We change our minds all the time. We change our minds when we order food, when we decide what we want to wear for the day or what we want to do for the day. We often say, “you know what, I change my mind…..” We don’t think twice about the change, we just change our mind and that’s that. We change our minds about how we feel about certain things or people or places. Generally based on how much information we have but also based on our interactions or on how others feel about it. Our minds can be influenced by what we and others think, feel, and believe, conscious or not.
So how does changing your mind relate to healing and wellness? We can change our minds about how we see, think, and feel about whatever is happening in our lives at whatever level – physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. We can choose to see things from any angle and what we choose to think and feel will certainly have an impact on us as well as all others concerned, positive or negative. These thoughts or feelings can help us in our healing or spiral us further into the depths of whatever dis-ease we are experiencing – it’s really our choice (oh joy!).
Our minds create a form of energy that sends signals to our entire system so that we can survive. Danger is a great example. If there is danger, our thoughts and feelings create actions in our bodies. Our bodies respond appropriately for our survival. We don’t have to say or do anything, our bodies immediately respond. Our hearts start to beat faster, we begin to sweat, we breathe heavier, we feel vibrations throughout our bodies, and a billion other actions are taking place in the deepest of our cells. All of this is triggered by our thoughts and feelings to what we are experiencing. We don’t even have to be in a physically dangerous situation, we can simply think of it and our bodies respond (I can think of something sad and actually have tears well up – I know others have done this as well). This same process happens with any of our thoughts, dangerous or not. Our bodies (physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual) react based on our thoughts and beliefs.
There have been a number of studies done on this “phenomenon” (I quote this because I think it’s funny that some consider this a phenomenon – it’s simply how intelligent we are – we just don’t realize it). For example, if you simply think about exercising – sit down, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing yoga, running, or lifting weights, really imagine this is happening – it will have an impact physically. Believe it or not. Your thoughts create your reality! Another great example is the famous placebo effect. How is it that a sugar pill can have healing effects when there is no actual “medicine” being ingested? Because they believed it. Interesting.
I’ve been playing with changing my mind and my beliefs on a conscious level for many years. There were many times I found it very difficult to change my mind or beliefs about a situation. “This person made me mad, I don’t want to forgive them or believe that they didn’t mean to do what they did. I don’t want to have love for them or give my power over to them. I don’t believe that. I don’t like that. Why? Because I just don’t ok?”
I found that by not changing my mind about whatever situations came up for me, I was giving more and more of my power away because I couldn’t stop thinking about the situation and what so and so did and can you believe…. and why would they do that…. Even thoughts such as “well, I’m sure they had a good reason,” or “maybe they are just having a rough time…..” or “I probably deserved it, maybe it’s karma….” were pulling the very thing I was trying to repel into my space.
I was creating a thought pattern in my being that allowed me to hold on to this anger or sadness or frustration that I really didn’t want in my space. But I couldn’t figure out how to get rid of it. One of my biggest pitfalls was being conscious that I was conscious so I would go around in circles in that I wouldn’t allow myself to get angry because I didn’t want anger in my space and so I wouldn’t allow myself to process what was happening, I would simply try to ignore it and brush it off as one of those situations. But it was still in my space since I hadn’t really acknowledged it and it would show up again and again in another form. And there I was doing the same thing over and over, conscious yet unconscious of the patterns my thoughts were creating.
I got to the point where I was numb to feeling but with so much emotion. I had an abundance of energy, not sustainable, that wasn’t really mine, taking residence in my energetic space and it was exhausting me physically. I had to find a way to manage these situations that kept occurring. One day I thought, I’m going to change to my mind. Having read an abundance of books and having watched many movies and documentaries on the power of our thoughts and beliefs, I figured I’d give it a try.
Surprisingly, just the intention to change my mind set in motion the process for me to heal old wounds that kept being opened. While I’m not big on judging scars, I was getting tired of seeing them grow. There was an excitement of this newly found plan – one of those “eeeeek” moments. So here I had this wonderful intention to change my mind about how I respond to situations and more importantly, how I receive situations. Woohooo. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock…… ok. How do I actually apply this “change my mind” business?
Hm, maybe I could experiment. And that’s just what I did. At each opportunity for healing at whatever level, I chose to look at each situation, find what about the situation was mine (or not mine) or an old wound that wanted to be healed. And I acknowledged my thoughts, feelings, and emotions and looked at my (or not my) beliefs around it. How am I giving my power away in this situation? What of this situation is mine (this can be hard – sometimes not so pretty) and what is not (without judgment or fear) and how can I acknowledge what is happening and allow my entire being to heal?
What I also did was let go of judgment with myself and others. Who am I to judge? I have no idea what others have been through in their past or what they are going through in the present. I know that they were brought into this world, as was I; with some hope of a bright future and that they are spirit in a human body having a human experience. What an honor and joy it is to be on this journey with them and learn and grow from not only my experiences but also from theirs.
So if you like, the next time you run into a situation that doesn’t sit so well with you, stop for a moment and ask yourself how you can change your mind about the situation. This doesn’t mean you give in to the situation or give yourself up or lay in waiting for someone to take advantage of you. It doesn’t mean that your thoughts are going to magically remove the situation. It just means you can look at the entire situation from a different perspective and decide how you want to receive (or not receive) and respond. Have fun with it, make it light and not so serious. If anything, you’re just spending a few more moments with yourself looking at something for what it is or what you see it as.
Exercise:
Close your eyes (after you read this of course) and imagine that you are sitting behind your eyes and between your ears in the center of your head. Create a beautiful observation deck and sit in a comfy chair observing the world around you.
Imagine a cord going from the base of your spine down into the center of the earth (this is what is called a grounding cord and it can be a tree, a beam of light, a cord, a pole, whatever resonates with you). Imagine that grounding cord is as wide as your hips and allows anything that isn’t in resonance with your highest and greatest good to be released down the grounding cord and into the earth to be recycled.
Take any situation from the past or present. See this situation and observe what thoughts, feelings, and beliefs it brings up for you. This can be something physical (pain or illness), emotional (abuse), mental (challenging problem), or spiritual (trying to find you). Imagine a beautiful large rose about a foot out in front of you and imagine the rose is a color that represents this situation. Observe the situation from this neutral place without judgments or fear. Put all of these feelings, thoughts, beliefs into the rose, including anyone that happens to pop into your head. Send them and everything else into the rose. Imagine that rose moving outside and blowing up, sending the energy fragments through the universe to be cleansed and recycled or returned to the rightful owner.
Now imagine a big gold bubble (like a soap bubble) out in front of you and imagine this situation and how you would like or would have liked to see it play out (for the highest and greatest good of all concerned of course). Imagine yourself receiving and responding in your true vibration and in the truth of who you are. Sprinkle some amusement, joy, love, peace, and anything else you want into this bubble. Give it a blessing from your divine spirit and send it off to the edge of the creative universe to be fulfilled, knowing it will come back to you in perfect time.
Imagine a big gold sun, ten times bigger than your home, sitting above your head and fill it with whatever qualities you would like for yourself (courage, love, peace, joy, intelligence, imagination, creativity, amusement, mindfulness, awareness, kindness, strength…….. ANYTHING you want), pulling in all of your source energy (just intend for this). When it’s full, pop it and have all that energy flow into your entire being, filling you up completely. When you are filled in, open your eyes and stretch.
Change your mind and your beliefs and your bodies will respond.
many blessings,
– Kathy Ganev