...not in any professional sense. Thats why I needed to get help FROM a professional (grin)
Thank you for mentioning this subtype of migraine headache. Just as we are discovering that many people experienced painless heart attacks, its very interesting that one can experience a painless migraine and have disruptions in the quality of conscious awareness. And (sigh) not all physicians would even know of such headaches, or when to refer you to a specialist...
Here is something else from the Google listserves. Found it by accident while looking for something else. I've had little
'white out' experiences when gazing at the wall during Zen practice. Always suspected this was neurological, and the article seems to give a convincing description/explanation. URL comes first, then the text
[
www.google.com]
(partial quote)
'A cessation of mentation as a result of intense concentration _may_ be
a precursor to Awakening in some "accidental" enlightenment
experiences (e.g. Eckhart Tolle's, or John Wren-Lewis'), or in some
very thorough systematic approaches (like the Theravada), but it is
not Awakening itself: or, put it this way, it isn't a _necessary_
precursor to Awakening. In fact, Awakening is a BREAK in any form of
samadhi-like concentration (taking "samadhi" in its lesser meaning -
for it can also mean the Result itself, in some systems). It's at
complete right angles to anything you've ever experienced or imagined.
(I say this based on your writings - you may be playing a game of some
sort, but I am responding to your words as they stand.)
***It's like this: if you fix your gaze, the [i:5591add5d0]saccades [/i:5591add5d0](the little
jerkings about) that your eyes constantly unconsciously make cease,
and because the visual system normally sees things by noticing
borders, edges and differences, the visual system "whites out". (This
fact is taken advantage of in some Daoist practices, and some Dzogchen
Longde practices, if I'm not mistaken.*
Since the whole mental system works in an analogous way, by noticing
differences, I believe something analogous may happen if the _whole
mental system_ is "frozen" in a concentrative state - [i:5591add5d0]it ceases to
experience anything at all[/i:5591add5d0]. BUT THAT IS NOT AWAKENING.
Here is an article on depersonalization, a form of dissociation.
[
www.depersonalization.info]
and, here is an account written by someone who was convinced that he'd become enlightened. Compare his report with the depersonalization paper....
[
www.enlightenment.com]