Acquiring a Joyful Mind

As a child, whenever I felt sad or had a scary dream, I ran to my parents for comfort. Today I see my adult patients running in much the same way. They run in many directions because they need reassurance on how to cope With their thoughts and feelings. Don’t get me wrong: this is not a bad thing. Seeking help from others is an acceptable reaction and has become mainstream in our culture. In the 21st century we are open about our weaknesses and support groups dot the map. However, it was not always that way.

Let’s leapfrog through a few milestones in psychotherapy. Only a few decades ago, mental healthwas a forbidden topic. During that era it was quite rare that anyone would ask for help. Some people drowned their unwanted thoughts in alcohol. Some talked about their thoughts With others, gathering opinions on how to react. Some quietly hid them, hoping that no one would notice that they were suff ering in silence. It was a time of secrecy and we should all be glad it’s over.

Interestingly, in ancient times, there was a different approach. Great saints and sages, appearing at diff erent times and in diff erent lands, instilled far healthier attitudes about mental healthin their respective societies. These wise ones knew that unhappy people can spend so much time dealing With their thoughts and impulses that they have no time for life, love and laughter. Furthermore, they knew the power of the conscience and how to harness it. It was an age of meditation and self-reliance.

Nurturing and reassuring yourself is the methodology taught by the sages. It is the science and philosophy of meditation. It provides you With a safe and systematic way to examine and transform your own thinking patterns. Through meditation, you allow your thoughts to rise up for your inspection and then you organize them and skillfully redirect them. Meditation improves your ability to function at home, at work and at play. Remember that you are treading the paThof health and happiness - everything you do can be transformed into an act of joy and understanding.

Ordinary people have ordinary problems - and common problems can have common solutions. But special problems require special solutions. Most people go through life being part of the masses, blending in With the crowd rather than standing out. As you start to do a little more to improve your life than the ordinary person does, that small eff ort transforms your life from being ordinary to being "extra-ordinary."

Every day, set aside a few moments to maintain your self-selected perspective on how your day and life are progressing. As you initially become more inspired about the possibilities in your life, tiny personal flaws may seem larger than they really are. It is as if the tiniest stains in your mind are given more attention than they deserve.

With time and meditation, you will easily understand how to maintain a proper perspective. When I talk With my patients and friends about this perspective, I start With the story of the grape juice stain. Once upon a time, there was a blanket. It was a favorite blanket and the family found many uses for it. Over the years it became soiled and stained. Never thinking to wash the blanket, the family carried it With them on every outing and occasion. Then, one day, the youngest child spilled a small drop of grape juice on the blanket that years ago had been a brilliant white.

Fate had it that months after this latest spill, the family decided to launder the blanket. This decision caused the parents to look realistically at the blanket’s condition. Mud and grime and interwoven debris kept them from placing the blanket in their new washing machine.

Instead, they decided to hose the blanket off in the driveway. The water hose removed the caked mud, but the ground-in leaves and twigs did not stir from the forceful shower. The family next decided to soak the blanket in the bathtub. Quickly the water turned brown.

Over and over they rinsed the blanket as the fragments of debris floated to the surface. Finally they decided to try washing the blanket in their new machine. The blanket was washed and dried. Out of the dryer came the fluff y white blanket and it appeared almost perfect... almost.