Todd Perelmuter's Blog, page 16

How to Heal From Abandonment Trauma Through Spirituality

Throughout various stages of life, nearly all of us will face some kind of abandonment, neglect, separation or avoidance by someone we care about. And, because we all go through difficult times in our lives, the chances are likely that we will be emotionally unavailable to the people we care about from time to time. It’s a world full of trauma survivors traumatizing other people accidentally.

But, the good news is that we can each summon that mystic healer we have inside all of us. We each come from a lineage of strong and unstoppable survivors. So no matter how lonely it feels, no matter how scary it can be, no matter how hurt we are, there is a way through. In this podcast episode, I provide some tools so that we can heal ourselves, heal others, and heal this beautiful  world.

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Want to gift a book to a prisoner? Click here.

The post How to Heal From Abandonment Trauma Through Spirituality appeared first on EastWesticism.

How Can I Find Peace When Dealing with Long-Term Illness?

Q: Dear Todd, will you please give me encouragement on healing from a long-time illness? I’m told I can heal but I feel hopeless.

TODD ANSWERS: I just want you to know that your body is an incredibly amazing healing machine. We know for certain that our mental state can either make us sick, or it can help us recover.

So I simply encourage you to view your pain and discomfort, instead of with fear, with curiosity, and ask yourself, “Why is my unconscious and subconscious mind creating these physical sensations?” I am by no means saying this is in your head or not real. I know the discomfort and pain are very real. But when we look to our subconscious, we stop reacting to pain with fear, panic and pessimism. We instead respond with calm and curiosity. When we respond to illness by looking at our subconscious and unconscious minds, we address the aspect of our illness that we can control, and oftentimes, almost like a miracle, the pain or illness disappears and often almost immediately.

If you can know for certain that the illness is made worse by your fear and stress, and not by something else that is physically wrong with you, you stop unconsciously creating more pain and illness and your mind can activate those healing mechanisms in the body.

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Why Does Life Always Seem to Be a Struggle?

Our mind is the determiner of whether we are happy and content, or longing and dissatisfied. We may think it is because of this situation or that one, but one way or another we find out that it always stems from our mind. The question is, will we learn to become the masters of our mind or not.

Yes, we all wish for possessions, praise, friendships and a loving family. But, when one of those categories falls short, how will we respond? It depends if we let the external situation be our emotion dictator or not.

The reason we struggle in life is because our expectations of how life should be are not being met. So, we need to reexamine our expectations. Hopes and goals and dreams, wonderful. Expectations though mean our happiness is dependent on the circumstances and we are a slave to our whims. 

If we can first acknowledge that a monk meditating in solitude, with no possessions, in a cave somewhere, can be extremely happy; then we can start to recognize our own capacity for happiness in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in.

So during the week ahead, think of the monk. See if you can wish for nothing more than what a simple monk has. You may notice that suddenly, every single possession, opportunity, and challenge becomes a welcomed gift in your life that fills you with gratitude, no fear of loss or damage, no longing or wishing or craving. It’s only our longing mind that makes us suffer. By paying close attention to those pesky desires, we become free from the suffering they create. There is nothing stopping us from enjoying this moment right now except our mind. Set down all of the thoughts about what is making this moment imperfect for just a moment, and the perfection that is there will be revealed.

 

ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Wisdom can come from anywhere: spiritual texts, a fairytale or a friend. There is so much in the world to explore and learn from. When we look at many different sources of information, we can understand how they are connected, how they are different and how they are the same.

We can see from different points of view and a great wisdom can arrive that is broader than our own experience. You don’t have to believe everything that you read and incorporate it into your lives, but you will always learn something.

Love,

Todd

PS – When we understand our grief, we begin to see the beauty in it. Just like giving birth can be a beautiful, yet painful, celebration of life; so too can our grief. Grief is love, grief is healing, and grief is there to help us. In my YouTube video, I share how we can make peace with grief.

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Path to Peace Two-Step Process to Clear the Chaos Within

There is only one way to overcome our  worries, fears, anger and mental suffering — we must understand the nature of our mind. When we understand the mind's nature, we become free from its tricks, games and neurotic tendencies.

In today's podcast, I share two simple steps to understanding the mind and freeing ourselves from the inner chaos. I talk about what the mind is, how to deal with it when it becomes obsessive and negative, and how to break free from the illusion that the mind is who we truly are.

Please enjoy other episodes where I share meditation techniques, tips and spiritual lessons from around the world for peaceful and stress-free living. Remember to subscribe to stay up-to-date.

*****
If you ever feel like my words brought a change in your life, and want to show your SUPPORT for what I am doing, click here.

Find all of my BOOKS for wherever you are on your spiritual journey: https://www.eastwesticism.org/spiritual-meditation-books/

Want to gift a book to a prisoner? Go here.

The post Path to Peace Two-Step Process to Clear the Chaos Within appeared first on EastWesticism.

Can Meditation Cure Bipolar Disorder?

Meditation is a powerful tool for managing emotions and creating a sense of peace and equanimity through emotional highs and lows. I would highly recommend it for bipolar.

