Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Just One Thing

Home
New Visions
Key Points of Letting Go

Key Points of Letting Go

Last updated on: April 18, 2014 at 7:00 am by Rick Hanson

Key Points of Letting Go 2014-04-18T07:00:26-07:00 Rick Hanson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“Let go a little, you’ll have a little happiness. Let go completely, you’ll be completely happy.”

Letting Go of Body Sensations

Ordinary breathing, focusing on exhalation, intending to let go.
Diaphragm breathing.
Breath of fire.
Heartmath: Breathing evenly through the heart with a positive emotion.
Scanning the body and releasing tension. Progressive relaxation.
Using imagery to relax.

Letting Go of Thoughts

Two fundamental errors of thought:

• Overestimating the bad.
• Underestimating the good.

Systematically argue against errors of thought, on paper or in your mind.
Identify “sub-personalities” generating errors of thought; thank them for sharing, ask if they have anything new to say, and then tell them to shut up.

Letting Go of Emotions

As with any unpleasant experience, have compassion for yourself.
As you release negative emotions, sense positive feelings replacing them, like security replacing fear, worth replacing shame/guilt, peacefulness replacing anger.
Name the feeling, own it, and accept it. For bonus points, try to choose it.
Imagine/sense the emotion leaving on the exhalation, or draining out of the body, or being released to the universe or even to God/the mysterious Divine.
Use imagery, like standing in a cool mountain stream washing pain away.
Sense the underlying softer, deeper, younger feelings, and then let them go.
Venting safely, like writing letters you don’t send, yelling, hitting something SAFE.

Letting Go of Wants

Same methods as with releasing emotions: Naming and accepting. Draining out of the body.
Releasing via imagery. Sense the underlying, positive wants, and respond to them.
Do a cost/benefit analysis, and choose what you really want.
Reflect on the suffering that is embedded, that’s inevitable, in most desires.

Letting Go of Self

Perspectives: The more we “self” experience – personalize it, identify with it, cling to it – the more we suffer: “no self, no problem.” The degree of self varies; it’s not an omnipresent fact; it’s continually constructed. When self is minimal or absent, notice that it’s not needed to function in life.
Observe the activity of self and experiment with reducing it.
When others are upset, see the ways it’s not about you: They’re on automatic; you’re a bit player in their drama; they are already punishing themselves; you are separate, with good boundaries.
Each day, take time to sense the fact of your interconnectedness with everything.

In General

Be the awareness of the experience, not the experience itself.
Notice that all experiences change.
Keep evoking positive feelings.

• • • • •

What practices have YOU found to be effective for letting go? I’d enjoy hearing from you in the comments section.

The post Key Points of Letting Go appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.

Letting Go

blog

Previous Post

April 14, 2014

Is the “Self” Real?

Next Post

April 21, 2014 Mindful Presence

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category art of charm Articles audio audio practice audio program Awareness Be Mindful being for yourself bless Book Excerpt brain change Breath Buddha's Brain bulletproof radio challenge yourself cognitive essentializing dance Dr. Rick Hanson Ecology and Environment Featured Featured Post forgive yourself from the porch Generosity Go Green Gratitude hard things honesty Inner Peace Interviews Just One Thing let go Letting Go lighten up Meditations mindful presence neurodharma Open Out overestimations Parenting Peace podcast Podcasts Quizzes release Rest in Green rick's picks speak truly strategy for happiness Take in The Good Taking in the Good Uncategorized Video you're alright your precious life Your Wise Brain

Select a Month May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 May 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Naaman was healed of leprosy by washing seven times in the Jordan River.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE