Topic Guide
What Is Psychological suffering?
Psychological suffering is a subject covered in depth across 1 podcast episode in our database. Below you'll find key concepts, expert insights, and the top episodes to listen to — all distilled from hours of conversation by leading experts.
Key Concepts in Psychological suffering
Psychological suffering
Tolle defines psychological suffering as arising from the stories and narratives the mind tells itself about situations and one's life, as opposed to physical pain or actual external challenges. It's often unrecognized by those who are unconscious of their mind's operations [03:03, 04:04].
Ego (spiritual context)
In a spiritual context, ego is defined as the complete identification with the mind—the thinking, mental-emotional makeup of an individual. This identification creates a sense of lack and a perpetual "never enough" state, making it difficult to find lasting happiness regardless of external achievements [20:26, 65:23].
Presence/awareness
A deeper or higher dimension of consciousness beyond the conceptual, story-making mind. When awareness arises, one's sense of identity shifts from the mind's narrative to this essence, allowing one to know what the mind is doing without being fully identified with it, thereby freeing oneself from psychological suffering [12:10, 14:15].
Life situation vs. life
Tolle distinguishes between one's "life situation," which exists in time and is often problematic (e.g., debt, illness, relationship issues), and "life," which is always "now" and never "not now." Problems are said to reside in the mind's interpretation of the life situation, while the present moment itself is free of problems [29:41, 32:45].
Vertical vs. horizontal dimensions of life
The "vertical dimension" represents the present moment, the "now," and is where happiness and completeness truly arise. The "horizontal dimension" represents past and future, where goals, becoming, achieving, and acquiring take place. Over-focusing on the horizontal without connecting to the vertical traps one in a cycle of becoming without true satisfaction [68:29].
What Experts Say About Psychological suffering
- 1.Most psychological suffering stems from mind-made narratives and interpretations about situations, not from the external situations themselves [03:03, 07:06].
- 2.The ego is defined as complete identification with the mind's constant stream of thought, leading to a perpetual sense of lack and dissatisfaction, regardless of achievements [20:26, 65:23].
- 3.Awareness or presence is a deeper dimension of consciousness that allows individuals to observe their mind's activity without identifying with it, shifting identity from the conceptual mind to one's essence [12:10, 14:15].
- 4.The main obstacle to effectively using the law of attraction is attempting to manifest from a "place of neediness" or a continuous focus on what is lacking [41:57].
- 5.True manifestation originates from a "place of fullness," cultivated through acknowledging existing abundance, giving kindness, and genuinely believing you already possess what you desire by embodying the feeling of satisfaction [42:58, 50:05, 53:08].
- 6.The present moment is the "portal" to inner peace and harmony; problems exist primarily in the mind and cannot survive when full attention is brought to the "now" [24:33, 32:45].