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Ego Defense Mechanism: Difference between revisions
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Our ego minds are programmed and then neurologically wired to select and interpret evidence supporting the relationship to our self as “I'm OK” and there is nothing wrong with me that I need to change. A variety of mechanisms: [[Conscious Mind|conscious]], [[Unconscious Mind|unconscious]], and social will direct our attention to ignore the negative behaviors we cause in our life and to instead highlight what we think is positive or acceptable in order to increase our optimism and reduce our anxiety. | Our ego minds are programmed and then neurologically wired to select and interpret evidence supporting the relationship to our self as “I'm OK” and there is nothing wrong with me that I need to change, even when there is evidence that proves this to be contradictory. A variety of mechanisms: [[Conscious Mind|conscious]], [[Unconscious Mind|unconscious]], and social will direct our attention to ignore the negative behaviors we cause in our life and to instead highlight what we think is positive or acceptable in order to increase our optimism and reduce our anxiety when facing problems or challenges. | ||
Through the course of growing up from childhood into adulthood, we develop coping skills and will come to label people, places or objects in the environment that are acceptable or not acceptable in our belief systems. Ego defenses are similar to mental racketeering programs that are commonly used as coping mechanisms for reducing day to day anxiety, fears, and obsessions that are related to thought addiction or the need to control the environment. When we are addicted to our thoughts, we have lost balance with our feelings and sensory abilities that allow us to be fully present in the moment and be in a receptive mode to better discern the environment and their energies. | Through the course of growing up from childhood into adulthood, we develop coping skills and will come to label people, places or objects in the environment that are acceptable or not acceptable in our belief systems. Ego defenses are similar to mental racketeering programs that are commonly used as coping mechanisms for reducing day to day anxiety, fears, and obsessions that are related to thought addiction or the need to control the environment. When we are addicted to our thoughts, we have lost balance with our feelings and sensory abilities that allow us to be fully present in the moment and be in a receptive mode to better discern the environment and their energies. | ||
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==Impulse Control by Refocusing== | ==Impulse Control by Refocusing== | ||
As one learns how to refocus one’s thoughts, one prevents overwhelming states of emotion from triggering impulsive behaviors and angry reactions. As one develops strong impulse control they are learning a form of ego discipline through applied [[Spirit of Patience|patience]]. If we check in and find that we do not like what we may be feeling, we can learn better the reasons for that by further shifting into the observer mode. In our community, we call that process of observing as shifting from identifying with a thought or feeling by moving ourselves into the compassionate witness. As a [[Compassionate Witness]] we have no judgment of thoughts or feelings, we hold no judgment of what we are observing in the external, we only observe those thoughts and feelings in our self and others. When we can fully observe through our own [[Compassionate Witness]], we then become neutral and centered. Then, we can immediately find relief from our inner anxiety, fears and a host of other thought distortions. This process is key to shifting ego defense mechanisms, thought addiction tendency and releasing the anxiety or fear of feeling emotional depth or pain. By continually using an ego defense mechanism to avoid facing the source causation of the anxiety or deeply rooted fear, (which is unresolved pain or trauma) we are only perpetuating the mental looping which uses denial of the truth in order to avoid feeling pain or discomfort. Denial of the truth is the seed of all [[Ego Defense Mechanism]]s. | As one learns how to refocus one’s thoughts, one prevents overwhelming states of emotion from triggering impulsive behaviors and angry reactions. As one develops strong impulse control they are learning a form of ego discipline through applied [[Spirit of Patience|patience]]. If we check in and find that we do not like what we may be feeling, we can learn better the reasons for that by further shifting into the observer mode. In our community, we call that process of observing as shifting from identifying with a thought or feeling by moving ourselves into the compassionate witness. As a [[Compassionate Witness]] we have no judgment of thoughts or feelings, we hold no judgment of what we are observing in the external, we only observe those thoughts and feelings in our self and others. When we can fully observe through our own [[Compassionate Witness]], we then become neutral and centered. Then, we can immediately find relief from our inner anxiety, fears and a host of other thought distortions. This process is key to shifting ego defense mechanisms, thought addiction tendency and releasing the anxiety or fear of feeling emotional depth or pain. By continually using an ego defense mechanism to avoid facing the source causation of the anxiety or deeply rooted fear, (which is unresolved pain or trauma) we are only perpetuating the mental looping which uses denial of the truth in order to avoid feeling pain or discomfort. Denial of the truth is the seed of all [[Ego Defense Mechanism]]s. | ||