Recovery and Freedom in Neural Pathways

Recovery
As far as I know, there is no 12-Step program for believing your thoughts.  If there were, I would have gone to meetings because at points in my life believing what my mind said about me, other people, and the moment was destructive.  Consider that you have internalized the following beliefs so deeply that they are now unconscious assumptions: 

• there is something you need to do or have to be okay
• external knowledge is more reliable than direct experience
• feeling uncomfortable means something is wrong
• thinking is the best way to experience something
• growing means that you haven't figured things out which means you're a loser
• your thoughts are true

I know that these assumptions have deep roots in my brain.  If you are interested, you can watch this 2 minute video that shows what old and new thoughts look like in your brain, in your neural network.

The Work - Questioning Your Thinking
Some of you are already familiar with Byron Katie.  If you are not, she is a teacher and writer who discovered that her debilitating depression (it got so bad she was unable to get out of bed) was caused by believing her thoughts.   Her suffering was relieved when she questioned her thoughts - Is it true that my friend's girlfriend hates me?  Is it true that my son needs to get good grades?  Is it true that my marriage is not working?  Is it true that I'm a quitter?

The beginning, middle and end of Byron Katie's work is that we suffer when we believe our thinking and we liberate ourselves when we question our thinking.  That's it.  The Work is her technique for teaching people how to question their thinking.  The worksheets for doing The Work are at that link.  What I found helpful, when first learning how to do The Work, was to look at the Judge Your Neighbor worksheet and then watch Byron Katie coach other people: check this example out.  

Neural Plasticity

There is a boatload of research demonstrating that neural plasticity - your ability to undo and create neural pathways - is key for health and well being.  I could rant about the value of cultivating neural plasticity but this blog post by best selling author Lynne McTaggart does a great job doing that.  Byron Katie's Work helps people create neural plasticity.  The Work literally opens people's minds.  Open minds have choices. Open minds serve open hearts. Open minds Love. 

**  Neural Plasticity Experiment Part 1 **

A. Right now, think about something in your life that is not working out like you'd like it to  How is it working out, instead?  What needs to happen so it works out in a way that you'd like it to go?  What are you afraid of happening if things don't go the way you want them to go?

B1. You can go to The Work link above and use the Judge Your Neighbor Worksheet with whatever area is not working out.  Don't worry about doing it "right;" just give it a go.  See what happens.  This is participatory action research!

OR

B2. Imagine things go the opposite way that you'd like them. Imagine the worst case scenario, what would happen?  Now, pretend you're a Psychology Professor lecturing on how the worst case scenario is actually the best case scenario.  Pretending to be the Psychology Professor, tell yourself a story about the power of the worst case scenario. 

** Neural Plasticity Experiment 2 **

If you watched the neural networks video I linked above, you have an idea of what neural pathways look like.  If you didn't, then pretend you know what they look like. Now close your eyes and imagine neural pathways in your brain connecting . Imagine you are consciously creating new pathways.  Imagine you are changing old pathways.  Imagine that the color of the neural networks changes when you change your thoughts.

Trust your brain.  Trust your heart.  Trust You.  

You are Loving Awareness.  

These inquiries and experiments are for fun.  

You don't need any fixing up!  

You are perfect as you are.