The Nature of our Human Experience.
The three principles of universal mind, thought and consciousness represent the spiritual nature of our human experience. They are a formless energy that provides humans with the capacity to experience life.
Universal Mind is the intelligence and formless energy underlying the universe, serving as the foundation of creation. It is the power source for all living beings and flows continuously through each of us. As doctors, our hope for you in your exploration with us is to recognize that every human is connected to the Universal Mind. This connection provides us with an innate intelligence, empowering us to respond wisely and overcome undesirable habits.
Thought serves as the energy enabling creation. Through the power of thought, we generate all our mental activities. Our opinions, memories, judgments, blame, excitement, and compassion represent just a small portion of what we can create in our minds. Thought is the means by which we understand or experience life. The principle of thought acts as the vehicle that converts the creative energy of the Universal mind into what we refer to as real life, our manifest experience.
As you embark on this journey with us, embracing the principle of thought as both a gift and a powerful tool for creating your own thinking can be truly liberating.
Our feelings and our experiences of life are the result of our thoughts about the circumstances of life, not a direct result of those circumstances. We discover that we are not wedded to these thoughts. We have many possible ways to look at our life.
Consciousness is the energy to be aware of what we have created through thought. Through the operation of consciousness, our thoughts are brought to life. The second we create a thought consciousness brings the total experience of that thought to us. Our biochemistry, neuropathways, physiology, emotions, and behavior all follow our thinking. Thus, if we have a worry filled thought, consciousness brings all of us to align with that thought. Consciousness is like a movie projector in our minds that brings thinking to life. Delivering vivid, sensory experiences of what’s taking place internally. Although our experience is generated from within us, it feels as if we are experiencing life as it is in the world around us. What is truly inside-out tends to appear very outside-in.
This exploration together will lead to a greater understanding of how thought and consciousness shape our perception of life, granting us a new sense of freedom. We will realize that we are not confined to the worry-laden thoughts that bring us pain and suffering. This insight will enable us to adopt a perspective that is less reactive and more compassionate.
Exploring unwanted patterns, habits and behaviors.
As our understanding of the human experience deepens, we become empowered to explore the attributes that enable us to address unwanted patterns, habits, and behaviors. This journey fosters new, creative thinking that equips us to effectively navigate the challenges life presents.
As practitioners, many of our clients have discovered through coaching that their habits, patterns, and behaviors are merely the brain's attempt to seek well-being or peace of mind. They come to realize that the mental and physical wellness they sought was already within them. This realization often leads to an awakening of the quiet space of deeper feelings that exists within their consciousness. Consequently, they can cease their attempts to find well-being and peace through external habits and behaviors. What emerges is an inside-out experience of life rather than an outside-in approach. Once individuals gain insight into these principles, they can avoid dysfunctional thinking and allow more constructive thoughts to arise. The beauty of these insights is that clients begin to find improvements in various aspects of their lives, including their work environment, home life, health, and relationships.
A useful framework for understanding the concepts discussed in our articles, blogs, and podcasts is based on the premise that habits, behaviors, and patterns represent an impersonal, thought-based experience. This perspective allows us to address them without delving into the past or overanalyzing our lives. It is not a matter of willpower or discipline, nor does it stem from ignorance of triggers or ineffective coping skills. Instead, overcoming a habit, behavior, or pattern involves a profound connection with the truth of who we are and a clear understanding of the nature of our habits and ourselves.
Our habits, behaviors, and patterns are innocently rooted in a desire to feel better, return to peace of mind, and achieve a sense of safety. However, this does not necessitate a radical overhaul of our lives for these habits to dissipate. In essence, nearly all habits begin as a means to escape uncomfortable feelings. They serve as a way to distance ourselves from the present moment of dis-ease or discomfort, guiding us back to a more peaceful state within. While these habits can effectively provide temporary relief from suffering, they also transport us away from the present moment, making them appear to be the best and fastest options for feeling better. Our habits offer valuable insights into our state of mind; the tension and dis-ease that prompt us to engage in habitual behavior signal that we are lost in our personal thoughts. This discomfort is created by our own thinking and presents an opportunity to step back, allowing our minds to clear and reconnect with our true selves.
Eventually, our habituated brains focus on sustaining our habits or behaviors, using urges to do so. Urges manifest as thoughts or feelings that compel us to act on our habits, ranging from simple justifications like "it's okay" to more intense cravings that feel nearly impossible to resist, such as the urge to smoke or drink alcohol.
While our habits initially serve to avoid discomfort, they gradually shift to an attempt to escape the painful experience of the urge itself. Acting on a habit continues to distract us from our inner experiences, but the source of suffering changes. Neurologically, the uncomfortable drive to act on a habit strengthens each time we obey the urge. Our habits are formed through our reactions to our own thoughts and urges. Each time we give in to an urge, we reinforce the neural pathways in our brains associated with that habit, effectively instructing our brains to continue producing urges.
Furthermore, we often obey our urges because giving in seems to be the only way to alleviate them. Given their intensity, it is understandable that we prioritize their disappearance. We may feel that the only way to diminish an urge is to act on it, thus relieving the pressure it creates. This response can become somewhat mindless, akin to a reflex. The encouraging news is that, over time, through understanding these principles, we can learn that we do not have to submit to our urges to make them fade. They tend to diminish on their own when we recognize the truth about them. When we perceive our urges and behaviors as fleeting thoughts that do not define us or reflect our true needs, their perceived power diminishes, making them easier to dismiss. By repeatedly dismissing urges without acting on them, they eventually dissipate. In the absence of urges and with a mindset that allows us to rest in the truth of our essential nature, our habits, behaviors, or patterns become relics of the past.
By integrating the spiritual truth that we are inherently mentally healthy and habit-free—save for our temporary, habitual thinking—with the neurological understanding that our habits consist of thoughts that naturally fade, we can perceive our habits as far less powerful and permanent than they once seemed.
You’ve Got This!