Awareness That Heals

Robert Strock continues a discussion of the third level of awareness, exploring deeper levels of moving toward self-compassion. The process of developing self-compassion is not a one-time experience. It's a repeated course of thought and action where we continually identify difficult feelings and our response to them. This self-awareness practice involves introspection and learning to listen to ou...

Robert Strock discusses the third level of awareness. This level of awareness requires that we become aware of and identify our most challenging feelings. To address these feelings, we must reach the first level of awareness, which is to be humble enough to be aware that in many areas we are unaware. The second level is to recognize the ways in which we see ourselves in brief flashes because it's...

Host Robert Strock discusses the process of moving from self-rejection toward self-compassion. Emotions like anger or anxiety often carry a double layer of self-rejection. There's the initial emotion but also the way we feel about that emotion, We need to ask ourselves if we like how we're feeling, and if the answer is no, it reveals that we are having a negative reaction that either will be withd...

The sixth and last principle of Friendly Mind is to focus on what is possible in the present or near future. When we pay attention to our true capabilities, we see more clearly the importance of staying in the present, and at most, the next few moments. Focusing on the present usually comes with great relief. It gives us the ability to see what we are truly able to do or how we can respond in the...

Never try to solve the impossible—that's the fifth principle of Friendly Mind. Most of us wish to let our mind get the best of us where we feel secure in a future that we cannot realistically control or desire to be more than we are capable of. When Friendly Mind sees this, it reminds us with the neutral question, "Are you trying to create something that isn't within your capacity?" When we unders...

The fourth principle of Friendly Mind is making realistic best efforts toward ourselves and others. The word realistic is vital because of the danger of becoming perfectionistic and thinking our best efforts are not good enough. When we listen carefully and ask our Friendly Mind to guide us, we deserve genuine honoring. On the other hand, we need to take action and do what we are fully capable of...

The third principle of Friendly Mind is a subtle understanding that Friendly Mind doesn't require us to feel friendly, even toward ourselves. This principle supports us when we are in any kind of severe distress, including but not limited to exhaustion, or anxiety, which limits the availability of friendly feelings. Friendly Mind contains the wisdom to steer ourselves in a beneficial way without t...

In this episode, we explore the second principle of Friendly Mind—thinking empathically when we are in any kind of pain or suffering. We learn to develop the capacity to think and follow friendly, realistic, grounded thoughts that care for us no matter our feelings or circumstances. Friendly Mind acknowledges and faces feelings without suppression. It oftentimes guides us to relate to both our fee...

We enter the first core principle of Friendly Mind—an awareness of life's most challenging feelings and situations. Friendly Mind subtlety grounds and benefits us by looking at this awareness in a neutral or positive light. This episode explores this principle, which is the underbelly of all the other Friendly Mind principles. If we don't stay grounded with clarity of the specific challenges we fa...

This important episode highlights and contrasts Friendly Mind with other methods, identifying similarities yet making the valuable differences clear. Friendly Mind clarifies how affirmations, positive thinking, "fixing" feelings, self-judgment, and the more conventional expression of "I'm fine" all fall short of true healing. They miss the critical element of responding as simultaneously as possib...

We continue to explore impossible standards that impale our progress toward healing. Friendly Mind guides us to do and be all that is realistically possible while helping us to not be slaves to these pressures. With personal examples, we closely explore the myriad of ways we guilt and pressure ourselves to be different than who we are and can be in our own bodies. We push ourselves to get rid of o...

Childhood experiences and culture teach many of us to strive for impossible, unrealistic, or unreachable standards. This episode explores the trap created by these standards and introduces how to free ourselves. Friendly Mind creates a realistic, present focus on supportive and realistic thoughts. We look closely at standards and expectations relating to family, friendship, work, love, sex, youthf...

With practice, Friendly Mind helps us identify with who we are becoming rather than with our feelings in a given moment or situation. Friendly Mind steers our focus and understanding toward our own wisdom, with it becoming clearer and clearer that Friendly Mind's guidance and response is more important than what we feel. This Friendly Mind could be called wisdom, God's guidance, or intuition. Howe...

In the Friendly Mind, we learn the value and benefit to ourselves and others of focusing on our responses to challenging emotions and situations rather than trying to change the feelings themselves. Accepting these emotions feels counterintuitive at first. However, with encouragement and practiced dedication, we learn the importance of thoughts, especially those that help us accept our situations...

This fourth level of awareness is where the vast majority of healing takes place.  This is awareness that heals. We are not only aware of our present challenging feelings and situations, but also we experience a genuine motivation to move toward healing and well-being.  We see the challenging state(s) we are in and at the same time we care for ourselves enough to respond toward healing and well-be...

The vast majority of healing takes place in the fourth level of awareness. This is awareness that heals. At this level, we are aware of our challenging feelings in the present, but we also experience a genuine motivation to move toward healing. We see and acknowledge our challenging state(s) while at the same time, we care for ourselves enough to respond with actions that take us toward healing an...

This episode explores one of the most dangerous traps of what is often misconceived as awareness. It occurs when we can see and identify what we feel but believe that this alone will allow us to address and overcome the challenges associated with those feelings. Often, we hear in the psychological world, I am aware of my anger, jealousy, grief, and a wide array of other emotions, but true healing...

In Episode 2, we discuss accessing "Fleeting Awareness," which allows us to glimpse into both our greatest challenges and our wisdom. As we work toward stabilizing this awareness, we have the chance to both face difficult challenges and access our own flashes of insight. This gives us the opportunity to bring a new consciousness to our responses and actions, opening us to greater healing, fulfillm...

In Episode 1 of Awareness That Heals, we explore the first of four levels of awareness: "Being Aware of Being Unaware." It is a challenging revelation when we recognize that we are often unaware of our own reactions. This is especially true at times when we are stirred up within and impacted by difficult feelings like fear, anger, anxiety, or pain. By facing our human limitations, we begin to set...