The mind is a tool, just like the hand. The hand isn’t you; the mind isn’t you. But you can control both of them.
I have a dumb joke that I used to subject friends to. I would say, “Watch me levitate that glass of water, using only my mind … through my hand.” And I would raise the glass of water with my hand. At best, it got a sympathetic smile, and I dropped it from my repertoire of bad table jokes, along with my “I am full of helium” routine.
But, it really is true that I can control my hand with my mind. I also have a measure of control over my mind. This is the challenge for people with obsessive-compulsive disorder: mind control.
How do you go from helplessness in the torrent of unwanted thoughts that plague your every waking hour to peace of mind? For me, it happened through affirmations, meditations and surrender.
Affirmation:
I can be what I will to be. This is the central affirmation from Charles F. Haanel’s The Master Key System, first published in 1912. In order to throw off the shackles of OCD, you must believe yourself, not your OCD, to be in control. This firm believe can be fostered through repetition of the affirmation, “I can be what I will to be.” Take a deep breath, think, I can be what I will to be, and I will to be free of OCD. If you will it to be so, it will be so. It may take a long…
