Dark Side of the Mind
How to handle the thoughts which inevitably emerge when we get an unobstructed view of the mind.
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One of the most challenging parts of meditation is what's sometimes called the dark side of the mind. (baby crying) These are the thoughts and fantasies that we'd rather didn't appear in the mind. Whether they're exciting, violent, vengeful, or maybe even sadistic in nature, we might think we shouldn't be experiencing them. But these thoughts are perfectly natural and there's obviously no need to act on them. But why do they seem to appear more often once we begin to meditate? Well, typically, we go through our day with quite a heavy filter on the mind, blocking out these thoughts so we don't lie, either habitually or intentionally. When we block them out habitually we're unaware that it's even taking place, we're just so caught up in our day-to-day thinking. But by meditating, we're creating more space in the mind. So it's not that there are more of these thoughts, we just see them more clearly. But when we're blocking them out intentionally, we already see the thoughts clearly, but we're resisting them, perhaps fearful of what they say about us as a person. But what meditation shows us is that we're not our thoughts. So there's no need to judge them to identify with them. We see that don't make us a mean person, a terrible person, a twisted person. And it's through this process that we discover peace of mind, allowing thoughts to come and go, at ease with the mind exactly as it is....
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A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.
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Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.
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As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.
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Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.
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Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.
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