When you cut your finger, you don’t have to figure out how to heal the cut. That’s taken care of by your body’s natural immune system. The same is true psychologically. You have a psychological immune system that restores wellbeing without your having to intervene.
I’m often asked what people can do when they’re unhappy or when they’re struggling. What tip can I offer to help them change from struggle to peace or happiness?
And here’s the thing. That’s like saying, “What tip, Molly, can you offer that will cause the cut on someone’s hand to heal?”
Whether we’re talking psychological pain or a cut on the hand, no tip is needed to cause healing.
The healing process is innate.
Our minds and bodies are both designed to heal. We have a psychological healing system that’s as innate and powerful as our physical healing system. Just as you don’t need to sit down and figure out how to make the cut on your hand heal, you don’t need to sit down and figure out how to recover from a low mood.
A low mood will always shift. You will recover. It’s in your nature for to return to a state of well-being.
It’s also human nature to feel what we think.
We have ups and downs all the time. We experience our thinking, and sometimes our thinking is insecure and scary, or jealous, or angry, but that doesn’t change the fact that our essential nature is whole and healthy.
And when we simply let our thinking settle, we connect again with that true nature. From there it is natural to allow the psychological immune system to do it’s thing.
In the video I say to trust this immune system, but I’d rather you not do that.
Rather than trusting what I say here, look for yourself. Open your mind and heart. Be curious about where you might find evidence for a psychological immune system in your own experience.
Remember, I’m not saying that there is no such thing as psychological pain or upset.
I’m saying that, when you really look, you will find that pain and upset are transient. Left to its own devices, the mind will return to equanimity. As surely as paper cuts and broken bones heal, psychological pains heal too, and they heal best without interference.
Let me know how this lands. What makes sense? What is murky or just plain wrong from where you sit? And thanks for reading and/or watching. Please share your thoughts and questions. ♥
