You have one brain, but if you want to heal you need two minds: Your rebel mind and your awake mind.
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Your mind is different than your brain. Your brain is physical, but your mind is more like your spiritual self. Literally, your brain is the meat but your mind is how you think about the meat.
Mind is defined as
Mind is awareness, thinking and feeling, both conscience and consciousness. Put simply, your mind is your depth. Recovery depends, no it demands, that you have two minds.
The Rebel mind
The rebel mind is the mind that takes you downward. It is an outlook where you strive to gain power-over other people, and over yourself. The rebel mind confuses power with mastery, which is more about learning rather than control. This is the mind that craves numbness, avoidance and minimization of serious issues.
The rebel mind lets life pass you by as you numb out and react, rather than slow down and learn to be present.
The rebel mind sits on our chest. It is cold and heavy, like a blanket made of lead. It covers us and resists our movements. It growls and speaks ill-mindedness to us. The rebel mind is a mindset where you see little good inside of you. You go war against yourself rather than learning the value of your entire sense of who you are.
The rebel mind reacts out of our childhood and our fear. It will convince you that the world is unsafe and dangerous, and that you must self-protect. The rebel mind is a mind that rejects. It is fear-based and creates division, judgment and categories of good/bad, safe/unsafe, mine/yours, and us/them.
The Awake mind
The awake mind is a slowly emerging mind. It will not force it’s way into your awareness, like the rebel mind. It is the still-small-voice that waits for your awareness rather than demanding your attention. The awake mind begins by listening and being aware. With practice, you learn to tolerate the distress of dissonance.
The awake mind calls your soul to wake up. You learn to let your agenda slip into the background. You learn that life is less about control and more about being flexible. You learn to stand for your values, rather than fight for your rights.
The awake mind is not perfect but you know perfection is not the point. You learn to forgive yourself. You learn to let go, just a little and to love yourself. Loving your life is the beginning of recovering your life. You cannot have a lovelife without first loving life.
The awake mind is very aware of our struggles. It is not ignorant of our childhood or other situations that bring you pain. The awake mind sees your childhood as giving you sails instead of an anchor. It sees your childhood as a path to your potential rather than a prison.
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The awake mind does not reject the rebel mind, rather you learn to embrace who you were and who you are in order for you to become who you can be.
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At one time, the rebel mind kept you safe but now it may get in your way. The awake mind does not reject the rebel mind, rather you learn to embrace who you were and who you are in order for you to become who you can be.
This mindset is open to your opportunities and your pressures. It does not hide from your failures, but finds a way to learn from them. You still feel anxious, but you live your life in spite of your anxiety.
Remember, your mind is your depth. It is your awareness, your thinking and feeling, and both your conscience and your consciousness.
Recovery begins when you wake up. You have to listen to yourself in order to heal and become all of who you can be. Your rebel mind may influence you to reject and isolate, but your awake and healthy mind will teach you the value of embracing yourself in all of your struggles and triumphs.
You may have two minds, but you are one person. Learning to embrace all of who you are in all of your beauty (and your failure) will fuel your recovery. When you are open to your complete self, you can heal: Open to your anxiety and your awareness, your compulsions and your connections, and your protests and your potential.
If you enjoyed this article, I suggest that you read more of my work:
Why Do You Go to War Against Yourself?
Are You Brave Enough to Love Yourself?
Zero is the First Step in Your Healing and Recovery
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Keep it Real
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Getting High on Recovery 