Intentional Thinking

The realization that you create your reality can be shattering.

Seeing how everything you perceive is actually your brains creation- built from past experiences (personal or vicarious), hurts, joys, traumas, and societal or generational, cultural conditioning.

Nothing is absolute.

Everything is perceived through a particular lens.

Neuroscience says the highest form of intelligence is metacognition, not IQ, it's the ability to think about your thinking, to pay attention to your thinking and be curious about it.

I often tell clients to "watch your thoughts like a movie" or, "you don't have to believe every thought you have", because thoughts come from somewhere; somewhere in your history, buried in your psyche. It's wise to assess whether they represent the truth.

In CBT we teach reality testing, and challenging irrational thoughts. The core assumption being that they're built off of often irrational core beliefs that stem from early experiences- conclusions about self and the world that are at the time protective but in the end inaccurate and missing the truth. When you stumble upon the acknowledgement that then, everything I experience is through this filter, Everything, (in addition to the fact that the brain is built to be predictive to further save on and sufficiently utilise available resources; energy), the stunning realization is, so much is then missed, but also, what is the truth? The brain "cuts corners", if you will, by filling in blanks, predicting what's next, to be quicker, more efficient, keep you alive. So what can the truth be? And is there only one truth?

I believe not, there is only Your truth. And furthermore, if we lean into the psychodynamic understanding of the psyche- that the subconscious recreates what it "knows"; what its experienced, had a deep impact and it stored, we see that our psyche creates our truth, and we will experience the same truth over and over until we awaken an awareness. 

The subconscious seeks resolution. It's seeks to make right what was wrong, seeks the similar experiences to "this time" rectify. Jung says "unless you make the subconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate".

So we create, or our subconscious does, our reality. Life is the psyche pushed out, Your psyche. You experience life as is already coded in your mind. When you fully understand this, the question that may arise is- "now what?". If my repetitive thinking patterns (rooted from the experiences buried in my subconscious) are what causes my version of events and what I experience life as- what's next after knowing that?

I propose intentional thinking. I propose intentionally choosing a version of reality. And thinking of that reality, in that frame, according to that belief.

One must do the work of understanding their history and uncovering how it impacted them. Inner child work, depth work, shadow work. Reflect, understand, identify where your beliefs stem from. From there its intentionally choosing. With CBT tools one can adjust, challenge, and reframe old thought patterns that arise (and they do) as you continue on your journey. With the gift of neuroplasticity comes the need to repeat new paths for them to cement.

The choice can be to cement healthier patterns.

But there may be a higher level one can reach. If the psyche creates negative old cycles, so too can it create positive new ones. In your reality.

Perhaps you could create a new life, a new experience of life. New repeating cycles of growth, opportunity, joy, love, worth. 

As when one stumbles upon this realization- my experiences are a creation of my thoughts, the natural enquiry is what is truth? What do I do? What's the point?

Perhaps... create it. Choose your truth, make your life anew.

I propose deciding what you want to see and believe- what's healthy, kind, self-caring, elevating and pure of heart, and watch as your experiences mirror it back.