Quote:
Originally Posted by AlwaysLearning  There are two opposing schools, call them the mystics and the mentalists (the names aren't totally accurate, but it rolls off the tongue).
Mystic approach: Learn to live in a state of "presence". This is achieved by doing meditation in which you allow your thoughts to spring up as they will, you don't try to control them or silence them or even analyze them, just passively observe them. Passive observation deprives the thoughts of energy; it's common to refer to this process as "dismantling patterns". In this school, thoughts are often considered "the enemy". For more on this, read Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now".
Mentalist approach: Decide how you want to think, and bend your mind that way by using an assortment of mental tricks. Examples are written positive affirmations, NLP, self-hypnotism. I've had great success with positive affirmations, personally. Just write things, like, "I love my strong body", "I accept all the best things in life", etc. Seems silly at first but it gradually reprograms your brain.[/url] |
Nice way to look at it. I had never thought of that dicotomy. I too have an over-active mind on ocasions.
I've been trying the Mystic approach and I've had some good experiences. My first try was doing one of Steve's
"Presence Walks". I try to do this often and it's a huge relief, although terribly hard to attain fully.
Leo Babauta's "The Power of Less" (I think it was in that book) has some interesting ideas regarding daily routine and how to turn it into a ritual by granting it your full, undivided attention. This has the double effect of making these tasks significant and filtering unwarranted thoughts. A difficult exercise, but one worth trying.
Finally,
this article at Raptitude might be interesting. Again, this is all coming from the Mystic POV.