I don’t much get into Adam Sandler movies. They consist of one or two solid jokes (“The price is wrong, bitch!”), surrounded by 90 minutes of Sandler being Sandler.
I did find something in Happy Gilmore that disturbing resembles my own life. Happy’s mentor Chubbs teaches him to relax and focus by going to his “happy place” mentally, but even in his own imagination he can’t get away from being bullied by his nemesis “Shooter” McGavin.
This happens to me all the time. I wasn’t even bullied that much as a teenager, but in my imagination it happens almost constantly. Like, interfering with life kind of frequency. Does anyone else have this? And what do you do about it?
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I’m sorry Mark. I just couldn’t resist. We got so many Adam Sandler lines memorized it’s kind of embarrassing. Because of my kids. Prime AS era.
I’m not sure exactly what your asking. Are you talking about meditation and going to your happy place and other thoughts come in that are not your happy place? If so. I’ve learned and been guided by some of my guided meditations to let those thoughts come in. It’s ok. And then get back to concentrating on your breathing when you catch yourself. It takes some work but I been listening to all sorts of guided meditations picking and choosing the ones I like. And my mind still wonders away from my happy place. It doesn’t bother me as much anymore. I just let it happen. I catch myself. And continue on.
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Nice Sandler GIF! I’d almost forgotten about that!
These thoughts are not just during meditation (which I have pretty much given up on), but just hit me all the time. I try to keep my mind engaged on something else, like reading a book, but I can’t focus.
(Edit: I did download a meditation app which I’m going to try tonight after work.)
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I got 2 guys I know helped me out a bunch doing guided meditations. Dr Al. He’s not on line. But Richard Burr is. He’s on iTunes. Or maybe Google him if you don’t have iTunes. He’s got a lot of sober years under his belt and I met him through my son. Richard travels to sober living houses sometimes teaching people the importance or meditation and gratitude. These ones if your interested are short ones. I think one is 9 minutes and some are 12-15 minutes. He’s got a great voice and he’s a good guide. My meditations stared clicking after I saw him. It took me some time to get it down. And I’m not always successful. And that’s ok. I’ll try again. Sometimes I just pass out. Not much meditation going on when that happens but, that’s ok too.
Good luck.
He’s also a good singer.
I like his short ones.
I had this happen when I first tried to meditate and thought it was all about emptying your mind but found all I was left with was the abuse I suffered as a child which was odd bc I had decided years ago that it didn’t bother me. I decided that meditation was not for me until I read eckhart Tolle and realised that we are not our thoughts, our thoughts are not the present as we either replay the past or write the future we are rarely in the NOW. So I decided to meditate again and watch my thoughts from the outside, I became the observer and not the victim. The more often I did it the less power they held I began to get used to the emotions connected to the thoughts, it all became quite predictable and mundane. Now I don’t even bother thinking about it bc what have I got to gain, nothing, it’s all just a nothingness like the past and the future and the only thing we can affect in our lives is the Now.
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Weird you mentioned Tolle; on my way to work, I walked past one of those neighborhood library boxes where people leave books. There was A New Earth, which I picked up immediately!
But the biggest problem with the intrusive thoughts, it’s not when I’m meditating. It’s at random times throughout the day, almost continuously on bad days. 
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There are no coincidences in life my friend, read that book 
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Meditation is different for everyone. I used to believe meditation was silencing the mind. Sitting quietly for a period of time.
I struggled with that. My mind would whip out crazy thoughts when I tried. It frustrated me, and I felt like I was failing.
A recovery mentor suggested I think about my thinking when I meditate. Instead of trying to shut them down, he suggested I flow with them. If they are negative thoughts, Trace their origin. Think about where the belief started from. Who or what influenced the thought, or belief. if it no longer serves me, focus on letting it go. Redirect it. Even if your entire meditation session is repeatedly letting it go.
Over time I found less intrusive thoughts, and more thoughts about solution, goals, and occasionally a silent mind. My mind is hard to silence, I use meditation to stay focused. I sometimes just have to think about whats in front of me like work, a relationship
Sometimes I pick a topic, poetry, a recovery reading, like daily gratitudes of something from the Big book. I listen to it and then meditate on the topic. Think about my thinking on the topic.
Sometimes its hard to set aside time to meditate. Sometimes I meditate on the go. Ill make a little time, go for a walk. I find that I get a quieter mind if I’m in nature. Sitting by a river, or in the woods, watching the sunrise or set.
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