The Experience of Terror

[Adramelek]

As a Left-Hand Pather (Setian, Satanist, Luciferian, etc.) how do you handle the sense of terror? Have you ever experienced terror? For example, say you were on an airplane that was going in for a hard crash landing, how would you handle the situation? Please be honest.

Xeper.
/Adramelek\

 

[maxfreakout]

Nobody knows how they "would" react to life-threatening terror, you only find out when you are in the experience. Some 9/11 survivors were subsequently traumatised by their own behaviour when the planes hit (like climbing over other people to get to safety). You stop being "yourself" during terrifying experiences, and raw animal-like instinct takes you over.

 

[Kemble]

If we had no real control over the situation we can learn a thing or two from Buddhist non-attachment to what we are feeling.

 

[Adramelek]

If we had no real control over the situation we can learn a thing or two from Buddhist non-attachment to what we are feeling.

This is interesting, can you elaberate more upon this Buddhist technique?

 

[Shuddhasattva]

The 2 or 3 times I've been in life-threatening (or seemingly so) situations, a sense of resignation overtook me.

Terror I've more felt during altered states riding the tiger.

 

[crossfire]

This is interesting, can you elaberate more upon this Buddhist technique?

If you realize that fear and terror will fade if you don't cling to it, it will fade of its own accord. You observe the arising of fear, and you observe it fading away. (Basic Buddhist meditative technique for any strong emotion. Take strong emotion "to the cushion" is the rule of thumb.)

Bhaya-bherava Sutta: Fear & Terror

excerpt:

"The thought occurred to me: 'What if — on recognized, designated nights such as the eighth, fourteenth, & fifteenth of the lunar fortnight — I were to stay in the sort of places that are awe-inspiring and make your hair stand on end, such as park-shrines, forest-shrines, & tree-shrines? Perhaps I would get to see that fear & terror.' So at a later time — on recognized, designated nights such as the eighth, fourteenth, & fifteenth of the lunar fortnight — I stayed in the sort of places that are awe-inspiring and make your hair stand on end, such as park-shrines, forest-shrines, & tree-shrines. And while I was staying there a wild animal would come, or a bird would make a twig fall, or wind would rustle the fallen leaves. The thought would occur to me: 'Is this that fear & terror coming?' Then the thought occurred to me: 'Why do I just keep waiting for fear? What if I were to subdue fear & terror in whatever state they come?' So when fear & terror came while I was walking back & forth, I would not stand or sit or lie down. I would keep walking back & forth until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear & terror came while I was standing, I would not walk or sit or lie down. I would keep standing until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear & terror came while I was sitting, I would not lie down or stand up or walk. I would keep sitting until I had subdued that fear & terror. When fear & terror came while I was lying down, I would not sit up or stand or walk. I would keep lying down until I had subdued that fear & terror.​

 

[crossfire]

There is also mushin and muga-mushin techniques.

 

[Infinitum]

I haven't felt proper terror, so I really can't know. I advocate facing one's fears and accepting them, but I'm still not on the level that I would feel entirely calm in a wobbling airplane, for example. If the source of the fear is new and unexpected, it could well cause an anxiety attack and freeze me to place. That's speculation of course. I'm not that keen on finding it out.

 

[1137]

I'm not sure I've experienced "true" terror.

 

[Kemble]

This is interesting, can you elaberate more upon this Buddhist technique?

The Buddhist view is deconstructing the myth of a solid "self" being effected and the isolation of the emotional experience without the context that everything is interconnected/contingent but to simplify for maybe an LHP view of it "you" are experiencing the fear. This creates a distance between your identity and the emotion you are feeling. Pretty soon you can realize the idea that "you" seem to be on the outside looking "in" the totality of experience, so even the mind-body complex is outside your true identity. Any bad or good experience is touching your mind-body -- not "you."

Here is an analogy: When you are riding a horse, for example, if you believe you are the horse then any impulse the horse has, you follow. Yet if you realize you are the rider and not the horse, if the horse decides to go into the opposite direction of the path you want to go, you have control with the bit to steer it otherwise.

Believing you are the mind-body effected with the emotion also magnifies the pain. When you realize the mind-body is only a part of the wider experiences happening around you, you can also get it under control easier and the pain won't become centralized in your field of experience and overtake you.

And here is the gist: You aren't ignoring or denying the existence of the pain, you simply reorient your attachment/identification relationship to it so that you experience it yet you stay lightly touching it. The opposite is to believe "you are terrified," the terror overtakes your field of perception, and you become "stuck" in the experience.

