Reclaim Your Mind: Uncover Who Controls Your Thoughts

Have you ever contemplated where all your thoughts are coming from, buzzing around like a bunch of mosquitos you’re trying to swat off? Who’s pulling the strings in your mind?

In Michael A. Singer’s book, The Untethered Soul, he talks about the nonstop chatter in the mind that never shuts up.

“What am I going to wear to that party? I have nothing to wear. What if I run into Connie again? What am I going to say to her? I just can’t stand her. Maybe I just shouldn’t go. I don’t really like that crowd anyway. Wait a minute! What do I care if I run into that woman again? I’ll just give her the snubaroo. Yeah, that’s what’ll do.”

And the voice in the head goes off on a tangent and never quits.

You’re going about your day, and now you’re getting enthusiastic about the party and planning what you’ll wear.

Then, out of nowhere, that annoying self-chatter is opening its mouth again to ruin the day.

“I’m just getting too fat. Nothing is going to look good on me anyway. And look at my hair. I should dye it. No, I can’t do that. It’ll look too dry.”

However, the author says, “If you say to yourself, ‘What are you talking about? I don’t have a voice in my head.’ Well, that’s the voice I’m talking about.”

But the author explains that even if something is not disturbing you, it still talks like a backseat driver attempting to make himself feel safe.

Singer calls this chatter’ our inner roommate’ and says that if you listen closely, you’ll find that the story you tell yourself is making you feel more comfortable with the world around you.

The Art of Shielding Ourselves from Reality

Singer says, “We buffer reality as it comes in.”

“For example, you see myriad things at any moment, yet you only narrate a few. The ones you discuss in your mind are the ones that matter to you. With this subtle preprocessing, you manage to control the experience of reality so that it all fits together inside your mind. Your consciousness is experiencing your mental model of reality—not reality itself. You recreate the world within your mind because you can control your mind, whereas you can’t control the world. You gave the mind this job.”

He says, “If you can’t get the world the way you like it, you internally verbalize it, judge it, complain about it, and then decide what to do about it. This makes you feel more empowered. You recreate the outside world inside yourself, and then you live in your mind. You use the mind as a protection method, a form of defense. Ultimately, it makes you feel more secure. If you do this, you must constantly use your mind to buffer yourself from reality instead of living it.”

And you can see how exhausting this is. No wonder you feel so drained.

The Mind’s Filtering Mechanism

The author explains that in an attempt to hold the world together, you’re just trying to keep yourself together. He says true personal growth is about transcending the part of you that’s not okay. This is done by constantly remembering that you’re the one inside who notices the voice talking. That’s the way out.

He says the one inside who knows you always talk to yourself about yourself is always silent. “It’s the doorway to the depths of your being. To be aware that you’re watching the voice talk is to stand on the threshold of a fantastic inner journey. If used properly, the same mental voice that has been a source of worry, distraction, and general neurosis can become the launching ground for true spiritual awakening. Come to know the one who watches the voice, and come to know one of the great mysteries of creation.”

In The Untethered Soul, the author takes us on a journey of self-exploration. But he says, not in a traditional manner.

“We will not call upon the experts in psychology nor from the great philosophers. And we will not argue about religious views or resort to statistically supported surveys of people’s opinions. We will explore from one expert who, from every moment of every day of your life, has been collecting the data necessary to put this great inquiry to rest finally, and that expert is you.”

So, Who Are You?

You are the one inside who notices the voice talking. The one inside is ‘you,’ the Self, the Soul.

Have we become unattached to our Souls?

“This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
—William Shakespeare

Now that we glimpse into the endless chatter of our minds, take a moment to ponder the profound question: Who are you beyond the ceaseless narratives? Michael A. Singer invites us to begin a unique adventure of self-discovery, and it all starts with understanding the observer within.

The Observer Within

In the chaos of our thoughts, there exists a silent observer, the one who witnesses the mind’s chatter without being consumed by it. This observer is the gateway to the depths of our being, a mystery waiting to be identified. Singer encourages us to recognize this silent witness, the one who is aware of the ongoing inner dialogue. It’s a pivotal moment on the path to true spiritual awakening.

