~ Reflection on Being Curious About the Mind ~
In mindfulness meditation, we get curious whatever is happening in our minds. By gently shining the light of awareness on our thoughts and emotions, we can uncover what lies underneath them. Mindfulness meditation brings the unconscious into consciousness, allowing us to make more informed and wiser choices about our thoughts, words and actions.
So what does being curious about our minds look like in practice?
Often when we are curious about something, we will study or investigate it. We use our intellects to analyze it. We want to understand whatever it is by breaking it down into its constituent parts, so we dissect it into its parts and look at what caused it and its likely consequences in the future.
But mindfulness meditation is quite different. It’s not about the intellect. Rather, it is about looking at our direct experience and seeing what is true in for us on a moment-to-moment basis. We can gently ask ourselves “What is happening in my mind right now?”. And not searching for answers, but seeing what emerges, if anything. Being curious about our experience in this way invites a positive interest in what’s happening. The focus is on the inquiry itself, rather than the answers.
In this way, mindfulness meditation enables us to get a little distance from obsessive thoughts and strong emotions. Being curious about what's happening in our minds interrupts the mental rumination that reinforces itself every time we replay our thoughts and emotions. When we are curious, we aren’t getting caught up in it or feeding them.
A few years ago, I went through a period of feeling down. So I studied what this actually felt like in my mind. I noticed a lot of negative thoughts and emotions about myself and about life in general. Over time, I came to see that there were deep rooted and unexpressed feelings of anger, fear and sadness in my mind and that they were linked to memories of my childhood.
Instead of trying to get rid of these very unpleasant feelings, I began to hang out with them and get curious about them. I found myself asking the anger, fear and sadness what they wanted to express and what they most wanted. Most often, I found that they wanted to be acknowledged and accepted as legitimate feelings. This wasn't an intellectual response; it came from a deeper heart level.
We usually try to avoid difficult thoughts and emotions but when we take the time to hang out with them, get to know them, and listen to them, they can open our hearts to love and kindness towards ourselves and others. We all have the capacity to be happy, loving and at peace, and by being curious about our minds we can cultivate these wholesome states at the same time as we recognize and accept our direct experience – whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.
So what does being curious about our minds look like in practice?
Often when we are curious about something, we will study or investigate it. We use our intellects to analyze it. We want to understand whatever it is by breaking it down into its constituent parts, so we dissect it into its parts and look at what caused it and its likely consequences in the future.
But mindfulness meditation is quite different. It’s not about the intellect. Rather, it is about looking at our direct experience and seeing what is true in for us on a moment-to-moment basis. We can gently ask ourselves “What is happening in my mind right now?”. And not searching for answers, but seeing what emerges, if anything. Being curious about our experience in this way invites a positive interest in what’s happening. The focus is on the inquiry itself, rather than the answers.
In this way, mindfulness meditation enables us to get a little distance from obsessive thoughts and strong emotions. Being curious about what's happening in our minds interrupts the mental rumination that reinforces itself every time we replay our thoughts and emotions. When we are curious, we aren’t getting caught up in it or feeding them.
A few years ago, I went through a period of feeling down. So I studied what this actually felt like in my mind. I noticed a lot of negative thoughts and emotions about myself and about life in general. Over time, I came to see that there were deep rooted and unexpressed feelings of anger, fear and sadness in my mind and that they were linked to memories of my childhood.
Instead of trying to get rid of these very unpleasant feelings, I began to hang out with them and get curious about them. I found myself asking the anger, fear and sadness what they wanted to express and what they most wanted. Most often, I found that they wanted to be acknowledged and accepted as legitimate feelings. This wasn't an intellectual response; it came from a deeper heart level.
We usually try to avoid difficult thoughts and emotions but when we take the time to hang out with them, get to know them, and listen to them, they can open our hearts to love and kindness towards ourselves and others. We all have the capacity to be happy, loving and at peace, and by being curious about our minds we can cultivate these wholesome states at the same time as we recognize and accept our direct experience – whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.
