We are thrown off balance often because we try to stop God, when in fact there is no need to stop. In trying to stop inappropriately we throw ourselves off balance. If we kept moving forward, we wouldn' t feel off balance. Another reason we resist prayer in silence and solitude is that we do not want to challenge our own shame. We don' t want to see some things about ourselves.
Prayer is frightening.
Metropolitan Anthony Bloom described the meeting with God as like entering the cave of a tiger. Psychologically, when we sit in silence and solitude, we clear out our consciousness and create a vacuum. Often when we do that, we then confront, right off the bat, our shame, our lies, our betrayals, our failures. We don' t see ourselves in the best light. When we think about it, though, seeing yourself in the best light is only seeing part of the picture.