Letting go of negativity to thrive

Letting go is like the sudden cessation of an inner pressure or the dropping of a weight. It is accompanied by a sudden feeling of relief and lightness, with an increased happiness and freedom. It is an actual mechanism of the mind, and everyone has experienced it on occasion.

~ David R. Hawkins

Ten years ago, I eagerly started to read Letting Go by the late David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD. I aspired to learn how to surrender negative feelings to experience a higher state of being. But, for one reason or another, the book sat unfinished until now.

Not until recently, when our son mentioned the positive impact Letting Go had on his life, did I pick it up again to finish reading it. 

As we age, we can become overly preoccupied with the body. We fear sickness, disease and death. For better or worse, we obsess about diet, weight, exercise, and the health of our environment. Some of us feel drained by this constant preoccupation with the body.

Our vulnerabilities are a product of the mind 

The mind, with its thoughts, is driven by feelings. Each feeling is the cumulative derivative of many thousands of thoughts. Because most people throughout their lives repress, suppress, and try to escape from their feelings, the suppressed energy accumulates and seeks expression through psychosomatic distress, bodily disorders, emotional illnesses, and disordered behaviour in interpersonal relationships. The accumulated feelings block spiritual growth and awareness, as well as success in many areas of life.

~ David R. Hawkins

The body will react to what we hold in the mind.  As we let go of fear and negativity and recognize that we are infinite beings not subject to limitations, we achieve better health, wellness and vitality. 

My husband and I are in the Andes Mountain Range in Peru this week, a trip he was eager to do and I resisted in the past. But, in keeping with the theme of embracing discomfort and doing hard things as we age, here I am. In the last few days, we have ascended to 11,200 feet above sea level. More to come.

On previous trips to high elevation, I experienced acute mountain sickness. Now, believing I am an infinite being not subject to altitude sickness, I remain mostly symptom-free and have adapted well. This morning, at a new hotel, sleeping subpar, I do feel a little sluggish but remain optimistic that this too shall pass.

Seasonal allergies have not plagued me this spring either - no itchiness, puffy eyes, or runny nose, thankfully. 

Closing thought

The crucial point is: by changing ourselves, we change the world. As we become more loving on the inside, healing occurs on the outside. Much like the rising of the sea level lifts all ships, so the radiance of unconditional love within a human heart lifts all of life.

~ David R. Hawkins

Much of our suffering is rooted in negative beliefs and emotional resistance. By identifying and questioning long-held beliefs about health and disease, we can begin to release the mental patterns that contribute to illness.