Want to congradulate you on the breakthroughs you personally have had. As you now know, it is the 'energizing' of the right feelings/emotions that really causes the change ... makes it more permanent more quickly.
Would appreciate you doing the post to Advice from Wise DB'ers as soon as its convenient.
Lots of people will benefit from the treasure you found. Thanks from all of them ... and me too.
In response to your question of which comes first thinking or feeling? Have you ever tried to be completely still and get yourself in a frame of mind where you have stopped all thinking?
I'm not real knowledgable on meditation, but I believe it is about being still, relaxing, and focusing your thoughts.
Are feelings not created by our thoughts? It's the old chicken and egg.
We have the power to feel what we choose to feel by controlling our thoughts.
Try having happy thoughts, focus on a beautiful sandy beach along the ocean, visualize yourself laying on that beach, listening to the waves hit the shore. As your visualizing and thinking about this beautiful beach, try and feel great sadness.
If you are truly focussed on visualizing andthinking about the beach, you are unable to feel something completely different from what your thoughts are focused on.
Thoughts are energy, and feelings are a higher level of energy, created by our thought patterns. We can choose to be happy or sad. Just flip the thinking switch.
The best thing to understand is that it is all within our control. God has given us everything we need to be happy, by giving us a brain. It's a matter of whether we choose to use it to it's fullest capacity, to enhance our lives.
I told you I would try your ideas, & let you know how it worked. Here it is:
Tues. night I had something upsetting happen, but Wed. am, I discovered he had been here in my home, w/o my knowledge, & taken some of his things. I felt violeted & let down & very upset. This was about 2 minutes before I had to leave for work.
As I was driving there, I shed quite a few tears. I remembered your post & thought I would give it a try. I knew I had to do something to get control of myself so I could do my job that day. I picked the phrase 'I am loving' - wasn't really sure what kinds of phrases you were referring to.
I tried it. I can't say that I felt wonderful, but it did get my mind off of what was bothering me at the moment & keeping me from concentrating on my work. Whenever the pain came rushing back at me that day, I did the same thing. I admit that I felt kind of silly walking around saying to myself 'I am loving, I am loving'. But, I was not about to break down in tears, and was able to do my job. And, I ended up reminding myself that I very much need to be able to support myself, & need to go to work every day & do a good day's work, so I will be able to keep my job. That I am there to do a job so I can get paid & pay my bills. That it is NOT the time for me to be focusing on my personal problems. I need to work, make new friends there & new contacts for future employment...& can't do any of that effectively if I'm walking around about to break into tears.
So, all in all, I think I shifted my focus off of the problems & onto something I CAN do something about. I did feel better & got my work done well. In my case, I believe that shifting my THINKING changed my FEELINGS. But, it does seem like the chicken / egg thing. Maybe it's different for each of us.
Anyways, thank you for the suggestions. Maybe I didn't do it exactly as I was supposed to, but it DID WORK! For that I am glad. I will try to get the book, but it will be a couple days before I have time to pursue that.
Hi Melanie and all: Just a quick note for now. The exercise I gave you is just the beginning to help you find the "flip-switch" from Negative to Positive. It is only the first step and you don't really need to "FEEL" to do that, just think. So I can see why, from what I've shared, that you feel that thoughts come first and truthfully it doesn't matter which does come first but what really does matter is shifting the feeling(further down the line Mel ) That's what helps to raise your vibrational level, which utimately helps the PMA to rise and stay there. . . But most important Melanie, for now, is I'm so glad that it helped you. That's why I put down this exercise to help people immediately. But as I have said It's only the first step. Take care all and Please read the book ( But I'm here to help until you get it) and let's talk about it. Or anything else for that matter, if I can help you use this exercise for your sanity I'd be happy too. Faith is number one but we all live in the material world and have to do our best. Love Kansha
) That's what helps to raise your vibrational level, which utimately helps the PMA to rise and stay there. . . But most important Melanie, for now, is I'm so glad that it helped you. That's why I put down this exercise to help people immediately. But as I have said It's only the first step. Take care all and Please read the book ( But I'm here to help until you get it) and let's talk about it. Or anything else for that matter, if I can help you use this exercise for your sanity I'd be happy too. Faith is number one but we all live in the material world and have to do our best. Love Kansha 