ACT/CBT: Hands As Thoughts & A Letter (Never Mind Your Mind)

This session is grounded in Contextual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), an evolution of traditional CBT that incorporates mindfulness and psychological flexibility. A key approach within this framework is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps us relate to our thoughts in a more open and adaptive way. Through a compassionate letter to the mind, we explore how we can respond to our thoughts with greater kindness and wisdom, allowing us to reconnect with the present moment. The session concludes with a grounding affirmation, offering clarity and strength as we move forward with intention.

Transcript

This is part of a body of work called Never Mind Your Mind.

Dear Mind,

As I sit in this cafe,

I am writing this letter to you and for me.

Sometimes you tell me that it's just me.

These thoughts You whisper that they're not normal.

That everyone else has it all together.

But I'm beginning to see the truth.

You are wrong.

I'm realising more and more that when I get caught up in my thoughts,

It's like walking around with my hands covering my eyes.

I can barely see what's in front of me.

The world becomes small,

Blurry and disconnected.

I know how much this limits me.

I miss out on meaningful connections.

With others.

With myself.

With the moments that truly matter.

It reduces my ability to respond to the world around me.

Leaving me stuck in the stories that you weave.

Just like hands covering my eyes,

These thoughts don't just block my connection to the world,

They hook me into looking from them.

When this happens,

I lose twice.

My ability to experience meaningful connection is blocked.

I look from my thoughts instead of at my thoughts,

Letting them shape my reality.

But here's the thing.

I am here in this life to connect.

I am here in this life to experience the beauty of being alive.

Whether it's with other beings.

With myself in nurturing environments.

Or in the flow of something that brings me joy.

I choose to be present for it all.

I now know that trying to get rid of you,

Trying to eliminate these thoughts,

Doesn't work in the long term.

So I choose to stop playing that unwinnable game.

Instead,

I'll practice creating some space.

Enough to lower my hands and see the world more clearly.

With even a little separation,

I can engage more fully and flexibly,

And I can choose what's meaningful to me.

These thoughts don't disappear,

And I've come to accept that they don't have to.

I'm coming to know more and more how this distance between me and you can free me up.

How it helps me reconnect.

How it helps me to notice what's important.

How it opens me to respond to life,

Not just react to it.

So,

My dear mind,

I choose to go easy on you,

And go easy on myself.

Together,

With you,

I can navigate life with more awareness and more freedom.

Yours sincerely,

With compassion and gratitude.

From me.

My consciousness is evolving every single time I notice an unhelpful thought and hold it lightly.

May my consciousness continue to evolve.

This appreciation helps me and heals me.

My thoughts often block what I'd like to see,

But when I observe them,

I set myself free.

My thoughts often block what I'd like to see,

But when I observe them,

I set myself free.

My thoughts often block what I'd like to see,

But when I observe them,

I set myself free.

My thoughts often block what I'd like to see,

But when I observe them,

I set myself free.

Reviews

Middle of the night pain is the worst. Especially when that pain has been initiated by a procedure that is supposed to stop the pain. My thoughts run wild, after remaining calm all day I have the middle of the night unhelpful rumination’s. Your track is a timely reminder to hold myself lightly, to feel gratitude for all the good things and to believe that tomorrow will be brighter.
Thoughts, won’t beat me
Even though they run deep
I’ll hold them lightly
And will be able to sleep.
Thanks Reuben
🙏