#9 - A Light in the Attic

#9 - A Light in the Attic

Update: 2025-12-01
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Description

In this guided experiment, we turn on the light in the attic of the mind.


If you've ever struggled with worry, rumination, perfectionism, intrusive thoughts, obsessive loops, or getting pulled out of the present moment, this practice may be one of the most important skills you ever learn.

 

In this episode, you'll learn how to:

  • Observe the process of thinking

  • Notice the content of thoughts as they arise and pass away

  • Differentiate thoughts from facts

  • Change your relationship to thoughts rather than trying to control them

  • Reduce the influence of "Judge E."

  • Experience your mind as an open sky or ocean, where thoughts are simply clouds or waves drifting by

  • Build the skill of mindfulness that supports DBT, ACT, and non-dual awareness work

 

You'll be guided through three structured mindfulness-of-thought exercises, each designed to help you see thoughts clearly, gently, and with far less struggle:

  1. Prompted thoughts (noticing what appears when you hear certain words)

  2. Intentional thinking (reviewing your day and observing the flow of thought)

  3. Open awareness (observing thoughts arising and falling in spacious awareness)

 

Throughout the experiment, you'll use your lab notebook to write down what you notice and to track how your relationship to thoughts begins to shift.

 

This is not about clearing your mind or stopping thoughts.
It's about discovering, through direct experience, that:

You are not your thoughts.
You are the awareness in which thoughts come and go.

 

And from this perspective, the freedom to live more consciously, intentionally, and compassionately becomes possible.


Listen now, and let's explore this together.

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HonestMentalHealthTherapy
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/honest-mental-health-with-brian-curtis-phd/id1638878549

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#9 - A Light in the Attic

#9 - A Light in the Attic