2016-03-23

Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender

Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender


on February 18, 2013
It is helpful to all who want to let go of things that are disturbing them. On the back it says " it is an valuable resource for all professionals who work in the areas of mental health, psychology, medicine , self help, addiction recovery, and spiritual development. It should have included anybody that wants less stress and more peace in their lives.

Dr. Hawkins gives you solutions that have worked for him and patients for over 50 years. They have worked exceptionally well for me too. For example, I loved the can't VS won't question to put things in perceptive. I can't means you have an underlying fear. He gives you ways to see through the fears and realized that you really can so it really is a won't


That question is one that I use to see what my true motives are. All the information on work, love, depression, grief, courage, happiness and etc were outstanding in helping me to recontextalize the way I was seeing things

The healing the past technique I used for over a month and couldn't see what he was trying to get me to do. I kept at it. Then wham!!! It hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately let go of enormous anger I had about a situation that I had carried for years. WOW did that ever change things for me. I use it now and I see things with a different pair of glasses. The chapter on relationships was great also. There are so many other things that are of help in this book. 

Whenever some emotions come up I usually pick this book up. Then I find an answer to help get rid of the pain or emotion. You have to apply the techniques and work them to get results. They do work!

I am much calmer and have much less stress. This is a how to book on how to improve all areas of your life. Really a must read for all the professionals listed above and the average person.
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on March 7, 2013
Just by the act of reading through this book I could feel negative blocks becoming undone of their own. And for the more ingrained negative blocks and beliefs, there are specific techniques that I never would have thought of on my own in order to "Let Go" of negative patterns in the mind. One of them is a problem solving technique of surrendering where you don't try and surrender on the problem, but you surrender the negative charge energy of the question you are asking yourself. For instance I was trying to get into a new career and didn't think there were many options for me. So rather than going out into the world and white-knuckle through finding a job, I surrendered on the question "Why can't I find a purposeful, prosperous career". I immediately felt an overwhelming negative surge within me that I was able to surrender using the Letting Go Technique. Now the fear has greatly lessened and options for a career seem to spring up out of nowhere. I found they were there the whole time, but I just couldn't see them when I was in the negative, self-deprecating state. There are many more great techniques to surrender in this book that have been so helpful. I cannot be grateful enough to have found this book.
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on February 24, 2013
This book both teaches, models, and facilitates letting go. Just reading it opens new ways to become more free.

The book opens with a freewheeling inventory of spiritual seeking and the resultant bewilderment. There's nothing like it in all Hawkins' work for fun and zaniness.

Then the book's solution is presented through a brilliant analysis titled the Anatomy of Emotions. This is the master key to Hawkins' work of bringing emotional peace to humanity. David discovers five strategies for dealing with emotions and shows unexpected ways to using these five strategies.

Particularly empowering is the discussion of denial of surrender, which explains why the mechanism of denial whereby many former students of Dr Hawkins can "forget" the miraculous healings they experienced as a result of the work; this helps create compassion for people's baffling tendency to give false explanations for having surrendered through the enlightened Presence of a spiritual teacher.

Two categories of letting go are letting go of negative emotions and letting go of resisting positive emotions:

Two thirds of the book evokes and teases out these two categories experientially. Each of these chapters open with a mini inventory of similar words, which just by reading through surfaces new options and choices, new ways to get free. Rather than an intellectual or therapeutic approach, here we have crisp clinical observations, flashes of wit (Hawkins is the George Carlin of Consciousness), and recontextualizations that bring release


Subjects include love, sex, money, work, sales, and happiness.

The last third of the book treats specifics and relies on experience with the previous two thirds of the book. A miraculous and simple way to solve problems well and make the right decisions through letting go is shared.

The last two chapters concern letting go of illness and letting go of the small self or ego/mind. They are for the healer and spiritual student in us all.

Although David Hawkins died in late 2012, I hope this will not be the last of his manuscripts Veritas publish. He was a kind man and he is missed. In addition, work so useful and caring will find a lively and appreciative audience. Five stars from a completely happy customer.
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on April 8, 2015
I think what I like most about this book is its medical and clinical background. I’ve read a lot of self-help books in my 44 years of life and many of them come from the perspective of a self-proclaimed guru. But, David R. Hawkins, the author of Letting Go, has spent a great majority of his life researching topics like this. After years of research, he discovered that surrendering was the most effective way of coping with negativity. I particularly liked his “Can’t versus Won’t” illustration. There are things that we haven’t done that we may tell ourselves we “can’t” do. In reality, most of the barriers to achieving our dreams are mental and we just “won’t” get past them. I think this was an important thing to learn about myself. I’d always wanted to start a business, but didn’t think I could. Now I have!

