Sometimes we take things for granted, and this is one such case. Ever found out how to ignore tickles? Stop yourself from shaking from the cold? Postpone sneezing?
If so, congratulations! You found the Mind Trick. The big reveal is that all these things boil down to the exact same mental state.
While realizing that these different things are actually the same requires uncommon levels of introspection, this is definitely not a secret or anything mystical.
For some reason, no information is available. Nobody talks about it in any form that can be found through search engines.
This article is to correct that.
What does it do?
According to my experience, holding on to this mental state has the following perks:
- prevents shivering from cold
- prevents (or delays) sneezing
- allows to ignore tickles
- shuts off any emotion
The last point may come as a surprise, but it’s easily verifiable by anyone who can feel any emotion at will. It’s simply not possible to be affected by emotions while maintaining this particular state.
In short, it’s like temporarily disabling some of the internal brain processes, as long as the state is held.
Sadly, it’s not effective at stopping hiccups. Believe me, I tried.
Some of the people who I talked to described it as “feeling braindead”, but it’s an incorrect depiction, as none of the logic or thought-forming capabilities are lost under this mental state.
What is it not?
The Mind Trick has nothing to do with breathing, or tummo breathing or Wim Hof breathing.
It’s just like a mental muscle you can pull at will—nothing more, nothing less.
How do I learn this mental state?
Go out in the cold during winter until you start shivering, or ask someone to tickle you, find something that makes you sneeze, or if you can trigger any emotion at will use that.
All you need to do is simply find the mental state that enables you to ignore all these things. Even if you don’t know what I’m talking about, you probably simply forgot about it and have experienced it before.
Once you find the mental state, commit it to memory. Like a muscle, you can learn to use it at will.
It’s really simpler to do than to explain.
Possible uses
An effective way to deal with anger
Instead of counting up to ten, you can just turn off your emotions and take a moment to think rationally.
To remain clear-headed under distress
Anxiety, fear, or panic can be temporarily ignored, allowing you to deal better with the situation at hand.
While it may not be a fix the root causes of fear and anxiety, sometimes life happens and you have to react.
As an aid to meditation
I feel this state speeds up the act of reaching meditative states, so I suggest using it.
Party trick
You can impress your friend by not shivering from the cold. However, you should keep in mind that it’s not making you immune to cold.
Potentially staving off epileptic seizures (unverified)
According to an anonymous internet user, who recognized the state from the description, it may even help those who suffer from epilepsy to push back the onset of a seizure, but I can’t personally verify that claim.
People who suffer from epilepsy and can feel when it’s going to happen, should try the Mind Trick and report back. Unfortunately, my sample was only one person.
Conclusions
The Mind Trick is a powerful but simple tool that almost everyone is familiar with and can be used to exert better control over oneself. The only obstacle is understanding its nature and applying it where appropriate.
Meditation for coughs and fevers
