Mentally,
we do experience pain as we go through it. Experiencing and seeing painful
things is a shock to the body and mind and it takes time to heal from it.
The
mental suffering I speak of us is what we do with that memory afterwards.
The
mind needs to be active, that is what is does, it thinks…all the time. So
blocking things out of your head can be very difficult at times. Someone once
told me, “Trying to stop your mind form thinking is impossible. It’s like
wrestling with a pig in mud. Two things will happen, you’ll get dirty and the
pig will like it.”
So
after we processed the experience we had or witnessed, there is a time to put
it behind us. Now, the mind will rarely let you do that voluntarily. It will
think about it over and over and, if you allow your mind to do that, you’ll
continue to experience not so pleasant feelings from it. So one way to stop the
mind from thinking about the incident is to give the mind something else to
think about, e.g., repeating something over and over, focusing on what you are
repeating.
In 12-step
programs, some people will repeat the Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity to
accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the
things I can
And the wisdom to know the
difference.
Someday,
we can break down that prayer because it is just full of helpful tools, but not
today.
Just
as water takes on the shape of whatever container you pour it into, your
consciousness will take on the form of whatever you put into your mind. So
think of the container as your mind, whatever are you pouring into that
container is what is going to come out of it.
Thus,
when the mind does its thing…think…and the memories it is bringing up are not
pleasant or conducive to a healthy mental state (that is, bringing about peace,
happiness, love, compassion, understanding,…I think you get the picture),
insert another program, such as the Serenity Prayer.
Some
folks use affirmations, my book “Returning
To Wholeness…Reconnecting to Ah-Man” has a whole section on affirmation.
Other people can use different prayers. A favorite of mine that can be changed
to accommodate any religion is the Jesus Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy
on me.
This
short prayer said over and over will change your mental state, which will also
change your emotional state.
The
prayer can be adapted to Islam:
Allah, have mercy on me
Judaism
Yahweh, have mercy on me
Buddhism
The Buddha within, have mercy
on me
Hinduism
Krishna, have mercy on me
So, we
do not have to be victims, or be held captive by our thoughts. We can stop the
suffering…if we choose to.
When
we stop our own suffering, we do bring more to those around us and the whole
world.
Peace
be with you,
Michael
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