>>46345
as i see it, it's like lifting weights. it takes months and months to build muscle, and your muscles start out weak, but the gradual progress is more satisfying than any sensual desire you can harness. it seems like you DO have desires, OP, because you want something besides your standard habit patterns. cultivate this!
lifting weights is practicing polarization, developing the arcane ego, mindfulness, and meditating a ton.
apply the principle of polarization to your everyday life. if an emotion doesn't suit you, focus on the opposite, tip the scale in your favor and take advantage of this momentary change. it's not hard, it's done by feel. no need to name your emotion. be aware that rhythm applies to your emotional states, there is an art of living, of finding a balance, a center with which to witness this rhythm with peace.
finding this center is helped by developing the arcane ego. actively practicing meditations in the arcane formulas helps. in my opinion, vipassana meditation does this meticulously, from the deepest part of the mind (dhamma.org).
mindfulness is a secret to lasting happiness if mastered. if you aren't mindful, you'll be subject to your emotions. and even if understand mental alchemy, you won't be able to apply what you've learnt until you're aware. but this is a difficult thing to do, to be aware every moment of your life. thus it's important to start practicing, steadily, methodically. start with mindfulness meditation for 15 minutes a day. over the course of a few weeks, move up to 30. eventually, after a few months, to an hour, maybe two. once your start meditating, you'll find it's easier to come back to present action and you'll be alleviated of stress caused by abstract thought. most importantly, you'll be aware. word of advice, don't use mantras or visualize forms. these have different applications, like inducing trances. good mindfulness means observing the senses as they are. fight your naturally instinctive mind on its own turf to turn the tide. no tricks.
lifehack: whenever you're walking, feel your pants against your legs. if you're eating, feel the weight of your utensil in your hand. if you're idle, just feel, or observe your breath. little tricks like this help a lot.
brotip: don't get frustrated, this is the mind acting up. be at peace with whatever happens, observe the mind-matter phenomenon objectively. you're battling against a lifetime of habitual thought, so it'll take a while to attain some mastery over the mind. rest assured that every single moment spent not thinking habitually is a moment of progress. remember this.
as mentioned above, meditation is your most useful tool. some meditations are used to achieve a means, others are used for gradual cultivation or mastery. if there is any way to make sure progress, it's by meditating on a regular schedule. stick to at least one method you think gives you the most benefit. meditation takes a lot of practice; there are a lot of intricacies that can only be learned by first hand experience.
i can't stress enough how important it is to meditate every day. but you can't force yourself to do it regularly. you have to want to, and to want to the technique must be right for you, it must give benefits in the moment and for time afterward.
the best secret to success in mental alchemy is practice, practice, practice.
and some more practice. banish yourself from your computer and print off the arcane formulas, make a room into a meditation room, do whatever you need to do to practice. and then practice some more. you only need to immerse yourself for 5 minutes to feel progress, every moment spent in these states, exploring the mind, is a sure step on a mysterious path. it's like learning to swim: by being in contact with water (mind), you learn.
good luck OP and to everyone who reads this, tread well and learn well!
p.s. i didn't mention breathwork or energy body work. these seem really cool, but i haven't looked into them yet.