Emotional Incontinence

by Michael Mamas | Friday, February 19, 2016 | Personal Growth | 15 comments

Human evolution, maturity, is about the integration of thoughts, emotion, and soul. Success in this arena is very much a physiological state. When the heart and mind do not function in unison, life becomes a mess. The mind may get triggered by a notion or occurrence. The individual, if not well integrated, spins out. It’s like an instinctual knee-jerk reaction over which that person has no control. For some, this happens in a moment and it passes quickly. A minimal degree of emotional incontinence such as this is normal and understandable. After all, we are all human.

However, some people seem to be in a permanent state of emotional incontinence. Once an experience triggers an emotional upheaval, they are unable to get past it. Their emotional bias is never ending, intense, and overrides any level of rational thought. The mind then is used as a tool to justify the emotionally incontinent state.

So, how do you overcome emotional incontinence? Of course, number one is proper meditation. Through proper meditation the physiology normalizes (integrates).

Secondly, personal process is important, which is why I developed the whole field of Transgradient Counseling™. All personal process is not integrative. Some forms of personal process even breaks down integration, offering nothing more than a belief system or justification to cling to.

Number three, is cultivating a healthy second response. After the initial spasm of emotional incontinence, you can learn to take a step back and reevaluate, question your perspective, and explore how it may be improved upon.

Lastly, in my lectures and classes, I offer an understanding of life that helps people wisely navigate the ocean of life. It is invaluable to get some understanding of what you’re doing and how you’re functioning in a context of how life works and what it actually is.

Courage

by Michael Mamas | Saturday, February 13, 2016 | Personal Growth | 15 comments

Ever since I was a little boy I have loved reading quotes. They provide inspiration without manhandling the mind. The other day I came across the following quote about courage:

“A lot of things can happen if you have the will and courage to do it.”

So many people have had the courage to stand together and help me create Mount Soma. Without their courage to stand beside me and face the wind together, Mount Soma would have remained only a dream. I am eternally grateful for their stepping forward and facing any fear to support what we believe in. May none of us ever give in to cowardice. May we always move forward, forward, alway forward.

I understand the quote above was said by a Macedonian resistance fighter during WWII. While unsuccessfully trying to find the source of this quote, I came across many quotes about courage. Perhaps it is somehow more fitting that i could not find his name. If anyone knows, please provide it in a comment. Here are several quotes about courage I found in my search:

• We must build dikes of courage to hold back the flood of fear. ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
• Courage is fear holding on a minute longer. ~ George Patton
• Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen. ~ Winston Churchill
• Valor grows by daring; fear by holding back. ~ Publilius Syrus
• Courage is the capacity to confront what can be imagined. ~ Leo Rosten
• The only true measure of courage is perseverance under pressure. ~ K.H. LeMoyne
• Courage is an angel which makes the difference between a good life and a great life. ~ Kate Reed
• Courage results when one’s convictions are bigger than one’s fears.~ Orrin Woodward
• All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them. ~ Walt Disney
• Have the courage to act instead of react. ~  Oliver Wendell Holmes
• Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. ~ T. S. Eliot
• Efforts and courage are not enough without purpose and direction. ~ John F. Kennedy
• Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. ~ Winston Churchill
• Trying and getting hurt can’t possibly be worse for you than being stuck. ~ Eliezer Yudkowsky
• Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim. ~ Nora Ephron