This is an example of how I do inquiry on a stressful thought.
The thought I am working on today is “I am angry at my uncle because he died of cancer.”
1) Is it true?
2) Can I absolutely know that I am angry that he died of cancer?
3) How do I react when I think the thought “I am angry at my uncle because he died of cancer”?
I cry, I get depressed, I want to start a war on cancer, I want to kill cancer, I am afraid I might die of cancer. I try to forget my uncle.
4) Who would you be without the thought “I am angry at my uncle because he died of cancer”?
I’d be peaceful, courageous, positive, calm, healthy.
Turning the thought around:
1) I am angry at myself because he died of cancer, I am angry because I wasn’t able to heal him, I am angry because I wasn’t able to kill his cancer. I am angry because I didn’t know about the Budwig diet back then. I am angry because he left his body before I did. I am angry because he’s resting and I am not.
2) I am angry at myself because I died of cancer. My thoughts got cancer, my mind is not healthy, it thinks about cancer a lot. My thoughts killed some of the aliveness I had as a child, I started protecting myself from death by killing my feelings. I separated myself from cancer. I made cancer into an enemy, I did not see it as part of life. I am angry that I told a 12 year old (myself) that she should heal her uncle and put so much responsibility on her shoulders.
3) I am happy that my uncle died of cancer. I am happy because I can empathize with people who also suffer from cancer. I am happy because it caused me to look for a cure. I am happy because it causes me to eat healthy. I am happy because it showed me I could survive the devastation of losing someone dear to me. I am happy because it made me search for something beyond the body.
My uncle is still alive in my thoughts. I can still see images of him in my mind. My uncle died because he was tired, tired of fighting cancer. My uncle died so he can give my aunt and my grandparents freedom to continue to live their lives without having to take care of him on a daily basis.
The turnarounds show me other possibilities that are certainly more peaceful for my soul than the original thought.
If you would like to inquire your own thoughts:
If you would like to listen to other people inquire their thoughts:
The picture is taken in my backyard, where I like to question my thoughts.