The Middle Discourse
A 5 part series: Healing of Distracting Thoughts
There are 5 methods/techniques that are a part of The Majjhima Nikaya (a.k.a., the middle discourse). They are:
Changing the focus of your thoughts
Considering the danger of your thoughts
Ignoring your thoughts
Stilling or pausing your thoughts
Crushing your mind with your mind
Technique #1: Changing Focus of Thoughts
This technique can be thought of like driving a peg out of wood with another peg. Here you’re using mindfulness to replace your thoughts with other things. You’re shifting your attention to more wholesome thoughts. For instance when someone says something negative about you, you think about the positive things they’ve also said.
For me this is really pertinent when I look through all the shit I’ve been through in my past (victimized by both parents and my one and only domestic partner alike followed by a brief stint with homelessness). Many people have told me that I’ve been through more in my life than anyone should go through in a single life and I can’t help but agree. I have a choice though… Do I sit here and ruminate about all of these things or do I move forward and live a life as the strong person god created me to be?
In all honesty, for the longest time I did sit and ruminate. I was literally stuck. I didn’t want to live in the past but I couldn’t imagine a future where I’m healed and whole as I am today. Things were turbulent and took a whole hell of a lot of work to overcome but I’m at a point where I can say that unknowingly I’d been taught this technique in therapy and have used it to rebuild myself into the intuitive healer and relationship coach I am today.
I say this to ask where do you need healing? Where can you apply this technique? I know you can do it and find healing from it which is why I encourage you to embrace it today.
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