Start your week by connecting with the creative power in your problems!

by | September 06, 2021

Start your week by connecting with the creative power in your problems!
The psyche has two main interacting parts.

One part consists of our primary identity. It speaks in “I” statements. “I’m so-and-so, this is what I want, like, dislike, think, feel, believe, etc..

I call this our “First Mind” because it’s the first thing that comes into our awareness.

The other part contains all that strives to expand this identity, increase its scope, heal, and liberate it.

It does this by disturbing our First Mind with problems, errors, accidents, depression, anxiety, attention issues, etc., as well as lucky fate and uplifting events.

I call this our “Second Mind” because it only comes into our awareness secondarily. We don’t intend it, it happens TO us.

Within these unwanted or positive experiences lies our growth process.

For example, our First Mind might say, “I want to feel happy and successful” but our Second Mind ruins this by making us feel like a depressed failure.

It does so in an attempt to shake up our First Mind (including our concept of happiness and success) in order to expand it.

Connecting with this growth process not only heals our depression but broadens our entire sense of self, as well.

So, how do we become aware of our Second Mind?

A simple beginning:

Close your eyes, take 3 deep breaths, and come into the present moment.

Feel into your problem. Go right to the core of it; feel every detail.

Then make a picture in your mind of what you feel.

For example, if you feel anxious you might see a tornado. If you feel depressed you might see a dark cloud.

There’s no right image—just whatever accurately portrays your feeling.

Then imagine Being the image. Be the tornado, the dark cloud, etc..

Inhabit and personify it. Bring it to life as a living force or character.

Don’t be YOU suffering its effects; Be IT—the force. IT isn’t suffering. IT has creative power. IT has a message for you!

Ignore your First Mind’s negative interpretations of your problem, and let the image / feeling speak through you as a messenger.

Become IT and look back at yourself. How do you want your First Mind self to change?

Keep returning to this process and you’ll eventually connect with the message in your troubles.

Rock yer day!

Dr. Zwig
©2023 Dr. Adam Zwig

Meet Dr. Adam Zwig—psychologist-musician, educator, and author. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology, has had 9 Top Ten hit singles on the U.S Adult Contemporary charts, and is an internationally renowned workshop leader and lecturer. He has been featured on Billboard, SiriusXM Radio, CBS Radio, and many other stations, and in People Magazine, SPIN, Pollstar, and many other publications. Dr. Zwig has released 7 albums, and his music can be heard on National TV, including NBC, Fox, and Fuel TV. He has more than 160 million views on YouTube, over half a million social media followers, and has scored in the top 10% of rock artists streamed on Spotify in 2022. His forthcoming book, Music in the Mayhem: Tales of Total Transformation from a Rock n Roll Psychologist, shows how life problems are not pathological but rather personal growth processes trying to happen. His podcast, The Dr. Zwig Show, posts new episodes every Wednesday.

DISCLAIMER: The content contained herein is for inspirational, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Nowhere in this Blog does Dr. Zwig diagnose or treat a viewer with any kind of psychological, mental, emotional or physical disorder as might be diagnosed and treated by a personal psychologist or other professional advisor. The content is not intended to be a substitute for working with a therapist but is for the purpose of educating the viewer about new approaches to working on personal problems. Viewers should use this Blog at their own risk, with the understanding that Dr. Zwig is not liable for its impact or effect on its users. Viewing this Blog does not form a practitioner/client relationship between the viewer and Dr. Zwig. Dr. Zwig is not responsible for any action taken by a viewer based upon any information in this Blog. Never disregard professional medical advice or stop taking psychiatric medication based on something you have read on this Blog without a doctor’s supervision and ongoing therapeutic support. Dr. Zwig is an educator, author, and life coach in the U.S., and a psychotherapist in Switzerland. He holds a PhD in clinical psychology. He is also a rock n roll musician.