From my upcoming book - Nov 2019 The End of Relapse (The Mistaken Identity Model of Addiction)
LAYER 2- WE ARE NOT OUR MIND
"There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind—you are the one who hears it." ~ Michael A. Singer
If a reporter asked, “What is the most important chapter ( Layer) of your book, Paul?” I would not hesitate with this one because thoughts and emotions were the fuel that drove my addiction, and I wholeheartedly believed I was the mind.
Throughout the book you will notice a common theme; most of our suffering is because we believe in our thoughts. We believe in the bullshit of our minds.
“A life stuck in the head is living life in prison.” ~ Paul Noiles
Therefore, and without a doubt, “We are not our mind?” is the most crucial layer of the onion that needs to be investigated and peeled.
Here is how it all began:
Toronto, Ontario 1998—Homeless With A Few Days Clean:
I was mulling around a Toronto used bookstore when I accidentally knocked over a stack of books. I placed them all back on the table except one. For some reason, I was drawn to The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I opened the book to Chapter One, “You Are Not Your Mind.” I was shocked and said, “Get the fuck out of here!” But something kept saying, What if he is correct and I am not my mind? I would finally find some relief, and maybe find some lasting recovery was my conclusion. After all, I used 90 percent of the time because of the pain of the never-ending array of negative thoughts that bombarded my mind.
I stole Tolle’s book and read every word like it was food from the heavens. My road to awakening and recovery truly began with that aha moment. I had the hope I needed.
After studying Tolle, I came to realize from early childhood onward, I equated thinking with who I was (being). When in fact, BEING has nothing to do with thinking; they are separate. We are the consciousness that has thoughts not the thoughts themselves. It’s a big difference. My mind was highjacked by the false belief that all my negative thoughts were who I was. It’s no wonder I hated myself and why I kept on relapsing.
Had I not found what I call the Holy Grail of recovery, I would still be relapsing, or worse, dead. Unfortunately, this is not taught in most treatment centres and it should be.
Addiction is a manifestation of never-ending negative thoughts that create intense cravings for a substance or behaviour. ~ Paul Noiles
From that point forward, I was on a mission to find liberation from my mind. Through years of painful work, I would eventually found my freedom and it was the end of relapse.
Satnam Paul Noiles