Thoughts

Reflections on working with Thoughts and Moods

Introduction, written from a balanced perspective rather than good and bad. All of life’s experiences have meaning, nothing is w/o purpose and nothing should be left out. Turning into all of life’s experiences gives strength and wisdom.

The Great Struggle
     The struggle occurs most often when there are experiences in my life that I do not recognize, accept and understand.

Whenever a body sensation, emotion or thought patterns are present w/o awareness & caring I often struggle with it unpleasantness. The ego becomes strengthen with the aversion, “I am not getting what I want” or “I am getting what I don’t want.” This can cause the “becoming” of a even stronger sense of self and the related suffering “I am-ness”

The wanting is part of our life’s energy and not to be judge as bad. That lack of awareness of the wanting, and “taking it or making personal” is where the difficulty arises.

The strength of the wanting sensations, thoughts and emotions can also indicate if I am “taking care” of myself.

So with the qualities of awareness, compassion and intention I am learning to respond more and react less to life’s difficult experiences.

Thoughts and Emotions:
     Often the recognition of the thought or emotion is enough.

Thoughts & emotions work together, certain thoughts can give rise to emotions, and certain emotions can give rise to thoughts. If the thoughts or emotions are recognized to be unskillful. They are first accepted as being real and then w/o judgment inquired into. This then leads to an understanding what is needs to be known. As they are recognized, accepted and understood, occur less frequently and do not last as long.

Developing Personal Vocabularies of:

1. Sensations of the body
2. Emotions of the heart
3. Thoughts of the mind.

*Disclaimer, the following are terms I use in developing my self-awareness and may not be a fit for others. Please develop you own vocabulary of terms that are meaningful to you.

Sensations:

• Hard to Soft,
• Rough to Smooth,
• Heavy to Light
• Moving to Stillness,
• Cold to Hot,
• Holding to Flowing

Emotional Vocabulary:

• Dread, Anxious, Afraid, Worried
• Sad, Lonesome
• Dull, Lazy
• Excited
• Content

Thoughts:

Self-Referencing thoughts “I am ….

• Self-Referencing neutral thoughts, “I am going for a walk” do not condition emotions.
• Self-Caring thought, “I am going to not harm myself” conditions skillful emotions.
• Self-Inflating thoughts, “I am so good” conditions emotions separation.
• Self-Deflating thoughts, “I am so bad”
• Self-Pitying thoughts, “I am so unfortunate”

Wanting thoughts, “I’m going to get …

Judgmental thoughts, “Why can’t the do better than that, they are so …

Aversive thoughts, “I dislike my experience of …

Worrying thoughts “something unpleasant is going to happen”

Resentful thoughts, “She/He is always like this

Caring thoughts, “May I /others be safe/well

Accepting thoughts, “things are as they are”

Thought Images,

• Past, Places w/o people
• Past, People w/o places
• Past, People & Places
• Past, She Said/He Did
• Future, Event/Outcome

Awareness:
    Awareness comes before change, first we wake-up to the truth of the experience, accepted as being true in that moment, inquire into the nature of it, which allows for  deeper understanding to arise.

Thought & Image Substitution:
     By using gentle phrases of intention and caring appreciative images we can change a stressful mood.

Other Processes:
     The acceptance of thing as they are.
     Inquiring into the truth of the stressful experience.
     Being curious about what is realty happening with out judgmentalness.