We all to often live in the raw unprocessed content of our daily lives.  What I mean is this: every day we experience countless impressions upon our consciousness.  Some of these impressions are from external sources - we hear a song that causes us to remember our first love, or first love lost; at work we encounter a problem personality that irritates or angers us.  We might find a storm knocks out our power and have to live "simply" for a few days. We may have a conversation with a spouse that triggers sadness, shame, or joy.  We may also experience impressions from within ourselves; our own personal challenges, memories and thoughts may trigger deep seated feelings.  This is the raw content of our lives, our experience.  And these sink deep into our subconscious triggering responses that may ring joy, depression, resentment, despair, guilt and other feelings.  It all happens so fast and on so many levels that it is hard to pin it all down.  I think it is for this reason that the root of the greek word for mind is "breath, wind or spirit", because trying to catch these experiences is like trying to catch the wind.

What we have to begin to realize is that the mind and soul of a human being is a complex dynamic system.  That means that it is constantly in a state of interaction with the outside world with multiple processes occurring at any given moment.  We have thoughts that spin around in our heads, imaginations that pop up, emotional tugs, pulls and outbursts, seep seated responses, physical experiences and chemical processes all going on at once.  It is no wonder why it is so hard to figure out what is going on inside us sometimes, or why we feel the way we do.

This is precisely what makes the human experience so rich! and so problematic. our thoughts re not merely non-physical occurrences, they are chemical and electrically charged.  That means there is energy behind them.  Not only that but these experiences trigger chemical signals into our system.  These can chemicals can makes want to run for our lives, cower in fear, or lash out uncontrollably.  We are one spiritual/physical/psycho-dynamic system.  It is all linked together.  it is because of these biological responses and their relationship to our thoughts, imaginations and feelings that experiences can become so powerful and overpowering.  For example it is why anger that is always fed takes control of us at certain times.  It is why sinful obsessions can become so powerful that they command our will and take us captive to compulsive behaviors.  It is why anxiety, fear or depression can become a self-perpetuating dynamic in our lives.

But based upon the keen insights of Orthodox psychotherapy we can create a model that gives us an idea of how all of this is going on and figure out how to isolate different problems.  What we have to learn is to develop an awareness of these processes so we can understand what is driving our behavior.  This is a process that takes some discernment, guidance and practice.  With different strategies we can begin to address these thoughts, "taking them captive to Christ", and decrease the amount of energy they command.  As we re-frame faulty thoughts, challenge and heal core beliefs, and re-script behaviors we can begin to create positive change.