Transcending the Inner Struggles

As we become aware of the observer within, Singer guides us toward a transformative insight of true personal growth that involves transcending the parts of ourselves that are not okay. The relentless inner chatter often serves as a source of worry and distraction, but recognizing the observer becomes a powerful tool for navigating through these challenges. By standing on the threshold of self-awareness, we open the door to a path of inner transformation.

Using the Inner Voice as a Catalyst

Remarkably, the same inner voice that may be a source of worry and neurosis can catalyze spiritual awakening. Singer suggests that by coming to know the one who watches the voice, we unlock one of the greatest mysteries of creation. This shift in perspective transforms the inner dialogue from a source of turmoil into a launching ground for personal and spiritual growth.

Happiness Without Exception

Singer tells us that once we transform into this spiritual realm, we can experience happiness no matter what the circumstance—loss of a loved one, loss of a job, loss of financial stability, or loss of a home. We then can live life to its fullest without fear. He doesn’t mean we will always walk around with a smile plastered on our faces, but that we will accept these circumstances as part of life and experience peace.

Singer explains that we have to let go of the part of us that creates melodrama if we want to be happy. “This is the part of you that thinks there’s no reason to be happy.”

He says events in this life are going to happen. We cannot control them, so why not experience life happily and fearlessly?

Claiming Liberation for Your Soul

Singer says that if we don’t want to suffer anymore, we must decide not to. I realize that’s a broad statement, but I believe there is an absolute truth to it.

He says that we constantly fear that we’re not good enough, that someone will take advantage of us, or that we don’t have what it takes to make it. If we’re not experiencing it or feeling it, we’re consumed with protecting ourselves from it.

We all know we do this. We all experience anxiety, uneasiness, and insecurities. These feelings are a significant weight on us.

Singer suggests that we don’t have to carry these burdens but must decide not to.

When emotions surge within, confront them, recognize their transient nature, and allow them to flow through you. Absorb their impact, yet remain steadfast as they move onward.

It can be done! I’ve done it. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t deal with whatever is currently going on in your life. You must deal with it. Do what you need to do, and then let it go.

But let me say, it isn’t easy, and I’m nowhere near Mr. Singer’s journey. I’m a work in process. But the thing about it is that once you do this daily, no matter the circumstance, the peace comes quickly. It doesn’t take months or years. It can take days or weeks, depending on you.

And as we find ourselves in our senior years, staying mindful and present is even more vital.

Death’s Timely Arrival

The author warns us we may as well embrace the fact of death because it will arrive on schedule. So why don’t we live life? We don’t have to suffer our entire lives. We weren’t put here to suffer.

Singer invites us to contemplate mortality whenever we face troubles. How would we view our current dilemmas differently if we knew we had only a week or a month to live?

He states that we’re so busy trying to ensure everything goes as planned that we can’t be in the present.

I agree! The future is not ours. We only own the present. And that’s not to say we shouldn’t plan because I’m a planner by heart. But let them be just that, plans. We can always change and rearrange things. Nothing is written in stone except our names on our headstones.

And death is keeping an eye on us.

Devine Gaze Upon Humanity

In the final chapter of his book, The Untethered Soul, Michael A. Singer invites us to consider a profound perspective: God or the Divine looks upon all of us with boundless love. It’s not a selective gaze; rather, it encompasses every single being. Imagine a compassionate presence that sees beyond our flaws, fears, and imperfections. This loving gaze acknowledges our essence—our pure consciousness—regardless of external circumstances or past mistakes.

We can release self-judgment and embrace self-acceptance when we recognize this divine perspective. We become aware that we are part of a greater, interconnected, and cherished whole. So, as you go about your days, remember that you are seen with love—fully and unconditionally—by the eyes of the Divine.

What does creation look like from that Divine State? What have they seen, those who have gone before and looked through the eyes of God? They see that there is no judging. Judging faded away long ago.
—Michael A. Singer

Contemplate this, and let go of the idea of a judgmental God. You have a loving God. In truth, you have love itself for a God. And love cannot do other than love. Your God is in ecstasy and there’s nothing you can do about it. And if God is in ecstasy, I wonder what He sees when He looks at you?
—Michael A. Singer