Reversing Resistance – Hope Springs Eternal

Suzanne, by Leonard Cohen

…And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him

He said all the men will be sailors then until the sea shall free them

But he himself was broken, long before the sky would open

Forsaken, almost human, he sank beneath your wisdom like a stone…

Ok part of me just wanted to do a cold open with these lyrics because I love them.  But they are also pertinent to the discussion.  Here’s how: It is our resistance that takes us from the NOW to complicate things by adding insults of the past and/or fear of the future. Many times simplicity is overlooked until we hit a level of surrender that allows truth to sink in. 

The emotions trapped behind our resistance are yucky and destructive to the body-mind-spirit.  Our minds recognize this unconsciously and protect us by initiating a good dose of denial-suppression-repression programming.  Hale Dwoskin, a leader in the field of facilitated forgiveness, says: Resistance is just another limiting belief that we have manufactured to protect the other limiting beliefs. The net result is that resistance is what makes us feel fragmented and isolated over time as we wonder what happened to us. 

Fortunately, there is a way out.

Consider the following exercise, call it a mantra if you like, though it is more engaging to free the mind from its resistance programs than simply chanting affirmations over and over.  It challenges us to be humble and open with each new experience and, in no time, we remember our free, vibrant, creative selves like spring after a long, harsh Minnesota winter. 

Run through the following exercise in your mind until you feel openness and renewed hope in managing a problem that has come up.  You may need to do this several times for each problem.  It also helps to live your life and not obsess over your problem, releasing little things as they come along. You can be sure that any suffering or emotional charge is rooted in resistance and can be cleared with this method.

DISSOLVING RESISTANCE

Say each question to yourself slowly.  Answer each question honestly (You can say NO and it still works!). Feel or sense what happens on the inside after your response, especially to the last question.

• What is something you are resisting? (Clue: Look for anything that triggers an emotional response.)
• Could you welcome the feeling of resistance and the sensations, sounds and pictures that come with it?
• Could you let go of the feeling of resistance?
• Could you allow yourself to accept WHAT IS as best you can?

There is a secret to all of this that we realize when we experience freeing resistence in our lives: There is only, ever, for all of history and for all of eternity, WHAT IS right here and now. Everything else is fantasy. To fully experience the PRESENT, we drop resistance without exception for everything. How refreshing!

I am here to support your journey in any way I can.  Shoot me an email, bring it up in the clinic, or make an appointment to run through it with me or get some help with your winter snow removal (on the inside).

Cue “Age of Aquarius”.