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Subject(s): General Interest Add to My Group
And so on. It was a calm, coldly logical, savage message. And it was relentless. It rarely, if ever, ceased. Sometimes it dipped down to a barely-discernable buzz; other times it grew quite loud. But it was remarkably persistent. Needless to say, that didn’t solve the problem. The more I ignored the broadcast, the more it simply echoed. Years passed like this. I came up with various ways to distract myself and drown out the voice of the ego, but none of them led to lasting relief. Eventually I threw in the towel and decided to try the opposite of what I had been doing. Instead of ignoring the buzz, I would shine a spotlight on it. Little mouse, what are you saying? I began to write out the messages of the ego, of the critic. I pulled them out of the walls, into the living room. Things like: --No one likes you, you know. --Everyone is going to see how incredibly unstable you are. --You’re really pretty sick, actually. --People would be better off if you just stay away from them. --Why bother doing that? You’ll probably just fail. And so on. I actually burst into tears once when I did this, the thoughts were so cruel. And yet, there was an incredible feeling of relief, as well. Far better to bring these thoughts out of the walls, out of the basement. It would be nice to report that the little mouse immediately quieted down (or vacated the premises) once I shined a spotlight on him and his messages. However, what I found was that this is an ongoing practice. The mouse was persistent; he kept on squeaking. Yet, as he came out of the walls, he became less mysterious and overwhelming. I continue to work on this "unmasking" practice today. Every bit of practice seems to help. As A Course in Miracles frequently points out, it’s essential to "bring the darkness into the light" – to bring the ego’s messages into the light of reason and peace. When we do that, we see the mouse for what it is. In conclusion, let me share an important insight on this practice from the Course: When two people do this type of exercise together, it can be remarkably effective as a healing technique. Variations of this practice are actually quite common in cognitive psychotherapy and other forms of counseling. Done together, with a supportive partner, the unmasking of the mouse is both easier and less frightening. As A Course in Miracles points out: when two people look upon the messages of the ego – the messages of the inner critic – the absurdity of those messages becomes quickly apparent. The voice of the ego can sound like a roaring lion. It can seem to completely drown out the loving, nurturing voice of the Spirit. But as we honestly unmask it and see it for what it is, we begin to realize that we're being threatened not by a lion, but by a tiny mouse. Seeing that is a major lesson along the spiritual path – a lesson that we can help each other to learn. Dan Joseph http://www.DanJoseph.com
www.DanJoseph.com Dan Joseph has been writing about the connection between spirituality and psychology for the past ten years. He is the author of two books: "Inspired by Miracles" and "Inner Healing."
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