States attained during meditation?

[Ecz]

Meditation is something that is difficult to communicate about, as there isn't very efficient language that can be used to describe it. Regardless, I thought I'd probe a bit in the hope that I can better understand how to navigate inner landscapes during meditation. And perhaps in this exchange I can help someone to better understand their own. (This is unlikely however, as I am far from adept haha)

For me I've identified a few different types of meditation I find myself partaking in. The most common of which is simply contemplation and self-assessment. Sitting quietly and trying to identify areas of myself that can be improved/better balanced. This is the easiest form for me as it happens fairly automatically and uses parts of my mind that I'm most comfortable with - namely analytical/logical parts. No particular state is typically attained for me here other than relaxation and usually a general feeling of accomplishment if something of use is identified.

Another form takes more focus/discipline. This is the act of silencing the multiple channels of inner dialog. Simply "sparring" with myself as I grapple to maintain the silence until it finally becomes self-sustaining. Once this happens (Sometimes it doesn't if silence can't be maintained due to stress, etc) a few different avenues seem to have the probability of opening up. One is simply maintaining that state, I call it "Resting in the presence of God" from my dogmatic Christian days. This is a pleasant experience as well as beneficial as I am able to feel more balanced throughout the day.

Another avenue that opens once self-sustaining silence is attained is a feeling of receiving information. Sometimes this is a random memory I haven't thought about in years, other times it's a revelation about behavior I need to change, etc. This information feels like it comes from within, but from deeper within than is readily accessible normally. This avenue closes spontaneously and leaves me feeling tired as opposed to rested.

Finally, the most infrequent avenue is sort of a mishmash of the two above. It starts with a physical sensation in my stomach/chest like a dense version of "butterflies" then onto a feeling of jubilance. Often I feel like I'm floating (Though when I open my eyes I most certainly am not). From here different things happen every time ranging from seeing geometric patterns seem to super-impose onto the inside of my eyelids, to feeling like I'm getting a brain massage, to feeling like I'm spinning, to hearing an intense ringing, etc. Almost like a mild psychedelic experience. I see little things in my mind's eye, though it feels like it's coming from a source slightly different than "Mind's eye." They also tend to be relatively dull, hard to make out, lacking in color, etc. Difficult to describe, but they feel more like mental artifacts than something I can really grasp. Sort of like those black things that float around in your vision but go scooting away if you actually look at them haha. Idk if other people have those...

I would be interested to hear what other people's hierarchy of meditation tends to be or if they have one and what states they seem to attain. Also if there are certain techniques used, I would be interested by those as well.