Almost everyone carries in their field an accumulation of old, emotional pain. This sensation is what Eckhart Tolle describes as the “pain-body”; the voice in your head that tells sad, anxious, or angry stories about yourself and your life, about other people, the past, future, or even imaginary events. In addition to the movement of thought, there is another dimension to the ego: emotion. Emotion is the body’s reaction to your mind- the body’s response to a thought. The body believes in what the mind is thinking, and it cannot tell the difference between the body itself and a thought. Your story of the past consists not only a mental recollection, but also emotional memory – and you’re forced to reenact the past again and again.

“The voice in the head tells a story that the body believes in, reacts to and continuously disrupts the body’s natural state of well-being.”

Dysfunctional thought patterns that make up the ego’s negative thoughts feed the “pain-body.” Everything negative we say about ourselves to ourselves (self-talk) and to others is programing us for failure, and creating self-fulfilling prophecies. The brain reacts more strongly to stimuli that it deems negative. There is a greater surge in electrical activity.

Worry is repetitive negative thought patterns that pretend to be important and necessary. Your mind commands “give me your attention, this is important.” However, you’ll never worry your way out of a problem.

For example: the thought,”I haven’t been successful in relationships and I never will be.”
This one negative thought can take possession of your entire mind. It’s the momentum of the mind and the structure of the “pain-body.” These types of thoughts are food for the “pain-body.”

You can go beyond the ego by taking responsibility for your inner state now. Even if blame seems more than justified, as long as you blame others, you will continue to feed the “pain-body” and will remain trapped in your ego. Instead of blaming darkness, you bring in the light. With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves, and your true power emerges-the power of presence. You can step out of the stream of thinking and take your attention to the present, and immediately the past no longer has that power over you.

“Nothing ever happened in the past that can prevent you from being present now; and if the past cannot prevent you from being present now, what power does it have?” (p.141)

Make sure you feed your mind good food. A positive thought has a totally different feeling-tone than a negative one. The present moment is limitless and has infinite potential.