Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One by Dr. Joe Dispenza is what I define as a keeper. Lately I have been listening to all my books. Every so often, though, a book comes along that prompts me to stop the audio and relisten. And then, in this case, to do it multiple times before purchasing the hard copy so that I just own it.
What makes this book special?
The book is divided into three parts that lead the reader on a journey from information to transformation.
The first part, The Science of You, lays the groundwork for change. Most of us live in a state of rehearsed negative emotions. We either replay negative experiences from our past, or rehearse negative experiences we anticipate (i.e. any form of worry). According to quantum physics, Dispenza explains, our thoughts and emotions are actually the cause our negative experiences rather than the effect.
Sound crazy? Maybe… until you realize how often it is that what we anticipate – whether good or bad – is exactly what happens.
What is quantum physics?
The foundation of quantum physics is that all experiences exist as pure potential until we fixate on one. So the question becomes, why do we so often fixate on negative possibilities rather than the “best case scenario”?
Dispenza makes a strong case for overcoming what he calls “the big three” – environment, body, and time – in order to break the habit of negative thinking. He warns against approaching every new situation with the same old negative thoughts and emotions. Why? Those negative thoughts and emotions can become the cause of exactly the situation we are trying to avoid.
An Identity Gap
One particularly impactful chapter is The Gap, which describes the identity gap so many people face, especially in middle age. Who we appear to be may not – and often does not – match who we really are inside. Suddenly, whatever was making us feel like we were doing well in our world – whether wealth, impressive job title, or a big house – no longer fills the void. A genuine abyss exists between where we are in our souls and the persona we project to the outside world. Fortunately, Dispenza does not leave us at the edge of this abyss.
The Role of Meditation
Rather, in the next two sections – Your Brain and Meditation and Stepping Toward Your New Destiny – he guides his readers in a form of meditation that can make genuine changes to our lives. Instead of meditation to reach nothingness, Dispenza recommends meditation with the intention of manifesting real material changes to circumstances. How? By aligning our thoughts and emotions behind one of the infinite potential experiences we could have, we can manifest the life we want.
It is, in essence, a how-to approach for anticipating and then enjoying the best possibilities for your life.
Breaking Mental Habits
Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself offers hope to those who may be trapped in a spiral of negativity, or unable to release a traumatic experience. Readers who follow Dispenza’s guidelines will be able to break the mental habits that have kept them stuck. They will be able to imagine a life where their dreams are realized, maybe not as first imagined but in a way that will likely surprise and delight them all the same.