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<  noticing automatic responses: comparisons  >

DEBI: “We’ll get back to the session yesterday (1), and the information may be in here. I think you’ll understand, if I can explain this right, or even if I can’t. There’s some type of imagery I get sometimes, and it’s in that in-between state between awake and asleep. It’s not like a thumbprint or a fingerprint, but a fingerprint is the closest thing in words I know that I can associate it with. I’ve gotten that a couple of times, and it’s like I feel your energy at the same time. I’m wondering if you could tell me a little bit about what are we doing in that timeframe when I get that imagery like that.

ELIAS: Exploring your uniqueness and not generating comparison.

DEBI: Which is a big theme here, huh?

ELIAS: Correct.

DEBI: Automatic response.

ELIAS: Correct.

DEBI: I flinch and I go, ‘Ugh!’ whenever we do that.

ELIAS: For it is quite familiar to you to be comparing, and therefore you are allowing yourself to subjectively explore the action of not comparing and exploring your uniqueness, which is not comparable...

DEBI: To anyone.

ELIAS: Correct.

DEBI: Hence the term ‘unique.’ It’s such a contradiction, isn’t it, to want to cherish this thing of uniqueness and all the time trying to be just like everyone else. (Laughs)

ELIAS: Correct.

DEBI: It’s like this polarization.

ELIAS: But this is the action of shifting, my friend: moving into the expression of appreciation of your individuality.

DEBI: I so hope that’s the momentum that I’m in and it’s where I’m carrying myself. It just seems to me that so much of what I find objectionable is related to that and so much energy spent in struggling with that. I’m frankly tired, just tired!

ELIAS: It is an expression of much energy and may be quite fatiguing, for you are forcing against your own energy.

DEBI: There has come a point now where I know that that’s not necessary, and so it’s like, ‘This must stop.’

ELIAS: Yes.

DEBI: I don’t have to do this. I didn’t even know I was doing this, and now that I do, I have a choice.

ELIAS: Correct.

DEBI: It doesn’t always feel like I have a choice, but somewhere inside I know that just by that information there, suddenly there’s a choice that didn’t exist.

ELIAS: Many times it may be quite beneficial to focus your attention upon those actions that you incorporate that you may deem to be negative, for in paying attention to those expressions, it offers you the opportunity to view how often you generate that type of expression, which as you view the frequency of those types of actions that you incorporate and become more aware, you generate more of a motivation to offer yourself other choices.

Therefore, I express to you to incorporate an exercise within your next week, each day, and within each of your days note physically each time you engage the action of comparing yourself with any other individual.

DEBI: (Laughs) That’s going to be all day, isn’t it! And that’s the point, too. I’ll do it!

ELIAS: Very well!

DEBI: I’m already doing it a little, enough that I know that it’s going to be constant.

ELIAS: In the same manner that you are incorporating notes now, incorporate a notebook and note each time you are generating this action of comparison, for this is purposeful. It not merely offers you the opportunity to view the frequency of this action that you incorporate and offers you a new motivation to offer yourself new choices, but it also offers you the opportunity to examine what influences that action.

DEBI: What’s happening in each moment that that’s occurring.

ELIAS: Correct. What are you generating as a trigger that generates that response within yourself? And as you progress throughout your week in noting each time you are incorporating this action of comparison, begin allowing yourself to examine what you are generating as a trigger. Do not concern yourself with this action initially. Initially, merely note each time you are incorporating the action. That allows you the opportunity to become familiar with recognizing and noticing.

Once you have become familiar, subsequent to perhaps two days with noticing and recognizing the action, then you may begin to pay attention not merely to the action of comparing, but also allowing yourself to move farther and identify your trigger. The trigger may not always be the same; there may be different triggers. But the outcome is the same.

DEBI: I end up in the comparing.

ELIAS: Correct. This offers you the opportunity to discover within yourself and familiarize yourself with what types of interactions, what types of events, what types of actions and choices that you incorporate trigger your automatic response of comparison.

DEBI: This is my primary automatic...

ELIAS: Yes.

DEBI: ...response, the comparing.

ELIAS: Yes, which you have been generating throughout your focus.

DEBI: It feels like forever.

ELIAS: Correct.

DEBI: The furthest memory I can remember, it was the same feeling, the same action. What is interesting was when you first said to note when I compare and what triggers it. You subsequently said what do I generate as a trigger, and something just switched around. Wait a minute! I’m always looking at it as something outside of myself until you said what do I generate as a trigger, and then it puts a whole new spin on it. I don’t even know what all, where all it’s going, but I will.

ELIAS: I am understanding that your automatic direction is to associate that some other individual or circumstance or situation is triggering you. No. You generate the scenarios, you draw individuals to yourself, you create situations, and thusly you generate a trigger.” [session 1169, October 27, 2002]


End Notes:

(1) Paul’s note: Debi refers to the group session from yesterday, 1167, October 26, 2002 in which Elias presented an exercise to notice our attention in relation to automatic responses.

Digests: find out more about attention.

Exercises: explore the pay attention to self exercise.

Digests – see also: | attention (doing and choosing) | choices/agreements | focus of essence; an overview | imagery | information | noticing self | objective/subjective awareness | shift in consciousness | triggers |


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