Another book that really helped me on my path is 27 Quick Life Transformation Tips. You may not think that you can transform your life in a short amount of time, but this book will prove you wrong. Throughout the 27 chapters, you will discover exactly what you need to do in order to lead a happier, healthier, and more rewarding life. It covers topics like how to maintain solid relationships and what to do to save money for retirement. I know that it was common for me to just kind of blow my money on frivolous things in the past. I wasn’t very good with money to say the least. But, this book has helped me understand what’s important and what’s not in the whole scheme of things. Would I like a 60-inch flat screen television? Sure. Do I need it? Absolutely not.

All in all, I think these two books have helped me immensely. I have been able to let go of negativity and start thinking practically for the first time in my life. It has been a unique and rewarding experience, to be sure. I know own and operate my own business, and the profits keep sailing in. I’d like to think my success is all thanks to the precepts found in both of these books.
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on August 1, 2015
I read this book hoping to learn something more about helping my patients (I'm a psychiatrist) "let go" of the negative emotions that they hold on to. Emotions that do nothing but continue to make them miserable. 

I found the book to be readable although a little repetitive. I also found Tolle's book The Power of Now to be repetitive, but his repetitiveness seemed, to me, to be more helpful. 

I was hoping for a more concrete "method" for letting go. The gist of it seems to be: 

1) Negative feelings are the root of your problems. 
2) Removing the roadblocks to allowing your inner love and compassion to emerge is the goal. 
3) These roadblocks develop as a consequence of one's life experience and relationships. 
4) Endeavor to be constantly aware of feelings as they arise in you, moment by moment. 
5) Recognize what the feelings are, what they do to your body (basically, do a body scan), and be aware of the thoughts and thought patterns created by the feelings. 
6) Surrender to the feelings (whatever that means). 
7) Then let the feelings go.

As far as I can tell, that's about it. Not sure it really takes more than 300 pages to get that across. He keeps talking about this technique working as long as someone takes the time to learn "the technique", but I found myself wondering "did I miss something?" Is there some description of this technique in the book that I just overlooked?" Is there more to this miraculous technique that I have to get by reading one of his other books?

He throws in this kinesiology stuff, too, and I'm not sure what relevance it has to "letting go" in the first place. Just seems to be something he likes to enlighten us about, and people in other reviews of other books have mentioned that there are no double blind, placebo controlled scientific studies confirming the validity of this technique anyway. 

I tried it with my wife, just for the heck of it, and seemed to get inconsistent results. That just might mean, though, that one or both of us was functioning below a "200", which seems like some strange arbitrary number format of levels of vibrational energy and emotion. 

Anyway, I am still looking for additional ways to help my patients to let go of negative feelings that serve no productive purpose in the here and now. I have read a lot of Osho, Tolle, don Miguel Ruiz, Dalai Lama and many others, and I've found them all to be beneficial in various ways. 

I continue to think that a steady practice of meditation is one valid way to tame the "monkey mind" from deleterious thought patterns and associated feelings. I like the Serenity Prayer, too, but often "the wisdom to know the difference" proves to be elusive. Take care all, read it for what it's worth.
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on February 21, 2013
Dr. Hawkins always said he started writing because he wanted to be able to reach the most people and relieve suffering. I think he did it with this book. I have read all of his other books and listened to many lectures and have seen great advances in my journey to enlightenment, but most other people I talk to about his work have not been able to get into it enough to see the benefits of his teachings. All of his other work can be very deep and can get a little academic, where this book is all practical, applicable insight that will work right away. He only touches on the map of consciousness in a general way, and does not tie it in as deeply with kinesiology which has been a hangup for many people I've talked to. Even if you are not a serious spiritual student, just someone wanting to improve their life and have greater happiness, this will help.
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on April 28, 2014
This book has had more impact on my life than any of Dr. Hawkins' other books. After my husband died, my world was rocked to the very core, I was overwhelmed with grief and loss, and completely turned upside down and inside out. However, I learned to hold my grief in the safe context of greater growth and healing.

I made a commitment to not stuff anything at any time and each time I processed it through and released it, I emerged lighter and clearer. This took me about 14 months (not fulltime but slowly tapered off) of open willingness and surrender, resulting in a sense of wholeness and gratitude for the 33 years we did have together, and a re-coring of my new life alone.

Packets of feelings still surface, as if the lid to the lifetime-compressed emotional vault seems to be off permanently. No pressure builds up now and whatever comes up is readily accepted and released without the dread of overwhelm. A side effect of this work is that early childhood events are coming up too, so I am also cleaning house on them. Each time I do that, forgiveness seems automatic.

