Breaking Through The Darkness
John McConnel
Breaking Through The Darkness
How to defeat depression, anxiety and stress – a spiritual perspective Breaking Through The Darkness How to defeat depression, anxiety and stress – a spiritual perspective John McConnel
Copyright © 2020 John McConnel
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, me- chanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.
ISBN 978-1-78972-992-4
- ing copyright material. The author will be glad to rectify any omissions at the earliest opportunity.
Website: www.breakingthroughthedarkness.com
Email: [email protected]
Book cover design: Shaan Sampat
Interior design: http://babental.com
Disclaimer: which may help you. They are not intended as a substitute for psychiatric and/or medical help, counselling or other forms of treatment but as an additional support. To all travellers of the Night and the One who is guiding us to the Light
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness, some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they are a crowd of sorrows, who violently sweep your house empty of its furniture, still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out for some new delight. The dark thought, the shame, the malice.
Meet them at the door laughing and invite them in.
Be grateful for whatever comes because each has been sent as a guide from beyond.
Jellaludin Rumi Translation by Coleman Barks
CONTENTS
Preface ...... xiii Introduction ...... xv
PART 1: DEPRESSION & SPIRITUALITY ...... 1 What Is Depression? ...... 3 The Signs of Depression ...... 5 Depression - A Spiritual Crisis? ...... 7 Spiritual Intelligence ...... 10
FOUR STEPS TO SHIFT THE DARKNESS ...... 13 STEP 1: UNDERSTAND THE MIND/BODY CONNECTION ...... 15 Be Mindful ...... 18 Sharpen Your Saw ...... 21 Physical Sharpening ...... 22 Mental Sharpening ...... 26 Social and Emotional Sharpening ...... 27 Spiritual Sharpening ...... 28 Summary ...... 30 STEP 2: THINK POSITIVELY ...... 31 Become Aware of Your Thoughts ...... 33 Develop A Positive Mental Attitude ...... 37 Look For The Best In Yourself and Others ...... 38 Challenge Unhelpful Beliefs ...... 39 Change Expectations Into Hope ...... 40 Remember - You Have A Choice ...... 43 Summary ...... 47 x
STEP 3: BECOME SOUL CONSCIOUS ...... 49 Remember Who You Really Are ...... 51 Feed Your Soul ...... 55 Understand What’s Really Going On ...... 60 Practice Your Virtues ...... 61 Remember The Mantra ‘Om Shanti’ ...... 65 Summary ...... 67 STEP 4: CONNECT WITH THE LIGHT ...... 69 Open Your Mind ...... 72 Align With The Divine ...... 75 Remember To Surrender ...... 79 Recharge Yourself ...... 83 Shine Your Light ...... 88 Summary ...... 90 Conclusion ...... 91
PART 2: THE WORK – PRACTICES TO MAKE LIFE BETTER ...... 93 HOW TO USE THE REFLECTIVE EXPERIMENTS ...... 97 REFLECTIVE EXPERIMENTS ...... 99 I Breathe ...... 100 I Relax ...... 101 I Change My Posture ...... 102 I Am Well ...... 103 I Connect ...... 104 I Am Peace ...... 105 I Am Light ...... 106 I Step Back And Observe ...... 107 I Put A Full Stop ...... 108 I See Depression As A Gift ...... 109 I Am Curious ...... 110 xi
I Appreciate My Inner Treasure ...... 111 I Practice Gratitude...... 112 I Choose To Be Happy ...... 113 I Remember The