The Internal Terrorist

State-dependent learning means that we learn new things (either positive ones or negative ones) in a particular state-of-mind. It also means that the new learning is now somehow “anchored” to or attached to the state-of-mind or context that we learned it in.

You see our mind is always “searching” for solutions to emotional issues, but while it is searching, if we’re still in the same negative state that we were in when the problem first started, then we’re like cats chasing our own tails. If we aren’t in the proper state of mind to receive Divine wisdom, then the attempted solution is just reinforcing and adding to the problem and fixes nothing. The mind is trying to free itself but its spinning out strategies which are simply different versions of the same losing strategy it’s been using all along – sort of like someone who keeps compulsively re-arranging the chairs on the deck of the Titanic.

When we’re in the right state though, everything flows from that state and the optimal state to be in is a state of emuna, namely a state of openness and humility where your mind, body and soul are attuned to the infinite possibilities and resources that G-d has at His disposal to send to you. Emuna is based on our belief that G-d is running and controlling everything, from history, to politics, to the economy and even how you resolve the personal issues in your life.

Emuna is not an intellectual process though, or something you can learn from a college text book. You can’t just get emuna by thinking about it. The type of emuna we’re talking about is a holistic body, mind, soul experience.

When you connect yourself to the Power that controls everything, you can’t have a more empowered state than that. You can’t find a coach, or a mentor, or a doctor, or a shrink anywhere in the world that can give you the strength, and the ability and the infinite resources and opportunities that G-d can. That’s why Emuna helps people to go further in their lives than they’ve ever been before.

For example…

Let’s say that you have been trying to figure out why you are so shy especially around authority figures, and lack the confidence to ask questions about things that you really need to know about in order to do your job. Every time that you get an urge to ask something, along comes an “internal terrorist” who grabs you by the throat, and chokes the words out of you. Your mind’s attempted solution, for the past twenty years, has been to try and “get rid of” or just “ignore” your internal terrorist with the result that he keeps coming back stronger all the time. Your mind is  trapped. It simply doesn’t have the creative resources that it needs to “think out of the box.” Little do you realize it at the time, but your body is in a state of muscular discomfort, you’re breathing is restricted, and your brain is “locked” into its limited habitual ways of dealing with the situation (remember the Titanic).

Now let’s consider how you would deal differently with this situation by first entering into the empowered state of emuna consciousness and awareness (even before you attempt to deal with “the problem”).

The very first thing that you’d be able to do, rather quickly, is to release your body from tension, tightness and restricted breathing. You would shift your attention away from the “your problem” to your “your state.” Now once your physical vessel (your body) is open and receptive, then the Divine intelligence in your body naturally turns to Hashem. Then, and only then, can you move your brain back up into your head and trust it. Now and only now that you have opened yourself to Hashem can you trust anything that your mind tells you about how to solve this problem. Now that your body (which holds your mind) is grounded, centered and open, your mind can also be  grounded, centered, and open to the infinite number of resources that exist to deal with the problem. By integrating your mind and body in emuna you now have access to the “world of infinite possibilities” namely to Hashem.

Hashem may show you a picture of your “internal terrorist” and slowly change the picture to reveal a “guardian angel” that has been “hidden” within that terrorist all along. The angel may tell you some beautiful message about yourself and your future that fires your human nervous system with the most powerful feeling of security, hope and inspiration that you’ve ever felt in your life. Hashem helps you further to see that it was the intention of the terrorist to “help” you in some way all along but he lacked the sensitivity, patience, loving kindness and communication skills to get his message to you in a way that you could benefit from and use. The “positive intention” of the terrorist was lost to you and even your superior IQ couldn’t bring it out. Your new innovative perception of the importance of your terrorist and his role in helping you grow gives you an appreciation for why Hashem wouldn’t let you simply kill him off.

You may go back to your job and find yourself asking your boss the questions that you need to ask without fear. You aren’t sure just how to you are able to feel so comfortable doing something that you’ve never done before. You fleetingly remember the emuna exercise that you did and go back to work.

The “value” of your terrorist is rooted in the reason that G-d allowed us to conquer all of the nations that inhabited the land of Israel except for one nation. Why did He not allow us to completely conquer the nation of Amalek? Because G-d knew that we needed Amalek (the so called evil inclination) in order for us to sharpen ourselves and enable us to grow into all that we are capable of becoming.

Our main weapon against the problems that Amalek sends us in the form of psychological symptoms and issues is to put on our battle gear which is the integrated state of emuna – but we’re only as good as our practices.  For those who do practice, it becomes a very quick procedure of stepping into a delightful state of mind, body, and soul integration where you can always find what you need in order to deal with any possible human situation that comes up.