The group experience preserves integrity and provides support to those who may have difficulty. Members who are not able to meet in groups due to distances can practice their receiving on their own, usually at home. An individual who wishes to partake of the Subud experience can receive it by standing quietly, with a feeling of patience and surrender, in the presence of a member or members who are at that moment experiencing it for themselves. This would be arranged by the nearest Subud group. One then gains this contact for oneself, without effort of will and entirely free from the influence of another person.
Experiences vary enormously.
At the beginning, they usually take the form of spontaneous motions or sounds. As time advances, they progress inward, with a deeper understanding of what they mean in one's life on earth. The action becomes one of purification of faults and a process of inner growth and worship of God. Although the power of God is infinitely strong, the movement forces no one to do things against their will. Meeting together regularly to receive this movement forms the basis of Subud and its organization.