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How do you make the realization that you are not your body with out something dramatic happening or slowing seeing it break down?
This would be a very helpful realization I believe, that would help you discover who you really are and help deal with physical ailments and conditions. It seems to happen often for people who are forced to realize this and for those who live a healthy life and have to watch there bodies deteriorate it seems to be a painful realization.
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Janine Shepherd
Colleen Steen 500+
Your experience, and how you move through it, is very inspiring....I'm glad you stayed in the earth school because your demeanor, joy, humor in the face of challenge will no doubt influence many people.Your spirit is indeed unstopable:>)
When I regained consciousness from the near fatal head injury, and was told I would never function "normally" again, I thought.....what the heck does THAT mean for me the rest of my life? I also asked the question....why me? And it did not take long to move to...why NOT me? I also perceive life as an opportunity to learn, grow and evolve as an individual, while contributing to the whole.
As I was moving through the challenge, I often read books and listened to stories like yours, from people who faced UNBELEIVABLE, life threatening challenges. This gave me courage to face my own silly challenges...near fatal head/brain injury...a few cracked ribs...cancer at the same time.....that's nothing compared to what some people face!
I was diagnosed with cancer the month before the head injury, and was supposed to have surgery. We had to wait to see if the body was going to live before schedueling the cancer surgery! Five months later, they figured the body was good enough to face another challenge, so we did the cancer surgery:>) I had also ended 24 years of marriage 3 months prior to the head injury, emergency craniotomy, and cancer diagnosis.
Many times, I asked the question...who the heck am I....what am I? The experience of looking at the body in ICU while I was unconscious, on life support systems, simply added to the question and confusion....who the hell am I? What's going on here? While the body hovered between life and death clinically, I was watching it from another place. When the energy that powers the body came back into it, the condition of the body stabalized, and I believed on several levels that I was going to be ok...I didn't know what ok meant!
We are not ever alone....thanks for your insightful talk:
Mark Meijer 100+
Notice it doesn't say hold on to all of those things as much as you can. It says let go of it. All of it. We've talked about beliefs before, and you seem very attached to yours. To you, they are what matters, I think you will openly admit that because I think you think beliefs are what count. But the advice here is nothing other than this: Get over them. Which is the same as saying: Get over yourself. Take it how you will.
Colleen Steen 500+
I did not "skip over" anything at all...thanks for the reminder though:>)
You may notice in my first comment on this thread I wrote...
"I was in a child-like state emotionally/physically and started over again:>)"
I'm not attached to my beliefs at all Mark....I've "started over" several times in my life adventure, and I've expressed that very clearly on several TED sites.
You might want to let go of your belief that you can discredit and/or educate me?
I "take it" as harrassment at this point...you are only discrediting yourself.
Colleen Steen 500+
I would like to remind you of a very insightful comment you made on another thread recently.
"Mark Meijer
3 days ago: Why should we ever presume to know what's best for someone else. Moreover, why should we ever presume that the best thing for them is that we lie to them. And finally, why do we believe ourselves when we tell ourselves that the reason for lieing is to benefit someone else, rather than to benefit our own unacknowledged agendas. There is honesty towards other people, and there is honesty towards yourself, which is called integrity. And to my mind, the latter is the important kind of honesty. If we take care of that one, the former will take care of itself."
Mark Meijer 100+
So if this is harrassment to you, I will stop it right now, with just one final suggestion for the road (so sue me): You might take a look at what you find so confronting and discrediting about the things I say. Because what I've learned is that this is always a good lead to finding the next thing to let go of. The only reason I call it as I see it, and the only reason I see it at all, is because I've been ruthlessly honest with myself, as best I can. Whatever discredit you think I have brought down on you, I have brought down on myself first. And I just can't understand why everyone isn't doing the same.
Whatever I may or may not yet need to let go of, has no bearing on the calls you make about your own baggage. And to keep turning it back on anyone but yourself is to just keep yourself distracted from making those calls at all. All lessons from "earth school" are about you and you alone. If you really want to learn them, you'll have to stop projecting them onto others.
Wish you nothing but the best, Colleen.
Colleen Steen 500+
I'm glad you are "getting over" yourself....as you say, and learning more about how to recognize your own "stuff".
Thank you very much, if indeed you are putting an end to the harrassment. The things you say are not true...that is what makes your comments simply harrassment. YOU might take a look at why YOU need to do that.
I did NOT say you have discredited me. I wrote, clearly...
"You might want to let go of your belief that you can discredit and/or educate me?......you are only discrediting yourself."
I do not perceive you being "ruthlessly honest" with yourself. I observe you trying to "fix" everyone else with your lecturing. WALK YOUR TALK...."BE" what you talk about!
If you really think/feel that I have NOT explored myself with the life/death challenges I have faced, you are only deceiving yourself. When someone is sharing what is in his/her heart, and you have a need to lecture and correct them (which I've observed many times here in TED discussions) that is about YOU, and no one else.
I KNOW that whatever you say has no bearing on the calls I make about myself....I've been trying to tell you that your harrassment is YOURS....it is not mine.
Best to you as well Mark.
Janine Shepherd
Colleen Steen 500+
Colleen Steen 500+
I have a question....
I forwarded your video to a friend, who was just as amazed and inspired as I am with your story. He asked me when your accident happened....he was interested in knowing how far out (years?) you are from the accident and surgeries. Now I am curious too, and cannot find that info here in your bio, or on your web site. Do you want to share that information? Thanks
Janine Shepherd
Colleen Steen 500+
I will get your book and movie....can't wait to read and hear more of your story! One thing I noticed right away with your presentation, is your sense of humor, and that is one thing that helps sustain me with life challenges. I feel that it is helpful to sometimes "surrender" to the reality of the situation, and simply know that the best thing I can do at the moment is simply "BE" to the best of my ability.
This is a quote that I had posted around my house, and read hundreds of times, which brought me back to the reality of the situation, what I could, or could NOT do in the moment....
"Out of its abysses, unpredictable life emerges, with a never-ending procession of miracles, crises, healing, and growth. When I realize this once again, I see the absurdity of my belief that I can understand, predict and control life. All I can really do is go along for the ride, with as much consciousness and love as I can muster in the moment".
(Molly Young Brown)
While some folks may think/feel that "life" is over with life threatening challenges, with an open heart and mind, as you have, we may discover that another kind of "life" is beginning.
Thanks Janine....love to you:>)