Category Archives: spiritual
TENDERNESS AND THE TRUTH
One could reasonably say that our egos are totally structured around the need to defend ourselves from what we believe at our core we could not tolerate experiencing. From this standpoint, our spiritual path is to let ourselves make contact … Continue reading
Dear Group, I came across this piece by a Zen teacher in the Tricycle magazine, a Buddhist publication, and I have not seen a more penetrating and accurate description of true joy than this. So I wanted to share it with you! Blessings, Robert Cornell … Continue reading
ATTENDING TO THE HEART In my Soul Repair and Soul Work childhood trauma recovery groups I have participants put their hands over their hearts and attend to what is present there. Also, sometimes I have them put one hand over their hearts and one hand over their guts. One thing that this can do is to bring our awareness more deeply into connection with our heart and gut “brains”. There is clinical evidence that this is one way to synchronize the electrical patterns of the brain and the heart, which is important to good emotional self regulation. Try the following experiment the next time you are really upset about something. Rather than reaching for food or distraction or support outside of yourself, resolve to be present with yourself in the moment, especially with your heart region where much upset is experienced. Place one hand over your heart and feel into your heart space. Let go of any thoughts or memories or mental images if they arise and go back to your heart space. Breathe and gently stay present there. You may find that this helps you to calm down and think more clearly.
WORKING WITH OUR INNER CONTROL FREAK
Many of us have got a strong Inner Control Freak (ICF). Its job, as it sees it, is to monitor our emotions and to make sure they stay in acceptable bounds – not too high not too low. And there are … Continue reading
TENDER LOVING KINDNESS
SPIRITTHERAPIST.COM My wife Marna and I adopted two darling new kitties, Gracie and Cali, (shown above) a couple of weeks ago. Gracie, the grey kitty licking her sister in the photo, was very skittish and initially would not let us get … Continue reading
Tender Loving Kindness for our meditation
Dear Group, We will be continuing on the theme of Tender Loving Kindness for our meditation meeting this Friday. Some of you may have Inner Critics that will turn up their noses on this topic with disdain or possibly … Continue reading
FIFTY WAYS OF LETTING GO
Fifty Ways of Letting Go “Robert Cornell has written a wise and practical book for our times. A book that beautifully integrates psychological health and well-being with a genuine spiritual path.” —Roshi Robert Joshin Althouse , Zen Life & Meditation … Continue reading