Matt's Audio Letter of the Week

All right, hey there, and welcome to this edition of the FBL, or the Feel Better Letter.

This is Matt.

The title of today’s letter is:

Just Because You Have a Thought Doesn’t Mean It’s Yours.

Now, that statement may sound contradictory at first, but I want to expand on it because I think it’s an important message.

Most people dealing with OCD, anxiety, addiction, chronic pain, anger, guilt, shame, depression—really anything associated with lower emotional states or lower levels of consciousness—stay stuck because they identify as the mind rather than the consciousness that observes the mind.

The mind simply produces thoughts.

And one of the most important things to understand is that your mind generates thoughts based on the state you’re in.

Much like a radio station plays music based on the station you tune into—whether it’s jazz, country, hip-hop, or rock—you wouldn’t tune into a jazz station and expect to hear country music.

In the same way, when you’re in a state of fear, your mind is going to generate thoughts that match that state.

One of the interesting things about OCD and anxiety is that there seem to be a relatively small number of themes that people get stuck on, often with nearly identical thoughts.

Think about that for a moment.

Why is it that someone in Tallahassee, Florida, can have the exact same intrusive thought as someone in China, France, or Australia—often in a completely different language?

If our thoughts were truly unique and individually created, you would expect them to be far more different than they are.

Another question to consider is this:

If you are consciously creating the thought, then why can’t you simply stop creating it?

If that were true, I could just tell you to stop.

Problem solved.

But it doesn’t work that way.

And that’s why I say that just because you have a thought doesn’t mean it’s your thought.

You are the consciousness that is aware of the thoughts.

Most thoughts arise automatically based on the state you’re in and the environment around you.

They simply appear.

The problem begins when you assume those thoughts are yours and then start trying to fix them, stop them, analyze them, or project them onto your environment.

That’s one of the biggest places people get stuck.

There’s a significant difference between experiencing a thought and consciously generating one.

The vast majority of thoughts we experience are automatic.

One of the easiest ways to recognize this is simple:

If you were truly creating these thoughts, then you should be able to stop creating them.

But you can’t.

Because you didn’t create them in the first place.

Now, when you resist them, fight them, argue with them, or ruminate about them, you perpetuate them.

You keep yourself stuck in the state that generated them.

That state creates more thoughts, which reinforces the state, and the cycle continues.

Whether it’s fear, anger, guilt, shame, or addiction, the same dynamic is at work.

That’s why trying to solve this at the level of thought has historically been unsuccessful.

You cannot think your way out of an automatic thought problem.

It simply doesn’t work.

Recovery is not a linear process of eliminating every thought and every feeling before you can finally be okay.

Recovery is a movement into higher states of consciousness, where the mind naturally functions differently.

And often, if we’ve been stuck with the same problem for years, the way out is not to keep looking at it through the same lens.

We need an entirely different frame, paradigm, and understanding.

Because if we’re stuck, it’s often the paradigm itself that’s keeping us there.

So when it comes to understanding thoughts, it’s important to begin viewing them through this model.

And it’s equally important to stop taking ownership of something you didn’t create.

If you were truly creating all of your intrusive thoughts, then you could simply stop.

But you can’t.

Because they arise automatically from the state you’re in, and consciousness simply experiences them.

That doesn’t mean you have to like them.

But when you resist them, fight them, and ruminate about them, you keep them alive.

You keep yourself stuck.

So just some food for thought today.

If this resonates with you and you’re looking for support, I’d encourage you to apply for TBC.

We can help you not only understand these ideas, but actually learn how to navigate this journey.

We’ll have a link in the notes below.

And if you know someone who would benefit from this message, please share it with them.

Lastly, I want to let you know that we’re getting very close to launching the new Restored Minds app, and I’m really excited about it.

We’ll be sending out more information soon, so keep an eye on your inbox.

With that, wishing you all a great day.

Talk to you soon.