Mindshifters - The Shadow Effect and Codependence to Interdependence

Last week the Mindshifters group was without our usual DVD collection and a member brought in the DVD The Shadow Effect from Debbie Ford. While this movie makes several of the same points that Dr. Ryce makes in his lectures, the whole tone of the movie was dark and rather pessimistic. The key to the movie is that each of us has negative thoughts and judgments, and if we suppress them they come out in stronger, and more negative ways that we are not consciously aware of.

If I am not aware of something, there is nothing I can do to fix, change, or avoid it. So there is great value in increasing my awareness of the unconscious processes in my mind and my emotional beliefs. This is the primary focus of all the lectures by Dr. Ryce, and the practical tools he offers with each of his lectures.

I much prefer the positive and optimistic focus presented by Dr. Ryce, in which the energy of Love is the agent of change, with the realization that we are made of that very energy of Love. So, the process of change and self-improvement can either be seen through the lens which says that we are all filled with dark, negative emotions and beliefs about ourselves which need to be faced and owned - or it can be seen as recognizing that we are made of Love and then beginning the process of removing all of the roadblocks to seeing and living from the energy of Love that lives inside us. I prefer this second option.

The video we watched last night was the first half of the lecture titled "Codependence to Interdependence. This lecture begins with the focus on the beauty and Loving energy that is present when a baby is born. Most people who have been present at the moment of birth, or held a newborn baby, describe the infant with words like, Love, beauty, blessing, joy, etc. Dr. Ryce poses the observation that this is because we are made in the image and likeness of a creator, which is Love. We are made of the very energy of Love and it is our source, and what sustains us. He then describes the process in which we try to hide or change what we are, or how we appear to others, in order to gain or maintain their acceptance and approval. As we do this, we hide our true nature from others and eventually ourselves, as we try to be what we think others want us to be.

The entire process of hiding who and what we are is rooted in denial and suppression. Whenever we deny and suppress something, we give it more energy and store it in our bodies and emotional energy systems. The longer this negative, hidden energy stays in our bodies and emotional energy systems, the more damage it does to our relationships and our physical health. The more damage we do to our relationships and our bodies, the more physical and emotional pain we feel, and the greater chance that we will use people, substances, and behaviors to avoid or numb our selves to the pain. This is offered as an explanation of the process of addiction. It is offered that we use drugs, alcohol, food, sex, hostility, and a host of others substances and behaviors to either avoid pain, or numb our selves to the pain.

The solution which is offered is to remove the pain at its root cause, which is to remove the unconscious negative thoughts, beliefs, and false realities which we have stored in our systems through denial and suppression.

I highly recommend viewing this lecture for anyone who has difficulties with addiction of any kind. It is very empowering to realize that we are the Love we seek!

We come from Love, we are made of Love, we are Love. Everything else is false!