Transforming mechanisms of thought

Our thinking mechanism is very similar to how a computer works. Just like a PC, we have hardware (brain) and software installed (programs with which we operate). The hardware is determined by our genetics and is the result of human evolution. The software is determined by several factors, which include the education system in which we have developed, our socio-cultural environment, all the experiences we have had (especially those that occurred during our early years of life, at birth and even those experienced inside the womb). If we believe in the soul as “something” eternal, then we are conditioned by experiences previous to our present existence.

The result is that we have a hard disk with plenty of capacity to store data and that thinks and feels in a certain way, through “serial” programs previously installed and others than have been installed while interacting with our environment. The way of thinking and feeling occurs primarily through the execution of these programs. Some of them run automatically as they are installed in the operating system and are difficult to disable. Even if you send them to the “recycling bin”, they do not go away and after a few days they start operating again.

Our brain interacts with the environment; it processes the information and issues a certain response. This response might be a thought, an emotion or an action. If we analyze our own responses to the stimulus we receive, we would realize that over 90% of our actions are determined by the performance of automated programs. The programs run with such ease, speed and precision, that we are not aware of these processes.

Each one of us is a unique human being, but all human beings operate in similar ways. The most surprising thing is that we are more predictable than we think.

The execution of these automated programs (like a computer programming or a virus installed on your computer) leads to our habits, behaviors and attitudes. This set of programs, which is a real operating system, leads to our personality.

Being trapped in our own programs

Any emotion or thought can trigger a full program. Depending on the activated program, a vast part of the neuronal activity can trap us and get us involved in a circle from which it is difficult to escape.

For example, if my hierarchical superior has not invited me to a meeting I consider of interest, this might make a program jump. This event triggers a series of chained thoughts and emotions that ultimately lead to the confirmation of a deeply rooted belief inside me: “that I am not wanted”. Jumping into that conclusion does not happen automatically but in the end I get to that conclusion which, on the other hand, is well known in the depths of my heart.

The emotional reaction is so intense that we are left without resources to act. We are left speechless, blocked; we are not even capable to look at our boss in the eye. In the assumption that we are conscious of the whole process, and that we have detected that, for example, indeed, all my discomfort is due to an association of chained thoughts and emotions where the issue of “abandonment” emerges, this mere understanding of the facts will not generate resources that lead towards actions. We are stuck. We know what is happening, but we do not know how to get out.

How do we get out of this state? It is not a question of will or knowledge. “I want to get out and I know what is happening but how do I get out? The emotion disturbs me”. We are trapped by an emotion that stops us from listening and seeing clearly, which does not allow us to look at alternative emotional possibilities.

The transformation

The answer lies in the Albert Einstein’s famous axiom: “no problem can be solved by the same level of awareness that created it”. Indeed, we must take a quantum leap in order to get out of the emotion-thought circle. The key is to access another level of awareness. We are not going to get out of the emotion-thought circle unless we change our level of awareness.

The method to get out of the «circle» is te following:

1. Having awareness. The first step is to be aware of what is happening and observe the “thought-emotion” entrapment that generates the vicious circle.
2. Acceptance. Trying to avoid emotions is counterproductive. We have to accept what we are feeling. Pain is unavoidable, but prolonged suffering can be avoided. The problem is not feeling the pain but dwelling in it.
3. Will. To want to change the situation one finds oneself in is not about wanting to change the events but to change my internal response to external events.
4. Observing from another level. The key point of the method it to observe from another place, as if by a third party. There are several techniques to facilitate this process, one of them could be to “separate from yourself” and “see yourself from above”.
5. Find the exit (insight). This is a creative process that seeks alternative solutions and different ways of thinking. This process can also occur spontaneously or as a result of trial and error. In any case the more options we have the more possibilities we will have to find a suitable option.
6. Creating the new (feeling). In order to create the new, we must focus on the emotion, that is, feeling what has been created at its maximum expression of nuances and act as if it has already been created. We must flow through the experience as if the changes that we wish to see were already there.

It is important to note that the fact alone of wanting to change is not enough. There are many “positive psychology” trends created in USA that have supported this idea (“if you want it, you can do it”), but this approach is very partial and leads to confusion and misinterpretation. Apart from being incomplete, it is also very frustrating. The will (wanting) has to go together with the emotion (feeling).

Once we have created the new and have had a living experience, the brain reorganizes itself and we must let go to allow the internal neurology do its job.

Planting seeds

The mind and emotions are types of energy. Sustained thought and emotion create realities. If we focus on the solution and the way in which we have set out our new reality, new paths will emerge and we will increase the possibilities for our reality to flow in that direction.

The more energy, the greater the possibilities. An illustrative example is when we are studying for an exam. The more energy we assign to studying, the more probability we will have of succeding. Nevertheless, there are no guarantees that we will pass the exam.

The reality we have experienced is about to happen. It has expressed its potential, but has not yet materialized. It is a matter of time for the wave function (in terms of quantum mechanics) to “collapse”. The persistence and determination of the person projecting the facts towards that new reality are key factors.

This is like planting seeds. We have planted seeds with our thoughts, and these seeds have to be watered and looked after. If the conditions are right so that they can grow, they will transform into vigorous trees.

Directing the energy: doing what needs to be done

The important thing is to direct the energy towards the new place we have created: we cannot foresee the results as this is out of our hands. It is good to remember that we are not playing this formidable game alone, there are many players and many games happening simultaneously. In any case, the result should not matter much. We have moved our inner energy and what is more important is “to do what needs to be done”.

Everything is changing. A process of continuous adaptation is taking place. Immediately after a session, changes within the system have occurred which will affect the way in which each one of its elements interact. If everything that happens in the quantum field happened independently of other systems and individuals, it would mean that we are playing this game on our own and that the rest of the players have no possibilities for change. The fact is that we are constantly interacting in parallel games and with many players joining our game. When the rest of the players move a counter, our game is already changing, and therefore, the original strategy has to be adapted.

Flowing with “what needs to be done at all times” is the master key to our performance; resistance to start or finish at the right time is really the source of the majority of the problems.

The cosmic game

Life cannot be controlled and nothing of what happens to us can be controlled either. Many things do not depend on us, no matter how hard we try. The difficult experiences that we have had may have been the only way that existed to change direction or learn something, and probably the only way of learning that lesson was living this difficult experience. We must flow, not resist change and we must acknowledge the good and the bad.

When you realize that life is a great game, the perspective of everything that happens to you changes dramatically. We have to accept that we sail in uncertainty and that we cannot predict what will happen in the next few days, let alone in a few years. To accept the game is to understand that what happens in our lives is not what we wish for but what we need. The only thing to do is to actively participate in this game. And one participates fully when one does what needs to be done and is where should be.

To discover this wonderful game is what has fascinated me most in life. To accept life as it is, is to live it to the full. Knowing that we are only an infinitesimal part of the Universe, and that the entire Universe is within us.