Session Six Memory Interaction Tool

So to begin our tool this week, we will practice observing our life. It might be a random occurrence throughout the day or something specific you would like to address. Either way, we will approach the practice the same way. I would like you to begin by observing the thought, feeling, emotion, or experience you are having today. If anything specific stands out, write it in the space below.

Where do you acquire the memory that contributed to that thought, feeling, emotion, or experience? Was it adopted? Did you learn it during your upbringing? Was it the result of a personal experience or is it conditional, something that happened because of the environment you were experiencing?

Is it a thought, feeling, emotion, or experience that benefits your life? Is it something you would like to keep, evolve, or would you rather let it go?

Whether you have decided to keep, evolve, or release this thought, feeling, emotion, or experience, we will begin the next stage of the practice the same.

What I would like you to do is imagine you can hold the situation in your hands. Imagine it is something tangible you can hold.

Once you’ve achieved the place where you can imagine holding this thought, feeling, emotion, or experience, you will do one of three things.

1 – If you would like to keep the memory, make a quick note of why it is important to you. What makes this memory one you would like to keep? Once you’ve noted the reason you would like to keep, put the tangible version you are holding in your hands in a location that is specifically designed for those things you need to keep.

2 – If you think the memory is one that is useful, but you don’t want to keep it the way it is, you can evolve the memory by asking the question, “How is this thought, feeling, emotion, or experience useful to me? Is there a better way to experience this memory, that I may not be noticing?” Make a note below as you answer your question. Then take this new answer and put the tangible version you are holding in your hands in a location that is specifically designed for those things you need to keep.

3 – Finally, if it is a thought, feeling, emotion, or experience you would like to release, there is no need to interact with it. Simply ask yourself “What thought, feeling, emotion, or experience would I like to have instead of this memory? Write your answer below and then, you can imagine taking the tangible version of the memory you are holding in your hands and you can imagine destroying it.

Before you destroy the old memory, take a moment to center first, by taking a few deep breaths or close your eyes. Once you feel grounded or centered, imagine destroying the memory. Again, the brain doesn’t know the difference between what we imagine and what we experience in reality. So anything you imagine doing can make a significant difference in transforming the way your brain interacts with your memories. Whether it is burying it, burning it, shredding it or destroying it in some other way, do what feels best for you to let go of your memory.

As you continue through the week, take time to identify thoughts, feelings, emotions, and experiences, and decide if you want to keep, evolve, or release them. On Sunday, we will have a powerful releasing meditation to deepen this process. If you remember to submit your answers every day, you’ll have t clear field for the process, or you can use a journal. These new rules are a great thing to keep and contemplate over time.