Okay, the person is sitting in meditation and doing the Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation. And during it, tons of thoughts came, heaps and heaps of thoughts. Some of them were even violent thoughts, I'm not sure where they came from but it is like a cyclone. I am sure all of you have already had similar experiences. As soon as they became aware they couldn't even remember where they had been before they got interrupted. So how can I deal with this phenomenon in the most appropriate way?
At the time when it is super overwhelming, but you have just become aware that it is overwhelming, use mental noting. Put a label on that phenomenon, this person wants to call it a cyclone, you can label it any way you want, make that mental note and then try to start again. Don't worry about trying to find where you were in the meditation. Just start over again. Don't worry about being interrupted, just start again with the Compassion/Lovingkindness with any person you feel is appropriate. It is the same with any other distraction, if that cyclone comes and sweeps you off again, note it and come back. If it does it again, note it and come back. It is the same technique as if you were doing the awareness of the breathing but this is during the Compassion/Lovingkindness. If you have lots of restlessness, note it and come back.
Now, if the same thoughts keep coming and coming, what we would call "sticky" thoughts, stop the Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation and run your attention through the body. When you are done running your attention through your body, whether you found something or not, it doesn't matter, go back to the Compassion/Lovingkindness meditation. If that cyclone moves in there again, stop, try to use one of the other reflections such as the Seven Reflections. You can use any of the different reflections possible, try to bend those thoughts in the cyclone, keep working on it, keep trying to let it go.
One of the most important things is to not worry about the cyclone. The cyclone comes, and it comes, and it comes and it comes, okay, it is just past conditioning manifesting. If you worry about the cyclone you are adding another hindrance on top of it, so this is important to not worry about the cyclone. Note it and come back, note it and come back, do the body awareness and come back, do another reflection and come back. Use the techniques one by one, trying to guard against worry about it, because the minute you put worry on it then you are in a problem again. Restlessness that is huge becomes a cyclone, work with it the same way you would with any distraction.