Blessings or Bitterness?

I choose to speak blessings, because words of bitterness are always within my reach.

Not long ago, I allowed my mind to dwell and embellish upon a perceived injustice. Convinced I was feeling a justified anger, I yielded to the internalized notion of defending myself and letting others experience my pain… a twisted form of pleasure that continued to feed my imagination. It only took minutes for my compressed anger to sprout a root of bitterness that, left unattended, would produce a poisonous fruit of self-destruction.

Psychology Today author Christopher Lane, Ph.D. (May 28, 2009) is a proponent of “bitterness” as an emerging mental illness modeled after “post-traumatic stress disorder” (PTSD) under the name “post-traumatic embitterment disorder” (PTED). Lane explains that PTSD is the response to a traumatic event that leaves a person over-whelmed with a sense of fear and anxiety. In a comparable manner, PTED is the response to a trauma (perceived injustice) that leaves an enduring sense of resentment, revenge, and insatiable rage.   

If PTED were to be elevated to the place of a mental illness, an astute investor may be wise to amass shares of stock in a pharmaceutical company who can produce a pill to correct the chemical imbalance in the brain that harbors resentment, seeks revenge, and excuses unforgiveness. The prescription instructions would recommend taking one or two tablets before bedtime for a restful night’s sleep. And a warning label: Consult your Doctor if problems persist more than two weeks.

If a person feels they have been treated unfairly, the treatment isn’t revenge or “getting even.” Bitterness cannot be treated, tamed, or controlled.  The only real solution to getting rid of bitterness is to stop feeding it.

The best method to starving a bitter root is to feed your mind on gratefulness and blessings. Be genuinely thankful for the positive and uplifting things in your life and refuse to rehearse the offenses.

Meditation before MEDIATION

“MEDIATION” follows “meditation” in every case, except in the dictionary.  The words are spelled exactly the same, with the exception for the addition of one letter “T”.  Each of the words also follow a similar function, to promote healing and protect peace.

Let’s first look at the concept of meditation and its benefits.  A research study reported in the Psychosomatic Medicine: A Journal of Biobehavioral Medicine found that people who practice the skill of meditation have increased health, happiness, and calmness.  After a period of structured meditation, “Neuroscientist have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex – brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex.  This mental shift decreases the negative effects of stress, mild depression and anxiety.  There is also less activity in the amygdala, where the brain processes fear” (July 2003).

Meditation is a mental and spiritual process that focuses thoughts and controls emotions.  The Psalmist says that he depended on meditation to produce wisdom and understanding (Psalm 49:3).  Meditation uses introspective reflection to create an inner calmness that resists outside influences and strengthens the individual.

Mediation is the process where a third-party neutral is present to assist others to move toward healing of damaged relationships and resolve emotional tensions.  Most mediation training focuses on the external methods of ground rules, reading body language, self-determination, and compromised results.

The most skillful mediator will additionally bring to the table an ability to communicate in such a way as to transfer a sense of calmness and peace.  Without words, the MEDIATOR who has personally learned the benefits of meditation can affect the environment to influence a PEACE-FULL SOLUTION: Beyond Resolution.

Terry W. Petty, CPM

www.peace-full.com