)