Over time, your repetitive thoughts establish predetermined neural pathways leading to automatic mental and emotional responses. While some of these may be beneficial, others are unwanted and detrimental to wellbeing. That’s why it’s a helpful and responsible practice to regularly clear unwanted mental and emotional patterns, a bit like tending to the garden of your mind.
We live in a digital age in which we are constantly swept along by a whirlwind of social media and TV, so if you use modern technology it’s pretty much inevitable these will gradually (and often unconsciously) begin to affect how you think, speak and act. However, if you remain mindful and aware of this daily saturation of consciousness, you can choose to take the appropriate mindful steps to protect yourself and others, by preventing a build up of unwanted and potentially harmful mental and emotional patterns.
The mainstream media use powerful physical and emotional stimuli to tap into your ‘monkey mind’, to get you to react, to make you fearful, to make you desire things and people, to propose difference and separation, when in reality, in essence, we are all one and no one is greater or lesser than you.
So as this psycho-emotional bombardment of the senses continues on a daily basis, it’s up to each one of us to take personal responsibility for our thoughts and emotions, paying particular attention to those which are negative, dense, detrimental or harmful to being.
The first step is to be alert and aware when you sense any of the following unwanted thought patterns and emotions (please note these are examples and not a definitive list);
- Envy
- Jealousy
- Anger
- Anxiety
- Frustration
- Vanity
- Seeking attention
- Lacking in confidence
- Feeling disconnected
- Feeling unworthy
Once you’ve brought your unwanted thoughts and emotions to awareness (or in other words noticed their presence) there’s a simple practice you can use to return balance and harmony to your mind and body called the Resonance Equilibrium Technique (R.E.T).
When you notice an unwanted thought, emotion or belief, such as “I can’t”, what happens is, by allowing that thought to flow, it expands and imprints in your consciousness, and before too long, it ‘beds in’ becoming an accepted norm. By allowing a detrimental thought to arise without challenging it, you equivalently plant it, validate it, water it, feed it, energise it and increase its impact. When you do this you are growing weeds in the garden of your mind, and that means less space for flowers!
With R.E.T you can learn to cleanse the mind and integrate the ego, using a simple and easy technique.
I’d recommend you begin this practice in a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed.
Here’s a brief outline on how to use R.E.T;
- Notice the unwanted thought, emotion or feeling, (in this example we are using “I can’t”).
- Once you’ve noticed it, don’t allow the unwanted thought to fade from memory. Remember, you’re in charge.
- Stop, close your eyes and take several diaphragmatic (deep) breaths.
- When you are calm and ready, plant the opposite of the unwanted thought, so in this case “I CAN”. Say to yourself “I CAN” slowly, rhythmically, with increasing conviction and in time with the breath. Say it out loud or in your mind. Breathe in, filling up with the thought “I CAN”– and then say “I CAN” as you exhale.
- Keeping the breath rhythmical and steady, and spell out the words “I CAN” in your head. Visualise “I CAN” letter by letter in your mind’s eye, just as if you were writing them. Use bright colours which stand out if that helps (black or white backgrounds seem to work best). As before, breathe in, and visualise writing “I CAN” in your mind’s eye, then exhale, and notice how, in time, and with each continued cycle of the breath, the words “I CAN” become clearer and clearer, more distinct, more present.
- Continue this until you have developed the visualisation to the point that the words appear bold and clear in appearance and the “I CAN” is audibly assured. Remember, you can say the words out loud or in the mind as you write them, a bit like reading the latest news headlines on the TV.
- When you are happy you have mastered this, then you can direct yourself to “LET IT GO”.Repeat this simple phrase in the same way (audibly and visually in your mind’s eye). Continue returning to “LET IT GO” until it becomes the dominant thought, and the old “I can’t” and “I can” have both faded from attention.
- Next, when ready, let go of the thought “LET IT GO”. Just drop it, let it fade. Similar to how after washing your hands, you dry them with a towel, finalising the entire process.
- Acknowledge the process is complete, take a few deep breaths and come back to the room.
As the habitual ‘monkey’ mind is polaric (it directly opposes divides and separates) – by regularly carrying out this clearance practice, you will reinstate balance and mindfulness. If you continue with the practice, in time you will be able to visualise the words without shutting your eyes, and then it will be a way of cleansing and healing the mind (and body) which you will be able to use for the rest of your physical life.
All thoughts are things, and all things are thoughts.
Jonathan Harrison is an Elder and regular contributor for More To Life Magazine. His writing focuses on helping people recognise, realise and actualise their most meaningful and wholistic sense of Self.