Additionally there is also the 6 second physiological technique of the Quieting Response by Stroebel in the '80s that can stop the cascading stress response in any situation and with about 6 months of consistent practice it activates automatically. You can look up his book "The Quieting Reflex" on amazon.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

If it were within this year and the following, probably just do whatever I could that I wanted to do at that moment.

Though, if it were a few years beyond today, in which I plan on being more leaned into the Zen path, I will probably sit and observe the moment that nobody can witness unless they die.

 

[Orias]

As a Left-Hand Pather (Setian, Satanist, Luciferian, etc.) how do you handle the sense of terror? Have you ever experienced terror? For example, say you were on an airplane that was going in for a hard crash landing, how would you handle the situation? Please be honest.

Xeper.
/Adramelek\

Honestly I don't think I would be surprised. Though, I would just try and embrace any type of idea that I think would secure the survival of myself and whoever I may be traveling with.

When I think of terror, however, I don't necessarily think it could be used to describe any of the more extreme emotions/motions I feel or act upon (although there is potential for anything) but fear could. When I think of terror I think of "out of control", fear is a more natural based inclination which for a lot of people can actually motivate them to seek new security or change. This is also considering your example.

But in this world such emotions are often expressed with shock or some other type of unfamiliar relation. So when it comes to practical things in my life I don't often fear things, because I tend to expect them and whatever else may be thrown my way. Though in a way, nervousness or anxiety can be a sense of fear, but then again those people tend to be holding a lot back from the world (nervous and anxious people) and when they are pushed into those corners they have a tendency to freak out. It can be rather amusing at times (when the conclusion is not catastrophic of course :bat.

 

[Twig pentagram]

As a Left-Hand Pather (Setian, Satanist, Luciferian, etc.) how do you handle the sense of terror? Have you ever experienced terror? For example, say you were on an airplane that was going in for a hard crash landing, how would you handle the situation? Please be honest.

Xeper.
/Adramelek\

I would hope for the best and try not to panic.

 

[ScottySatan]

I am fearless to the point that it's probably a neurotic handicap.

 

[Erebus]

Nobody knows how they "would" react to life-threatening terror, you only find out when you are in the experience. Some 9/11 survivors were subsequently traumatised by their own behaviour when the planes hit (like climbing over other people to get to safety). You stop being "yourself" during terrifying experiences, and raw animal-like instinct takes you over.

Pretty much this. On the rare occasions I've genuinely felt terrified it was a classic case of fight or flight. You don't necessarily pick which instinct takes over.
In the case of simple fear I do my best to be both cautious and rational, head over heart.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Terror or fear is something I haven't experienced. I have been in dangerous situations, tornadoes, car sliding on ice/snow, car wrecks, and me and a few friends were jumped by a gang once, but I haven't been in any situations of true fear and dread. Such situations will put my system on high alert, but I have always been able to maintain control of myself.
The one time I have actually froze, was the first time I ever saw an English Mastiff in real life, which was an above average sized male, and he was barking and charging at me, and it's mouth looked like it could rip my head off. And then I remembered I was told that particular dog was a big baby so I stuck my hand out to let him sniff me and lick me.

I am fearless to the point that it's probably a neurotic handicap.

I've often wondered that about myself, as I know I have been in some situations that would have terrified many that didn't phase me. And I have wondered if after years of feeding off the fear of others (I used to be very mean during Halloween, I was the reason one campground changed their costume policy) that I learned how to feed off my own and let it fuel and empower me. I also began to wonder just how much of fear is conquerable as I began to overcome the phobias I learned as a child.
But I know there are many situations I haven't been in, and there are very few people who are in a position to say they have truly seen the worst and have been in a situation in which it probably doesn't get worse. For a few handfuls I would say that, no, it doesn't get any worse.

 

[Poetic-Misprint]

I've experiences it, but then again, I also possess an anxiety problem, so I'm not a poster child for dealing with things of the like. However, when I do, I simply have to lay down for a bit, listen to calming music and read, or else sleep. Otherwise, I'm quite nonfunctional, my heart feeling heavy, my joints feeling stiff, my mind in all the worst places.
However, reading usually takes my mind someplace else. The process of making tea, too, can help.

 

[Bhairava]

I have experienced infinite terror before.

Airplane crashing I would laugh a little at how much I dont give a **** then just sit there like whatever. dead serious