Attachments Are Not Set in Stone

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Attachment is such a simple word, but it’s multi-faceted. At the most fundamental level it’s that feeling of neediness deep inside us; that belief that somehow I am not enough, I don’t have enough, and no matter what I do or what I get, it’s never enough. Then, of course, because we’re so convinced it’s true, we hanker after someone out there, and when we find the one who triggers our good feelings, we attach ourselves to getting them, convinced they’re the one who will fulfill our needs and make us truly happy and content. We assume they’re our possession, and almost an extension of who we are.

This attachment is the source of all our other unhappy emotions. Because it’s desperate to get what it wants, the minute it doesn’t – the moment he doesn’t ring, or comes home late, or looks at someone else – panic arises and immediately turns to anger and then jealousy or low-self esteem, or whatever our old habits are. In fact, anger is the response when attachment doesn’t get what it wants. All these assumptions are ingrained so deeply within us, and we believe these stories so totally, it seems ridiculous to even question them. But we need to. And the only way we can do that is by knowing our own minds and feelings: in other words, we need to learn how to be our own therapists.

The fact is attachment, anger, jealousy and any other painful emotion are not set in stone; they’re old habits, and we know we can change those. The first step is to be confident that by
knowing our own minds well we can learn to distinguish the various emotions inside us and gradually learn to change them. The first challenge involves truly believing you can accomplish this. And that alone is huge – without it, we’re stuck.

The next stage is to step back from all the endless chatter in our heads. A really simple way to do that – it’s so basic it’s boring! – is for just a few minutes every morning, before we start our day, to sit down and focus on something. The breath is a good start. It’s nothing special; there’s no trick to it; it’s not mystical. It’s a practical psychological technique. With determination you can decide to pay attention to the breath – the sensation at your nostrils as you breathe in and out. The moment your mind wanders, bring your focus back to the breath. The goal is not to make the thoughts go away; but to not get involved in them, and learn to let them come and go.

The long-term result of a technique like this is a super-focused mind, and that’ll take time. But the almost immediate benefit will be that, as we attempt to step back from all the stories in our head, we will begin to be objective about them and slowly start to unravel, deconstruct, and eventually change them. It’s said one of the signs of success is thinking we're getting worse! But we're not. We're starting to hear the stories more clearly, and it’s then that we can begin to change them.

Seed Questions for Reflection

How do you relate to the notion that our attachments are not set in stone? Can you share a personal story of a time you heard your stories clearly and changed them? What helps you be your own therapist?

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6 Past Reflections
SG
Feb 13, 2018

 keihifi have varaity products in their collection such as brands like home theater system , theater speakers denon,tannoy,LD systems, elac etc

SU
Jun 29, 2017

Soul the life force/inner self is permanent.Eveything else external is impermanent.Learning to Attach with the soul detaching from the body,its manifestations & all things external is my goal.False feeling of deficiency is the source of attachment while soul itself is all powerful and self sufficient."Shivohum Shivohum ShivaSwaroopum.Nityohum,Budhohum, Shudhohum,Muktohum"is the meditation supported by breath to slowly become/remain soul conscious always.  

JY
Judy Yero
Jun 27, 2017
 One of the most profound changes I have experienced is recognizing that attachment to the outcome of my actions was the source of negative emotions...emotions that I could eliminate by removing the attachment to outcome. If I choose to do something for another person, there used to be an unconscious attachment to how my action would affect them. I pictured something positive...and if that didn't happen, it made me sad, or angry, or frustrated, etc. Once I became aware of this, I have worked toward doing...or not doing...with no attachment to outcome. I've been asked how one can separate the two because doing something implies a goal...and that goal is the attachment. So why would I be motivated to do anything if I didn't have that goal? I may now be a bit more selective about what I choose to offer in a given situation, but once I started monitoring my attachment to outcome, it has become much easier to do...or not do...and then walk away without looking back. It is not that I "... View full comment
JP
Jun 25, 2017
 We as human beings have physical, mental and spiritual needs and desires. Most of our needs and desires are met in relationship contexts.  How our needs and desires are fulfilled makes a significant difference in our healthy growth and development. We need to cultivate wisdom to fulfill each other's needs and desires.  As human beings we all experience suffering in varying degrees. One of the main reasons for our suffering is our craving and intense neediness. Such a state of mind leads to not enough set of mind. When the mind is set on or fixated on that set point, there is always going to be more craving and more grabbing and more suffering.We get heavily and chronically attached or addicted to our craving resulting in ongoing suffering. People who are connected with us also suffer by  our wanting more and more from other persons. They feel trapped by our neediness and unreasonable expectations. Both get caught up in this energy draining vicious cycle. Suff... View full comment
DD
Jun 24, 2017
 "Set in stone" means unchangeable.  Nothing is unchangeable or permanent, including our attachments.  As a child I learned a lot that I thought was the truth, set in stone, that I was very attached to.  It was in my twenties that I began to consider other viewpoints, began to question and detach from old 'truths' and began to attach to new 'truths.'  And the process goes on.  I've come to believe that attachments are unhealthy and the source of unnecessary pain, and as far as I know, my present attachments are not set in stone -- they are more like stepping stones, and they and I are evolving.  I don't have any set in stone attachments.  As for therapy, therapy means to heal.  Actually no one can heal me but me, and in that sense I am my own therapist -- others can facilitate, and such persons are therapists for me.  I suppose the person who has no one but himself or herself as therapist has a fool for a patient.  My own psychoth... View full comment
KP
Jun 23, 2017
 This resonates so much: 1. I am on the morn of embarking on sharing We Become the Stories We Tell both in the US and Canada: the idea is we become the stories we tell ourselves, we create our own narrative. And as you say this narrative (or attachment) is not set in stone. We can change the narrative at any time in many ways. We can change our own role in the story we've created. We can choose to begin a new chapter, make a new choice or decision. We can become aware of the roles we put ourselves and others in and change those too (or at least our attachment or view of them.) :)  I have gone through the process of changing my own life story several times. First time back when I was 13. I had been bullied terribly at school, back then, teachers didn't help you, guidance counselors told us it was "our fault." But summer of turning 13, I decided I wanted a new role, not the one being bullied anymore so I auditioned for a play and it turned out I was quite good at it. Theatre g... View full comment