Helping our patients to observe the “feeling and thinking mind” from a distance

In counseling, we often see folks whose “feeling mind” are in conflict with their “thinking mind” i.e. how they feel and how they think are very different, and at times, even opposing. For example, they can know from objective evidence that they are good enough, but they may still feel that they are not good enough.

Like double vision, the mind doesn’t like it, and may shut down one side in order to lessen the discomfort/cognitive dissonance.

It’s like amblyopia perhaps.

Some folks may shut down their “thinking mind” and rely predominantly on their “feeling mind”, whereas some folks may shut down their “feeling mind” and rely predominantly on their “thinking mind”.

This may then cause a number of adjustment issues along with the associated stress.

Counseling is to help folks to step back or “zoom out” into the observer space and begin to notice the thinking and feeling mind from a distance in order to clarify and reconcile them.

This is mindfulness of thoughts and feelings. It’s a simple concept but hard to apply for many of our patients. 

But once achieved successfully, things will begin to shift.