Back before I stumbled onto the nervous system approach to healing, I remember playing Whac-A-Mole with my mind đ€
I repeatedly attempted to force new thoughts into my head.
If I had a thought pop up that said âI canât do thisâ, Iâd replace it with a thought that says âI can do thisâ đ
âIâm not good enoughâ became âIâm more than good enoughâ.
âIâm unworthyâ became âIâm worthyâ.
âShe doesnât like meâ became âShe might not like me yet but she will when she gets to know meâ.
âI donât want to do thisâ (get up early, talk to that person, read that book, do that thing) became âI want to do this because of XYZ and I AM doing itâ.
Simple, right?
This is textbook advice for dealing with negative thoughts and feelings.
Just change the thought and voilĂ ! Youâre fixed.
Riiiiggghhht? đ
The problem wasâŠ
It was exhausting!
It was like playing Whac-A-Mole with my mind every waking minute of the day đ«
Iâd change one thought only to have another pop up 2 minutes later. Then another 30 seconds after. And another. And another.
I also started to feel resentful at the constant arguing going on inside my brain…
âŠand angry because I felt like I was lying to myself with these new thoughts I was forcing into my head.
The worst part was that it didnât work. Not really.
Sure, I felt a bit better if I did it consistently⊠but like I said, it was exhausting! And if I stopped, the negative thoughts and feelings returned (often with a vengeance).
Working directly with my nervous system (like I teach in these emails and inside The Rageheart Academy) removed this battle from my mind.
Healthier thoughts, feelings and perspectives slipped into my brain unnoticed by me at first đ€Ż
By ignoring the mind completely – with its endless rabbit holes, dead-ends and meaningless loops – and focusing elsewhere (on the body, on feeling and sensation), the mind sort of just fixes itself.
Thatâs why Iâm in love with the nervous system approach to healing. Itâs why I write these emails every day. Because (for me at least), it worked FAR better than everything else out there (and continues to do so).
Anyway, these emails are a great place to start with the nervous system approach⊠but if youâd like to go deeper, the next stop on this adventure is The Rageheart Academy here:
Cheers,
John Wood
P.S. Know anyone who struggles with their mind?
Refer them to The Daily Growl (this email newsletter) and give them better tools for beating the negativity and coming home to themselves.