I have been extremely blessed to have this book in my life and know that I will re-read it regularly and more important, I DO the processing morning and night as he recommends - and more often as needed during the day, in fact, just this morning at work............
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on February 22, 2014
It is helpful to all who want to let go of things that are disturbing them. On the back it says " it is an valuable resource for all professionals who work in the areas of mental health, psychology, medicine , self help, addiction recovery, and spiritual development. It should have included anybody that wants less stress and more peace in their lives.

Dr. Hawkins gives you solutions that have worked for him and patients for over 50 years. They have worked exceptionally well for me too. For example, I loved the can't VS won't question to put things in perceptive. I can't means you have an underlying fear. He gives you ways to see through the fears and realized that you really can so it really is a won't. That question is one that I use to see what my true motives are. All the information on work, love, depression, grief, courage, happiness and etc were outstanding in helping me to recontextalize the way I was seeing things. The healing the past technique I used for over a month and couldn't see what he was trying to get me to do. I kept at it. Then wham!!! It hit me like a ton of bricks. I immediately let go of enormous anger I had about a situation that I had carried for years. WOW did that ever change things for me. I use it now and I see things with a different pair of glasses. The chapter on relationships was great also. There are so many other things that are of help in this book. Whenever some emotions come up I usually pick this book up. Then I find an answer to help get rid of the pain or emotion. You have to apply the techniques and work them to get results. They do work!

I am much calmer and have much less stress. This is a how to book on how to improve all areas of your life. Really a must read for all the professionals listed above and the average person.
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on August 20, 2014
Released about the same time as Disney's latest kid's movie exploded into the media market with a song of similar title, I didn't have much hope for “Letting Go” by Dr. David Hawkins. And, granted, with the growing self-help genre, this book did have the possibility of being trite and fad-ish. Oddly enough, his first few paragraphs acknowledge this with a journey through all of the self-help fads from books to yoga to diets to healings to medicine to herbs. And if that didn't hook me...he ended this tirade along the human search for enlightenment in a dark world with this blurb. “Confusion is our salvation.”
Perfect! I'm confused! Bring it on!
His biggest push from that moment forward is “Know Thyself”. And even though that phrase is decidedly denominational...his book isn't. It blurs all distinguishing lines between belief systems. And that's refreshing. Letting Go is about being in charge of how you feel...not letting learned emotional responses to familiar situations control you.
Dr. Hawkins says that emotions color our world. Fear inside causes us to view the world as scary. Anger inside causes us to view the world as chaotic and frustrating. Guilt? Temptation and sin.
He talks lots about stress. Because that's the catch-all word that seems to underlie every human issue from physical illness to mental instability to catastrophic human events. And he defines stress as our emotional reaction to a stimulus (an outside event) that triggers buried emotions.
And why are we still searching for the answer to relieving stress? Because stress-reduction programs focus on relief of the symptom...stress...instead of the cause.
The cause? Repression of that initial emotion.
The rest of the book is devoted mainly to convincing you that repression of emotions is harmful and Letting Go is beneficial. He uses bunches of different real-world examples to describe, detail and delineate this. To be perfectly honest, I skimmed most of this stuff because it's basic. If you've browsed the self-help aisle much, you know all this stuff. So, really, all I needed was this:
Negative feelings, if buried reemerge as negative thoughts. And, we know enough to know that thoughts create our world. So, ending the cycle before it begins seems like the most streamlined approach.
He goes on to say that we focus on what we have repressed, and external events trigger what we have been holding on to...essentially, so that we have a second (or third or fiftieth) chance to release it.
The logical mind, because it is trained to repress....turns instantly to blame. “He made me angry.” “That person cut me off.” “She said something mean to me.”
So we bypass the logical mind before it gets started by focusing just on the emotion...not the running commentary in our mind about the situation and the emotional response to it.
Okay...so if you need one more reason to release your emotions before they hit your logical mind? He explains that humans get stuck in emotions because they think it will bring them something or do something for them. “I'll stay mad so I can tell the person that did it to me that I'm mad so they never do this thing to me again.” Silly? Of course.
Things that we want come to us because of the decisions we make. And when we are in an emotionally charged state, we don't make great decisions.
So, if you're trying to decide what book to read next...."Letting Go" of your emotions might help you choose more clearly.
Enjoy!
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.
To buy this book : http://www.hayhouse.com/letting-go-2
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on January 12, 2015
I am only on page 48 and I just had to stop and write this. I was blown away in the very first chapter "The Introduction", and wanted to recommend this book to everyone I know. I may add to this in more detail later but words just can't explain it, it goes much deeper than that. Let me put it this way, if this book had been available when I started on my journey of awakening in 1997, my search would've ended there. I would not have felt I needed the 200 or so other books I have read since. And I am only on page 48!!!
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