I recommend starting with repeating a #mantra. It’s easy and a good way to get started. After a few weeks, give breath meditation a try where you just focus on your breath. Start slow and try to work your way up to 20 minutes a day. Some people can do 20 minutes right away and others may start with only 2 minutes. Just feel what’s right for you and don’t put any expectations or pressure on yourself. Just try to be present and relaxed.

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How Can We Escape the Illusion of Time?

Because we have clocks everywhere — our phones, microwaves, TVs, cars, etc… — we live in a mindset of time. I’ve seen people in the woods and for the first time in their lives they’ve actually not known the time. At first, they say, “I wonder what time it is.” Then later, “What time is it? Should we eat?”

Soon they realize that their body will tell them when they’re hungry and when they’re tired. They even begin to realize how much attention they paid to what time it was and how much power over their lives they gave to time.
It is because of this subtle fixation on time that so many of us suffer far too much. We create expectations based on time. We become impatient because we live with a clock ticking inside of us.

But time doesn’t actually exist. Our concept of time is merely the comparison of this moment to the last moment. The earth spins a little more than it was a moment ago, it revolves around the sun slightly farther than a moment ago. Time is merely the measurement of movement, and movement is the comparison of something from moment to moment. It’s a comparison of the now to the past, or, in anticipation of the future.

When we think in time, we suffer because the comparison mindset is borne out of time. When we have dreams and goals that we feel should have already been achieved, we suffer. When we stare at the clock all day waiting for it to strike 5 pm, we suffer. When we even live in anticipation of some future joyful event, we miss out on the beauty and diversity, and complexity of forms all around us. And worse, we’re training our minds not to be present and so when that joyful experience finally comes around, we may have a harder time fully enjoying that moment and being present for it. We may already be thinking of the next thing to look forward to.

We may feel like there’s never enough time or that time is always chasing us down. But, when we can be fully present (which like anything else, simply takes practice and repetition to make it our new habit), we flow with time. What comes, comes. And what goes, goes without any resistance or attachment. Patience emerges as we repeatedly see — and slowly begin to believe deep down — that what is meant for us will come when it is meant for us. We only have to tend to this moment and all the future “present” moments will take care of themselves. This is how we tap into the eternal now.

We either live in peaceful eternity or we live on the rollercoaster of time. Yes, we can understand concepts of time in regards to setting goals and planning retirement and the like, but we can also put the future aside so we can get busy making it a reality in this moment.

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Path to Peace How to Get Through Life’s Most Difficult Situations

No life will be free from pain. We will see it in the people we love and we will see it in ourselves. Pain and loss are intricately intertwined in the journey of life. But this pain does not define us unless we let it.

In today's podcast, I talk about the difference between pain and suffering. I share how we can start to look at pain without fear. And I discuss how we can turn pain into purpose.

Please enjoy other episodes where I share meditation techniques, tips and spiritual lessons from around the world for peaceful and stress-free living. Remember to subscribe to stay up-to-date.

*****
If you ever feel like my words brought a change in your life, and want to show your SUPPORT for what I am doing, click here.

Find all of my BOOKS for wherever you are on your spiritual journey: https://www.eastwesticism.org/spiritual-meditation-books/

Want to gift a book to a prisoner? Go here.

The post Path to Peace How to Get Through Life’s Most Difficult Situations appeared first on EastWesticism.

When You Are the Bad Guy in the Family

Q: Dear Todd, it’s tough knowing that, (at the moment), I am the person bringing the people I love down. I know what living with “toxic negativity” is, but I am trying to forgive who I was and be a better me. I hope others can forgive me, (again), too.

TODD ANSWERS: Awareness and good intentions are the first and the most important step of that healing and forgiving journey. Most people won’t even take the first step. I commend you, wish you all the best, and hope you can forgive yourself as well.

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When What’s Going in the World Makes You Angry

Q: Dear Todd, we are in a time where every man, woman, and child on earth is being threatened by a group of people or a part of the consciousness that is malevolent. The part of the race that actually is not content with what they have. Where they have so so much so-called monetary wealth and power that they have manipulated our existence and in a way have bought man. This is complex, even as a write this I have the other side going through my mind, there are people all over the world in sheer poverty. Are we, you and I indulging ourselves, because you can make this video and I can write this comment that may lead to a conversation…

TODD ANSWERS: There are upsetting things in this world, but we don’t have to become upset by them. We can fight with all our might these evils without fighting people. We can work hard for change while accepting what is.
Is it indulgent? Only if the purpose is for self-gratification. If the purpose is for understanding, recentering, strategizing, and persevering, I would say it’s essential.

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Why Did My Spiritual Journey Gave Me Chest Pain?

Q: Dear Todd, I started my spiritual journey last year and now I am experiencing chest pains. What am I doing wrong?

TODD ANSWERS: We’re so used to doing things and we become so attached to our desired outcome that we cannot be present and relaxed and enjoy the journey. This can be stressful. The best thing to do is let go of expectations and just let whatever comes to come. No resistance, desire, or effort. Just being. That is the path. The desired results will flow from that state of being.

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