An important skill for the mind, which you as a master can apply right now, is the ability to see facts.
It is not always easy to see your own limitations or how your mind works. It is much easier to see this in other people.
Through what other people say (in writing or verbally), you can observe how their mind works. A huge area of work is connected to this, which relates to cognitive distortions.
In this article, we will look at common types of cognitive distortions, as well as give recommendations and tips on how to train your mind to rely on facts and why this is important.
Cognitive Distortions
Suppose you have a computer mouse in your hands. The fact is that there is a computer mouse in front of you.
Everything else — how comfortable or expensive it is, how you evaluate its manufacturer’s brand, and so on — belongs to the realm of the mind’s interpretations.
In the human head, pathways are built such that even a simple fact like “this is a computer mouse” will be seen differently by everyone.
Whatever someone says, you will perceive it in your own way — through the prism of your neural network, your personal filters, your experience, and so on.
Everyone hears their own version, passing what they hear/read through themselves and their cognitive distortions. Moreover, each distortion/perception is not repeated.
The brain function of each individual person is unique. In this sense, this fact alone is enough for you to finally accept your uniqueness.
See also: Restructuring thought processes from linearity to depth and expansion. What is the basic role of the mind
Cognitive Distortions of a Quantitative Nature
Cognitive distortions can be of a quantitative nature. These are distortions like “everyone does it,” generalizations about everyone.
The mind’s tendency to generalize introduces huge distortions.
On one hand, you move towards unity, where everything is one. On the other hand, the mind instantly offers a substitution — lumping everyone together. But this is not unity, it is a distortion.
From the perspective of lived experience, you have totally reached the level of individuality and uniqueness. In this sense, nothing can coincide or be “like others.”
Thanks to individual/unique distortions, everyone experiences different experiences.
See also: Five misconceptions we have accumulated on the spiritual path
Cognitive Distortions of a Qualitative Nature
The mind is also characterized by qualitative distortions. These include a lack of specificity, generalizations, and so on.
This explains the lack of understanding of one’s own request that is inherent in many people, whereas only a clearly constructed internal request can lead you somewhere.
There is some problem, but it is not realized and not formulated clearly and specifically. For this reason, it is impossible to do anything with it.
The Universe does not ask you clarifying questions. The Universe reflects your request back to you. As the request is (vague, unclear, formless), so is the answer.
As a result, you have to choose what from all of it you will deal with first.
The reason for this is the absence of a specific target request.
See also Transforming Homo Sapiens into Homo Angelicus. Detaching from Matrix Structures
Clarity Within, Clarity Without. Learning Clarity of Thought
Clarity is not about understanding everything.
Clarity is when you clearly know what you want and can articulate it.
Many cognitive distortions are also based on a person’s idea of how they think something should work.
A person takes an action leading to one result, but instead expects to get a different result.
See also Catastrophic Predictions: How to Stop Your Mind from Painting an “End of the World” and Return to the Facts
Recommendations and Tips on How to Move Away from Thinking Through Interpretations
Learn to see the facts and call them by their name. This will help you move away from thinking through interpretations.
It is raining today. The child was late for school. This is a fact.
The weather is awful today. Now there will be problems because of the lateness. These are interpretations of the mind. Leave them out of the picture.
You have lived too long in the virtual reality of your own distortions. Now your task is to get closer to reality with every next step.
To see reality, you need to learn to distinguish what is happening in your head/mind from the facts. It is truly difficult to perceive anything as a pure, bare fact.
Moreover, all your perceptions are recorded in your body and sooner or later begin to manifest as stable bodily reactions.
All matrix waste is stored in your body. You must pull it out of there, because it prevents you from being in reality. You are the center.
As the center, you see what is happening outside (as a fact), and, being in a neutral state, you choose what you will do about it.
How often are you in such a neutral state?
As a rule, instead of this, in any situation, either the past or fears about the future arise in everyone.
This process will continue to unpack and gain momentum until you begin to see yourself and reality in everything.
In order to free yourself from all of this, you need to leave this “bag” behind you, not drag it along.
But first you need to see the contents of your “bag,” which is why all distortions rise to the surface. In the end, sooner or later, everyone will be forced to empty their “bag.”
Write down everything you have encountered recently. Writing it down, as well as periodically returning to these notes, will help you better understand what is happening to you.
Furthermore, writing it out will help you gradually disidentify from your past version.
At the same time, remember the key phrase: “How can I take my situation to the next level?” (that is, react on a higher level, think on a higher level, etc.).
See also Tunnel Thinking. How to Break Out of Its Framework
Control and Correctness — Greetings from the Matrix
As soon as you have a thought or word about “correctness,” know that at that moment you are thinking or speaking from the matrix.
Every person has many hooks disguised as “(what is) correct.”
The next group of people engaged in self-development who will be pressured, pushed, and squeezed are those tied to control and correctness. These are people who have developed themselves based on the 3D matrix.
The matrix is essentially built on “(what is) correct” and “I want it my way.”
“Correctness” instantly divides the whole world into two parts — if there is “correct,” then there is also “incorrect.”
And based on this criterion, endless further filtering occurs.
Whereas the consciousness of unity, which is now being established, relies on unity where there are no opposites.
Replace the criterion of “correctness” with the criterion of what resonates with you personally.
Choose something for yourself not because it is “correct,” but relying on a sense of resonance with it, on how close it is to you personally.
Questions that can help you with this:
- Does this resonate with me?
- Does this feel close to me?
- Do I choose this?
- Do I agree with this?
- How can I translate this to a higher level?
You can reflect on the following topic.
Let’s say there is “correct” and “incorrect.” When these become one, how will that feel?
“Correct” and “incorrect” are two criteria built on the mind’s evaluation.
These criteria are strictly individual. Therefore, in the reflection question, the key word is “how will that feel.”
What distortions do you encounter most often? What have you noticed in your surroundings, in yourself?
This article is based on a live session from the #conversation_on_the_couch section “Window of Reflections”
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