Don’t worry. Be happy!
Whether it’s a secular or spiritual environment, so much of what we’re taught about how to manage our thoughts boils down to one message: “Don’t think those bad thoughts! Think only good thoughts!” And it’s a prescription for mental disaster.
How do you present yourself to the outside world? Personally, I used to hide my emotional pain and look normal enough. Professional, successful, measured. But behind that facade lived my wounded self.
As a professional embracing the judicious use of cannabis in an innovative approach to trauma resolution, I often encounter individuals worried about the aftermath of “taking too much” cannabis. Typically, their concern is linked to an undefined yet deep-seated fear that something negative might happen.
Breathing was something I didn’t really want to do for most of my life. Not that I didn’t want to breath to stay alive, but it was the breathing that meditation and yoga teachers nudged me to do… For years I attended yoga classes, and the breathing part was my least favorite.
I was stunned! The Shift Network, the largest platform for online wisdom courses with more than 3 million customers, invited me to teach a 7-week course, Harnessing the Power of Cannabis for Emotional Freedom.
Imagine you’re standing at the edge of a stage, moments away from delivering a speech… Your palms are sweaty, your heart’s pounding, and your stomach is hosting a gymnastics competition. Are you anxious – or excited?
I hear from many people about their view of meditation. The most common sentiment, especially among driven professionals, is that despite knowing the benefits, they struggle to slow down and sit for mindfulness meditation. Even guided meditation, where the narrative takes you somewhere calm and peaceful, like a walk in the woods, seems challenging for them. They get itchy and twitchy – and it makes sense.
There’s a lot more going on here than simply firing up the plant – but she’s a mighty potent friend when we want to go deep! Oh sure, I work with mushrooms too but when you simply want a powerful but simple session to release whatever is knocking loudest on your head, pair canna with my emotional release work and voila! – you launch yourself into a different zone of being. I call it an exquisite state of being.
Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh was asked, “Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?” “I allowed my self to breathe,” he answered. “And then I said, ‘What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart.'”
A long while back (before my current partner, Ron), I was in a committed relationship and my then-partner and I decided to get some couples counseling. He was a successful businessman and scared to death that somebody would find out that we were seeing a therapist.