THE HAPPINESS THIEF
Peace of mind. A deep feeling of contentment and joy. The thrill of being alive. A heart-felt connection with others and the natural world…Like a treasured painting by da Vinci, your original nature is composed of a palette of exquisite sensibilities and ecstatic sensations transcending both time and space.
But someone keeps stealing that precious smile off your face! It’s hard to know who exactly. Like an accomplished thief, this shadowy figure is constantly at work, distracting your attention away from the present moment and keeping you pre-occupied with so many pressing issues, stressful concerns and fabricated dramas--all preventing you from experiencing the splendor you were destine to behold.
To experience the joy, peace and love that is your birthright, the identity and shrewd antics of this elusive thief must be uncovered and brought to light.
In an unexpected plot twist, the culprit is suddenly caught on a hidden security camera. You’re completely caught off-guard when you see the picture...it’s YOU!
But someone keeps stealing that precious smile off your face! It’s hard to know who exactly. Like an accomplished thief, this shadowy figure is constantly at work, distracting your attention away from the present moment and keeping you pre-occupied with so many pressing issues, stressful concerns and fabricated dramas--all preventing you from experiencing the splendor you were destine to behold.
To experience the joy, peace and love that is your birthright, the identity and shrewd antics of this elusive thief must be uncovered and brought to light.
In an unexpected plot twist, the culprit is suddenly caught on a hidden security camera. You’re completely caught off-guard when you see the picture...it’s YOU!
Our brain creates representations of self, other people, objects, and landscapes
which correspond quite accurately to reality. It is, however, not reality, but simulations...
synthetic neurologic illusions.
~Robert Berezin
which correspond quite accurately to reality. It is, however, not reality, but simulations...
synthetic neurologic illusions.
~Robert Berezin
Like a fictional character in a suspense novel, ‘you’ are a figment of human imagination, a constantly shifting assortment of thoughts, feelings, desires, aspirations and memories that don't really exist, except in your mind. Clustered together, they create the false impression of a permanent ego. The more your awareness is captured by these perceptions the more you're pulled out of the present moment and drawn into a maelstrom of fears, preoccupations and projections that too often bring misery and needless suffering. Despite it's fictional nature, the notion of a permanent ego plays a very real role in determining your happiness.
Ninety five percent of your unhappiness is not caused by situations you find yourself in.
It is caused by the mental commentary about these situations.
What your mind is saying makes you unhappy, not what’s happening.
~Eckhart Tolle
It is caused by the mental commentary about these situations.
What your mind is saying makes you unhappy, not what’s happening.
~Eckhart Tolle
Your ego isn’t always so troublesome, of course. After all, it gets you off to work each morning, manages the demands of a busy day and tucks the kids into bed at night. But to reclaim the pervasive joy and peace that are an integral part of your true nature, you'll need to become more literate about the ego's function, purpose and self-perpetuating tendencies, and learn to reduce it's selfish grip on your awareness.
Ego Literacy is about increasing your understanding of how the egoic mind operates and learning to read the ego's narratives and subplots as works of fiction. It also introduces a range of mindfulness practices--both traditional and contemporary--that help you gain a more objective perspective of the ego and it's various "cast of characters". With these insights and practices, you can start freeing yourself from the mental constraints that trap your awareness, dull your senses and disrupt your emotional equanimity, giving rise to anxiety, anger, depression, and addiction.
Hidden beneath the symbolic fictional chatter--the concepts, routines, memories, regrets, and aspirations that cloud the mind--lies a treasure-trove of splendor awaiting your return. With Ego Literacy that optimistic smile will soon be back on your face again!
Want to learn more? Schedule a phone session by simply sending along your name and contact information (click 'Contact' below).
Ego Literacy is about increasing your understanding of how the egoic mind operates and learning to read the ego's narratives and subplots as works of fiction. It also introduces a range of mindfulness practices--both traditional and contemporary--that help you gain a more objective perspective of the ego and it's various "cast of characters". With these insights and practices, you can start freeing yourself from the mental constraints that trap your awareness, dull your senses and disrupt your emotional equanimity, giving rise to anxiety, anger, depression, and addiction.
Hidden beneath the symbolic fictional chatter--the concepts, routines, memories, regrets, and aspirations that cloud the mind--lies a treasure-trove of splendor awaiting your return. With Ego Literacy that optimistic smile will soon be back on your face again!
Want to learn more? Schedule a phone session by simply sending along your name and contact information (click 'Contact' below).