Ghost Walker

 

 

Where does the negativity reside inside us?  Why does negativity reside in us?  What causes us to have negative thoughts, right out of the blue? It seems to hide within, haunting the halls of my consciousness until, suddenly it appears out of nowhere.  In fact, we do, deep within our brain, a space that holds negative bias.

Our Ghost Walker is like a court recorder that sits off to the side and makes note of negative events then shouts “Here ye!  Hear ye! …” and begins ringing a bell and shouting the news.  It carves the negative experience on stone tablets.  Thus we remember negative events more easily than positive ones.  And because there is ‘held space’ for traumas, for unpleasant feelings, emotional thoughts, etc., we are more apt to have negative response, thoughts, dreams, than positive ones.  Good grief, now, why would we have that built in to our psyches?

Thus, we feel criticism, negative-biased thoughts about events than we do positive ones and we react from that space more easily.  So, those of us who have wounds, it is a constant Quixote battling with negative memories that ensues.    They say to combat negative thinking, think five positive thoughts that come from an incident and that helps extinguish the negative.  If so, I sure am going to be busy in my head.

I know it to be true that negative bias means that we feel the negative more deeply than we do positive.  For instance, how often does someone say something positive (I love your outfit) and we think, or say, “this old thing’.  That kind of example is how I think.  I am trying to consciously just say thank you if nothing else to stop the negative reply from coming out of my mouth. 

“As neuroscientist Rick Hanson explains: "In effect, the brain is like Velcro for negative experiences, but Teflon for positive ones." This is why it can seem so difficult to heal depression, grief or trauma.”

Of course, we will receive negativity that is right for us to receive.  Learning to balance that that is good (negative but for us to learn from) to receive with that that is our own critical voice is what is important.   Turning negative thoughts to ones that help us learn the lesson from it, is simply teaching the brain to accept positive outcomes.

I try to let positive comments and incidents stick.  I keep thinking good thoughts until I can see the positive.  Our brain wants to learn so it will respond to us reteaching it to really soak up positive comments, as well. 

I think that the basic sense of Self makes a huge difference.  If I do not feel good enough, then I will push away positive things.  If I think I do not deserve good things, I will push the good away.  That is why it is so important for us to soak up the positive empowering statements, memes, etc. that I push in the group.  We have to turn our negative thoughts about self away and transplant good things about ourself. 

We deserve any bit of happiness, affirmations, joy, [peace and positive self-esteem we can muster.  Life down here is hard.  Millions are made on our belief we are not good enough.  It is making “teeth-whitening, Botox, etc.” worth millions.  I resent that, don’t you?

Let us rewire our brains together…be positive…..think positive, speak positive and HEAR positive.  You matter!

 

©Carol Desjarlais 10.25.23