This stigma against anecdotes itself reeks of what you seem to fear in religion. Such things are very personal, there are no hard and fast rules derivable from

This stigma against anecdotes itself reeks of what you seem to fear in religion. Such things are very personal, there are no hard and fast rules derivable from first principles. How we like to paint everything as simple and provable! You must try different things first hand, it is the only way to see. Feel free not to try things yourself but do not dissuade others from finding what works for them. You do not know, in it they might find meaning.