I am awed that anyone can achieve an experience like 'shycat'...even for a moment. I'm sure it was not achieved without both practice and and a 'will' to find something beyond our usual awareness.

As to what actually happens during such an experience, I don't think anyone can say, though I have vague suspicions. As one who has an interest in knowing what lies behind our experiences, rather than merely reading subjective speculation, I doubt that my basic attitude vector (to coin a phrase) will ever allow me to have such an experience. I am just too psychologically resistant to the discipline required...*shrug*

   I try not to pass any absolute judgement on these experiences, but merely to look in a reasonably formal way at what I perceive as claims about their nature and to note when those *claims* break rules of logic and 'proof'. NOTE: This in no way suggests that someone did not have the experience! It merely serves as a guide for evaluation by those who did NOT have the experience, and sometimes looks at alternative possible explanations.

There is a great deal to learn about how the universe works, how our minds work...and how our minds and the Universe are related. There are many conflicting theories....and perhaps the 'truth' lies somewhere NO ONE has seen yet. And perhaps the absolute answers are in principle not approachable from our standpoint. To me, the search is as important as the answer....and that is why I will always remain a skeptic; interested, but suspicious, of implied answers. I don't want to be strictly an adversary, but rather a gentle nag...asking whether everything has been taken into account.

I think we need both the visionaries AND the skeptical nags.