Book of the Month: The Untethered Soul - Michael A. Singer
For Companioning Your Journey’s eleventh Book of the Month, Michael A. Singer’s, “The Untethered Soul”.
About the Author and Publication
Michael A. Singer is a bestselling author, journalist, and public speaker with several titles to his name including their best-selling book, “The Untethered Soul”. Michael is a writer who speaks to the soul of being and is able to convey their message in a deep and meaningful way. I was impressed by Michael’s writing style and the depth of reflection. It was as if I was tuning into a great philosopher exploring the meaning of life. Michael has several publications around the idea of living life untethered and freeing ourselves from the beliefs we may hold that keep us rooted in anxiety and depression. The spiritual nature of this book and of this topic were powerful throughout and encouraged me to think deeply about what I hold of my own that keeps me tethered and how I might work towards letting it go.
Key Take Aways
Overall Premise
The Untethered Soul speaks to the relationship that we have with ourselves and challenges the way we identify with the thoughts that we hold. This book speaks to our power to separate ourselves from our thoughts and to acknowledge a different way of being within ourselves and within the world.
Witnessing Thoughts Instead of Identifying with Thoughts
We often identify with the thoughts that come into our mind, but they are often untrue or misinformed. When we shift our mindset from identifying to witnessing, we are able to create a sense of awareness that separates us from the thoughts so that we are not caught up in them. We all have an inner monologue and at times that voice can be critical, shaming, and causes us to stir in anxiety. Looking at this voice objectively and acknowledging that having the thought does not make it true allows us to regain control and allow the emotion to pass. Singer speaks to even personifying this voice and saying things like, “Thanks Mind, I’ve got it from here.”
Accepting Risk Above Comfort
One of the powerful examples that Singer offers is around how we often try desperately to avoid pain and in doing so limit our lives. He uses the analogy of an individual getting a thorn in their side and instead of risking the pain of removing it, the individual decides to live within a bubble where they can’t bump into other objects, go outside, or interact outside of their confines. Are they avoiding pain in the process? Sure. But more importantly, they are avoiding the possibility of healing and experiencing what life could be like on the other side of that pain. We may convince ourselves that having control by limiting risk is what we need, but in reality we are losing out on the moments that would have made that pain worth enduring. We need to grant ourselves permission to experience what is to come next so that we can continue to grow.
Qualifying Happiness
Singer also speaks to something that we often tend to do in life which is to qualify our happiness. We convince ourselves that happiness is conditional and that it requires an “'if/then” to occur so that we can finally experience the happiness we are after. Singer speaks the idea that happiness can be more simple than this and that it should be a state of being instead of a conditional event. I know that it can be difficult to hold onto the idea that we can choose happiness or any state of mind, but what we truly do have in the power of choice is to make the most of what we have, and to look at life with an abundance mindset instead of scarcity. There are gifts all around us if we allow ourselves to see them and take them in with gratitude.
What Made this the Book of the Month
This is a book that myself, and other clinicians I have spoken with have found helpful to bring into session and at times even encourage clients to give it a read. It speaks to pieces that are natural to the process of therapy and to challenging self-limiting beliefs. I am confident that this is a read I will explore in the future and one that will continue to be of use in the therapy room. My wish for all of my clients and all of our fellow travelers is that they can live a life untethered.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an impactful read, look no further than Michael A. Singer’s “The Untethered Soul”.
What has been one of your most impactful reads? Are there any that you feel like more people should get their hands on? Let me know and I would be happy to read and review in a future post!