(Very much an informal blog post. Much background knowledge and troubles are assumed.)
Depending or clinging mentally to anyone other than one's inner Master in one's heart is like a drowning person trying to stay afloat using a rubber ducky in a stormy ocean. Both you and the ducky will go down. But the ducky may still come up after you drown! So it can float and survive alone in stormy seas, but it is not made to help others through emotional or physical turbulence.
(A preceptor should ideally help abhyasis to help themselves emotionally by being a good listener. Let them talk it out, calm down, and think for themselves. Paraphrasing may be helpful. Still, sittings are much more effective than conversations because deeper level stuff blocking effective use of one's intellect and will is removed. And only one's own understanding, motivation, and decisiveness are truly helpful.)
Clinginess to others is from tamas overriding sattva.
Sittings, again, and meditations help increase sattva. Even a few seconds of meditation can change the proportion of sattva-rajas-tamas.
Watch your own behaviour and then intervene spiritually in your life through cleaning, meditation, and prayer. Still try for ahimsa at thought-talk-act levels.
Prayer is best done before an event.
After, cleaning and meditation.
During, remembrance.
You have tremendous energies. Direct all of them towards the inner Master by being dependent mentally only on him and simultaneously being independent of all others. Accept from them and give to them, yes, but don't depend on them emotionally or spiritually.
Reserve dependence only for the inner Master. He is the only rubber ducky that can grow or shrink as needed for you to stay afloat through the wildest storms!
