Letting Go of Ego
Dear Claudia,
I’m having trouble “awakening” to the present moment with my meditation and letting go of ego. I am plagued by anxiety and can’t just let go of it, even though I know that it is useless and unnecessary. Do you know why I can’t let go of this anxiety, or what I can do to be more at peace?
Michaela
Dear Michaela,
Many people forget that Eckhart Tolle awakened to his enlightened state the moment he realized he didn’t want to live. He was about to kill himself when he experienced his awakening, and the rest is history.
What this means is that for him to achieve presence with what he was feeling, he had to know what that was.
Often, there are unspoken feelings, sensations, and dynamics that we have not put our finger on. When you don’t yet know exactly what it is you’re feeling, you can’t always achieve presence with it.
Now, anxiety, psychologically speaking, is what’s known as a “secondary emotion.” That means we feel it in response to other, more primary emotions. Maybe sexual. Maybe aggressive. We don’t always know what that primary emotion is. That’s why we have anxiety.
I can’t tell you how many times I have helped people to discover their primary thoughts and feelings, only to witness their anxiety vanish.
And that’s when you can achieve presence with what you feel: when you know it.
The way to discover the thoughts and emotions that you are not knowing and experiencing in your conscious awareness is to allow your mind to wander, on a yoga mat, therapist’s office, or on a written page. Eventually ‒ and especially if you can be helped to accept your emotions ‒ you will land on thoughts and feelings that will feel like “aha” moments, things you did not realize or that may even feel like complete revelations. And when that happens, you will feel at peace.
You can’t attain sanity by just trying harder, exercising a positive outlook, letting go, forgiving or meditating. What you need for sanity, when reason fails, are emotional experiences. Not ideas. Experiences.
– Claudia Luiz, PsychD in Where’s My Sanity? Stories That Help
We are here to evolve, and enlightenment is not something you can turn on like a switch in your brain. It is something that requires continued meditation, continued deep knowledge of your “pain body” and continued practice in observing the ego. Don’t get discouraged – I admire you greatly for seeking answers to reconciling what is happening within you to what you recognize outside of yourself.
About the Author
QUIZ: ARE YOU AN EMPATH?
The term “empath” is a form of identity emerging in the twenty-first century to describe a person who was born with unique variations in how her brain and central nervous system works. An empath has the ability to read and understand people and be in-tune with or resonate with others, voluntarily or involuntarily of one’s empath capacity.
In general, the biggest trait of an empath is a high degree of overall sensitivity. All of the sensory organs of an empath have an unusual sensitivity to light, smell, and sound, as well as other, subtler senses. Again, the degree to which they are sensitive depends on the capacity of their natural abilities. An empath also possesses a very sensitive emotional nature that is typically difficult to self-manage. However, being highly sensitive is only one part of being an empath.
Empaths are very, very intuitive. They tend to do things by feeling, sensing, and reacting to cues that most people can’t even begin to see. After all, empaths are driven by deep intuitive connections that are largely unconscious and automatic. Although what an empath senses or knows can’t be verified immediately, once they master their gifts their hunches and gut feelings can become invaluable.
Essentially, empaths have a deep sense of knowing that accompanies empathy and are often compassionate, considerate, and understanding of others. All of this may sound very intimidating, but in truth, these are gifts to be honed and celebrated. Folks who are empaths make wonderful healers, leaders, light workers and holistic practitioners. They are valuable contributors to those who wish to change the world.
So, does this sound like you? Take this brief quiz to find out:
