What is the evidence for your claims?

Short answer: There is none *).

When I state on this blog that some practice "works" or "seems to work", I mean that I have made the experience that this seems to improve my life in some way - it makes me feel better, helps me deal with emotional issues, improves my relationships. Importantly, I have evaluated the potential problems to the best of my abilities, and consider the dangers small enough compared to the potential benefits. And I know others who also report positive results.

I do not mean to say that this is proven to work in any way, that it must work for you, that I have any strong evidence, that it can "heal" you of any ailment, or that you are a fool for not trying.

I do not claim that ancient masters had it right, that scientists are discovering the merits of it, that science is in denial or too materialistic, or that the evidence is really there, but nobody has found it.

If you give it a try - wonderful! If you don't get the same results, then my implication is not that you're doing it wrong, but that you are not me, you didn't go through the same experiences, and the same thing does not necessarily work for everybody.

Based on the fact that we are all alike in many ways, I highly suspect that some of the things I describe will work for some people.

In those rare instances when I think that I have external, scientific evidence, I specifically point it out.

The fact that it is only personal experience, doesn't make it wrong.

Personal experience, in the absence of objective evidence to the contrary, is very convincing for the person themselves, and it is rationally justifiable to follow your own experience in that case. This is not unscientific, esoteric, occult, religious drivel. It is simply common sense, and we all do it all the time.

However, as an objective claim, it is very weak. You should never take my word as fact (unless it is trivial, or you have learned to trust my expertise in that field).

If you decide to dismiss all of this because it is just one random stranger's opinion, I have absolutely no problem with that. By all means, listen to your own intuition over my ramblings!

If you feel like it might benefit you, try it for yourself, that is all.

 

2022-01-18 



*) Well. There is some for meditation, some for slow breathing, and some for PC muscle exercises. I guess there must be something about the effects of visualisation, too. But I'm pretty sure that there is nothing about the specific combination that I personally practice.

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