I lived a life of suffering. I had numerous experiences that caused suffering: being hit by a van, being diagnosed with numerous life-threatening diseases, being disabled, among other things. I was a mess!
Suffering comes in all forms: diseases, emotional distress, or current life circumstances
I have learned that life you gives whatever experience you need at this time to get out of the story of me. Each experience that life presents to you is offering you a chance to let go of the story. The universe wants you to discover your true nature. When we awaken to our true nature, you see how the mind is creating a story that this experience shouldn’t be.
When I was nearly killed by a van, the mind began to create a story that this should not have happened to me: “I was a good boy. I didn’t deserve to be hit.” But why not me? I wasn’t special. I wasn’t immune to the various experiences that life has to offer. Life is always giving us what we need for our spiritual growth.
You may dislike the lesson, but it is how it is. If you ignore the lesson, life will keep presenting it in different forms until you learn and grow from it. If this lesson is unpleasant, accept it regardless then look to see what actions can be taken to change it.
If you look at suffering as a teacher you will perceive it differently. I was taught/ attuned to Reiki, a healing technique — it was an effective tool for healing. One day I received an insight that I should not be healing anyone. I was taking away a lesson from this person. If I healed a person but they did not learn a life lesson from their illness or disease then it would come back. Maybe not in the same exact way, but life will always present the same lessons over and over until you learn and grow. We are spiritual beings in a human body, our purpose here is to experience life as a human and to learn something from this experience (karma).
No one person (doctor, healer, guru) or thing (medicine, herbs) can permanently remove your suffering. They can provide a temporary fix, but the lesson you need to learn will remain. Only you can change your suffering permanently — it is your karma. You have immense power to end your suffering, and when you learn the lesson then the suffering will stop. You are you own guru. You have to do the work — no one can do it for you.
You can learn from any experience by being here fully in this moment. The mind will distract you with endless chatter that this shouldn’t be and cause you to run away from the issue. The mind causes resistance to this moment — what we resist persists. Regardless of the situation, face it head on.
Without our thoughts that create a story that this shouldn’t be — suffering stops. Suffering originates from mind. The mind is creating a story. The body may still be impacted, but you have accepted the situation. Look at the renowned physicist Stephen Hawking — he has ALS. Most folks with ALS die within five years; he’s had it for over 50 years. He has accepted his disease and the universe has rewarded him with a long life span and he has made a dramatic impact on society. If he kept stating, “Poor me,” and dwelt in those thoughts, it is unlikely we would know who he is today.
When you accept the disease rather than deny its existence you are not activating the body’s fight or flight responses which release the stress hormone Cortisol. Cortisol will make any health issue worse, and it will create additional diseases. Any fear based emotions will activate the body’s flight or fight response — anxiety, worry, and stress.
When I let go of the story my mind created about the diseases: I’m disabled, I have MS, I am bipolar, etc. Something amazing happened and I healed — the diseases went away. It defies logic and the medical community calls it “a spontaneous healing,” as there is no scientific explanation. I simply stopped believing my thoughts that were creating a story that I was sick. I stopped dwelling in thoughts, and developed a new mantra: “I don’t dwell.”
Through practice you learn not to believe the nonsense generated from the mind. Some thoughts are useful, but 90 percent of the thoughts are garbage. Garbage that is keeping us stuck in the past or projects a false future. My mind created a future that had me stuck in a wheelchair, that never came true but those thoughts consumed me. The only thing that is real is in this moment — in that moment I was not in a wheelchair.
You practice being in the present moment by completely accepting the situation, and then you look for actions to change the situation if it is not desirable.
Here are two practices to try:
Meditation: See my article on how I broke free from the bipolar brain.
Mindfulness: See my article if meditation isn’t for you. “Meditate. No way, I can’t do that!”
Through practicing being in this moment, you learn how to interrupt the thought stream of thoughts. When you interrupt the thoughts your story of suffering drops away.
Your body may remain a broken down vehicle regardless of any actions, but the suffering will stop when completely accept the situation.
I am here to support you, to help you find your way out of suffering.
I have created a closed Facebook group. The whole world cannot see what you post, only the members of the community. There are numerous paths to get out of your story, you simply need to find the way for you. When you find the way, you will make a radical transformation and suffering will stop.
“I Don’t Dwell” – The End of Suffering
Look for the join button on the right side and I will approve the request.
Be well!