This is the exercise mentioned at the end of Therapeutic Journeys to Self-Realisation – blog 8

Blog 8 gives the rationale for this exercise which is to do with thought process management, but diverges to discuss how to go further on this journey to Self-Realisation.

So – the exercise.

Grab a piece of cardboard or half a sheet of paper.

On the top write down, in fairly small letters, your worst thought about yourself.

Such as: “I am useless”. “I will never succeed”. “I always fail”.

You can modify your statement if you need to. Qualify it by saying: “I will never succeed in relationships” or “I always fail in my study”. (Then just remember what that negative self-statement applies to).

Write against that statement – 100%. (We want to get that “score” down to 50%)

We can’t get rid of such thoughts because the brain creates a lot of stuff that we don’t have full control over. (Later on we can see how such thoughts can be transcended, or “mostly” removed as required).

We just want to get to a 50% balance of positive and negative.

That’s where we are headed at this time. However we are then ahead of the crowd, because most people don’t even purposely think about doing something to modify their thoughts. Often thoughts are just accepted- because they are there. Some will say they do this or that to change thinking patterns, but then it can be random without awareness of the cause and effect of thought processes.

Now write one word below the negative self-statement. Put that word in capitals.

Because that word modifies your sentence it takes 15% off of your 100% “tariff”.

I suggest, BUT, or HOWEVER

We are just starting to rephrase the negative self-statement, and it’s reducing its power..

Now write something positive underneath in larger letters. Something to minimise the negative self-statement.

If you say, “I’m useless”, then write: But I know this is NOT true. Or: “I know I’m not useless. That’s just my brain throwing out rubbish thoughts”

For this is you get down to 60%.

If you say: “It’s not true most of the time”, I will concede down to 70%!

Turn your cardboard over and write something in large letters that is positive about yourself?

Eg. “I know I have a great value to my family, and my work, and to my community”. Something along those lines as per youtr choice..

Hey, you get down to 40% only – negative and 60% positive!

We don’t need to do better than this, as we are at this point just getting a balanced thought. This can enable us to change some outcomes that negative thoughts produce. (Such as low mood and anxiety, or even physical ailments).

So far this is all very well regarding mental well-being, but there are many books about this sort of exercise, which is about re-phrasing & substituting balanced thoughts.

In this book, we want to use this exercise next as a step to Self Realisation.

How about if you’ve made a very negative statement about yourself on your front piece of card and then you write on the back, “I am a Divine Being”. (Maybe that’s a step far for many)!

Alternatives can be such as: I am a spiritual being living in a physical body”. “I’m part of the Cosmic Consciousness, and have the same essence”. (Like water in a cup is the same substance as water in the ocean).

Here is up to you as it’s how far you want to take it. How quick do you want this Journey to be over? If you hold back here because of your belief system, it’s consider whether belief systems are part of the egocentric human condition. Self Realisation is transcendental to the ego-based experience. Having said that, getting this simple exercise translated into a leap beyond the ego is no small task. That is the task here!

There are a few problems then, especially as what I have written is an over simplification that doesn’t take into account a lot of factors.

This is why there’s a whole book here about Therapeutic Journeys to Self-Realisation. Otherwise we would just be fixing everything in the matter of a few paragraphs. Then I would have nothing to do. I might think the negative self-statement: “My life is without purpose”!