5 Philosophical Ways to Get Your Mind Out of Dark Places

We can use the shadow imagination as a mechanism for uncovering our future power. When we’re introduced to how bad things could get, we’re at a choice point. We can turn away, we can dive into the waters of the worst-case scenario and allow them to drown us, or we can touch the suffering that’s possible and remind ourselves of our own abilities. We... See more

Reflecting on the nature of thought may not come naturally, but it can be trained with consistent practice. In the same way our muscles don’t bulk up without physical exercise, our minds won’t sharpen up without adequate mental training. Contemplative practices like meditation and prayer contribute to this type of project, but much of it starts by ... See more

The point is to try and step outside of your existing framework for thinking about how you approach (some set of) things, and to perceive how your past experience and existing worldview influences your expectations of how things will go, and how those expectations would then influence the outcome. It can be helpful to do thought experiments where y

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I call this the Thought See-Saw, and while it features two prominent sides, the truth is that we are rarely sitting at the endpoints of it. Although I’d like to think that sustained thought is a reliable pathway to profound insight, I can easily find myself on a train of thought that is taking me to a pit of anxiety and fear. In fact, I find myself... See more

We like to believe that we are the conscious authors of our thoughts, believing that these intentions and directives come from a structured, orderly place where willpower reigns supreme. However, if you take a brief moment to sit down in silence for just a minute or two, you’ll notice that the nature of thought is anything but that. Almost immediat... See more

Whether or not you have worked out your own understanding of free will, just thinking about your potential lack of agency can be an exercise in mindfulness. By observing the thoughts that run amuck your mind, and contemplating the subconscious factors that govern your waking consciousness, you allow awareness to take the wheel — rather than delusio... See more

For a taste of this mystery, simply close your eyes, calm your breathing, and try to still your mind. This will be next to impossible; thoughts and feelings will come up regardless. The calmer your mind is, the more disconnected and arbitrary will be the thoughts that arise. Images will appear out of nowhere, things you had long ignored or forgotte

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