[ Contents | Search | Next | Previous | Up ]
From: Ellen-Marie Silverman
Date: 19 Oct 2006
Time: 05:42:12 -0500
Remote Name: 64.12.116.67
Nice to hear from you, Katie! You asked a very basic question, an excellent question --- how to help someone change what they believe. Basically, it seems to me, that there are two ways, one more effective than the other, but both do come into play to bring about lasting change. One is intellectually; one is experientally. Let's use my experience having a root canal as I wrote about it as an example. I knew when I heard Thich Naht Hanh's (well-known Zen master) explanation of the benefits of adopting a deep abdominal breathing practice to protect our mental equanimity when assailed by strong emotion that that was a good thing to do. I mean, how could it not be? I totally agreed with the rationale he presented for adopting the practice. Yet, because I agreed with it and because it is such a simple thing to do, I rationalized that I did not need to practice the technique daily. I convinced myself I could just engage in deep abdominal breathing and reap its benefits when I felt overwhelmed by negative emotion of one sort or another. Well, as my experience getting a root canal revealed to me, that did not work because my strong fear and aversion overtook me short-circuiting my intellect before I could even begin deep abdominal breathing at the time I needed it. So, in that case, intellectual knowledge of what to do was of almost no help to me when I needed it. BUT. having had the experience that that was so, I was convinced I needed to change my belief. I realized I couldn't just turn deep abdominal breathing "on" when I wanted, especially when I was extremely fearful, etc. I needed to establish the practice through daily practice so it was already present when needed. So, that is an example that demonstrates how the combination of intellectual knowledge and experience combine to help someone change a belief and how important direct, personal experience can be. I think you will find that true, that our personal experience helps cement what we think we know based on what we have seen, read, or been told. I hope that what I have said here gives you some useful direction. Thank you for your interest in "Mind Matters." Ellen-Marie Silverman