A little confused with were to go next

[JoshB]

Hey guys,

Just looking for a little friendly advice from the fellow tms'er. Like others I have been doing this tms battle for some time. Although I think the part I always struggled with was journaling. Maybe because I don't like to dig deep. I have done a lot of reading not necessarily re-reading just yet. I have had great days a long the way and some that weren't so great. I'd say i've even had a few pain free ones. One main question was some of the stuff I have been reading says to stop focusing on the past an move on and live in the present. When that is said does that mean thinking or that I shouldn't continue to journal as some people do? I know that because I have put off the educational program that I really have some digging to do to uncover some things.

 

[BruceMC]

There's already a pretty long string on this Forum about overcoming resistance to journaling, which I'm pasting below:

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/overcoming-resistance-to-journaling.477/#post-7554

I think what living in the present means in this context is journaling about the past from the perspective of the present moment instead of being so caught up in your personal history that it dominates you. I'd say myself that you should launch into the SEP because it will answer some of the questions you have. You can see from the above string that a lot of people have resistance to journaling and questions about it. Just remember, we're all here to help each other out.

MorComm

 

[JoshB]

So then it means more thinking in the present moment. You can still and are encouraged to go down and dig through your past but through journaling and a present moment context. I think now more then ever I struggle with the present moment context. I am just finishing up my final year of studies and I continuously wonder how I will be able to maintain a steady job with the state I am currently in. I know no one knows the future its just difficult to fight with these thoughts everyday.

 

[BruceMC]

So then it means more thinking in the present moment. You can still and are encouraged to go down and dig through your past but through journaling and a present moment context. I think now more then ever I struggle with the present moment context. I am just finishing up my final year of studies and I continuously wonder how I will be able to maintain a steady job with the state I am currently in. I know no one knows the future its just difficult to fight with these thoughts everyday.

Yes, worrying about a future (that never really turns out the way you imagine it) is one of the perennial sources of anxiety that keeps our minds stirred up. I think the key term here is detachment. Meditation can give you a tool to not only gaze into the future, but explore your past, from the perspective of the present moment.

 

[Forest]

I think what living in the present means in this context is journaling about the past from the perspective of the present moment instead of being so caught up in your personal history that it dominates you.

This is one of the best ways to phrase how to journaling that I have heard. Most people won't have a repressed memory that they need to uncover, but they will have certain memories that effect how they react to situations and stress in the present, and this is where the value of journaling comes in. It can really help you connect the dots from your past to your present.

Josh, how's the journaling going?

 

[JoshB]

Ahh haven't been journaling about the past too much lately more current stressors. I think I touched on a lot of things over the months. I am healing more and more everyday, so I am trying to take a present moment approach to things with much success. I am currently reading one of Carl Yung's last books on the subconscious mind(man and his symbol) thinking that once I understand it a little better I may go back and have the knowledge to dig a little deeper.

 

[BruceMC]

Ahh haven't been journaling about the past too much lately more current stressors.

I think one of the important points (among many) that Alan Gordon made tonight on the Fuze meeting is that the right half of the brain where emotional memories are stored is eternally present, so that when you journal, the past isn't the past but present right here and now.