Father Bill W.

Psychologist Dr. Bruce P. from Los Angeles, California leads Fr. Bill and listeners through a series of brief meditations focused on the teachings of Eckhart Tolle. Several one-minute exercises bring the teachings alive in ways you won’t want to miss. A guide to the exercises is included in the Show Notes. Show Notes: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle - Purchase or find an online pdf version available free. Contact Dr. Bruce at: powerofnowtherapist@gmail.com Power of Now Lab Notes from Dr. Bruce Overview: (1)  The Purpose of these Practices (2)  The Obstacles to Practice (3)  The Benefits of the Practices (4)  The Duration and Use of These Practices in Daily Life One-Minute Thoughtless Awareness Practices (1)  Observing the Breath without thought (2)  Observing an Inner Body Sensation without thought (3)  Listening without thought (4)  Seeing without thought Self Observation Practices “Am I at ease?” “Am I treating this moment as a means to an end?” “Have I been thinking of the future or the past?” “Am I wanting to be somewhere other than Where I am now?” The Welcoming Prayer for Presence: Request a copy from Dr. Bruce

Psychologist Dr. Bruce P. from Los Angeles, California helps relate the works of Eckhart Tolle with the world of 12-Step recovery. Negative emotions are problems for many people but perhaps especially for addicts. AA co-founder Bill Wilson struggled with depression for many years after getting sober. His letter sharing his experience on the subject is in the Show Notes. Dr. Bruce explores the troubling world of emotions offering us a solution to our pain through accessing the Power of Now. Show Notes: Bill Wilson’s 1953 letter on Emotional Sobriety Eckhart Tolle Key Quotes on Emotions: Pain is inevitable as long as you are identified with your mind. I am talking here primarily of emotional pain…Resentment, hatred, self-pity guilt, anger, depression, jealousy, and so on, even the slightest irritation, are all forms of pain. There are two levels to your pain: the pain you create now and the pain from the past that still lives on in your mind and body. As long as you are unable to access the power of the Now, every emotional pain that you experience leaves behind a residue of past pain that lives on in you. It merges with the pain from the past, which was already there, and becomes lodged in your mind and body. This includes the pain you suffered as a child, caused by the unconsciousness of the world into which you were born. This accumulated pain is a negative energy field that occupies your mind and body. The emotional pain-body has two modes of being: dormant and active. It may be dormant 90 percent of the time. In a deeply unhappy person it can be active 10 percent of the time. Some people only experience it in certain situations such as intimate relationships, or situations linked with past loss or abandonment, physical or emotional hurt, and so on. Anything can trigger it, particularly if it resonates with a pain pattern from your past…even a thought or an innocent remark made by someone close to you can activate it. Some pain bodies are obnoxious but relatively harmless, like a child who won’t stop whining. Others are vicious and destructive monsters. Some are physically violent, many more are emotionally violent. Some will attack people around you or close to you, while others may attack you, their host. Thoughts and feelings you have about your life then become deeply negative and self-destructive. The pain-body doesn’t want you to observe it directly and see it for what it is. The moment you observe the pain-body, feel its energy within you, and take your attention into it, the identification is broken. A higher dimension of consciousness has come in, I call it Presence. You are now the witness or the watcher of the pain-body. You have found your innermost strength. Watch out for any sign of unhappiness in whatever form---it may be the awakening pain body. This can take the form of irritation, impatience, a somber mood, a desire to hurt, anger, rage, a need to have some drama in your relationship and so on. Catch it the moment it awakens from its dormant state. Focus attention on the feeling inside you. Know that it is the pain-body. Accept that is there. Don’t think about it--don't let the feeling turn into thinking. Don’t judge or analyze. Stay present and continue to be the observer of what is happening inside you. Allow the pain to be transmuted into peace.

Psychologist Dr. Bruce P. from Los Angeles, California helps blend the works of Eckhart Tolle with the world of 12-Step recovery. Addicts aren’t alone in struggling with relationships. Often, we search for and marry a prince or a princess thinking they’ll save us only to see them before long turn into a frog – and sometimes even worse. Dr. Bruce explores the world of relationships offering us a way out through the Power of Now. Show Notes Eckhart Tolle Relationship Quotes: Unless and until you access the frequency of presence, all relationships, and particularly intimate relationships, are deeply flawed and dysfunctional.  They may seem perfect for a while, such as when you are “in love” but invariably that apparent perfection gets disrupted as arguments, conflicts, dissatisfaction and emotional or even physical violence occur with increasing frequency Love can turn into savage attack, feelings of hostility, of complete withdrawal of affection at the flick of a switch. And this is considered normal.  Relationships do not cause pain and unhappiness. They bring out the pain and unhappiness that is already in you. We use relationships or somebody to cover up our pain.  For love to flourish, the light of your presence needs to be strong enough so that you no longer get taken over by the thinker or emotional pain body and mistake them for who you are.  Can you change an addictive relationship into a true one? Yes, by intensifying your presence by taking your attention more deeply into the Now.  The greatest catalyst for change in a relationship is complete acceptance of your partner as he or she is, without needing to judge or change them in any way.  For presence to become deeply rooted, it must be tested in the fire of relationships.  Listening is the greatest thing you can do for your partner. Listening gives the other space to be.  Love as a continuous state is as yet very rare---as rare as conscious human beings. Brief and elusive glimpses of love, however, are possible, whenever there is a gap in the stream of mind.  Never before have relationships been as problematic and conflict-ridden as they are now. If you continue to pursue the goal of salvation through a relationship, you will be disillusioned again and again. But if you accept that the relationship is here to make you conscious instead of happy, then the relationship will offer you salvation, and you will be aligning yourself with the higher consciousness that wants to be born in this world.   Self Disclosure reference: https://www.encyclopedia.com/social-sciences-and-law/sociology-and-social-reform/sociology-general-terms-and-concepts/self-disclosure Your Body Doesn’t Lie by John Diamond (pdf version)

Psychologist Dr. Bruce P. from Los Angeles, California helps blend the works of Eckhart Tolle with the world of 12-Step recovery. Many addicts struggle to find a concept of a Higher Power that can work successfully for them. Step Two becomes easier when an elusive search for “a Power greater than ourselves” shifts to “accessing the Power of Now.” In this episode Dr. Bruce describes how the terms God and Now may be synonymous and how a simple shift in consciousness into the “fourth dimension of existence” may be more easily accessible than you THINK. In fact, not THINKING might speed things up considerably! Show Notes: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle / You may also be able to find free pdf versions online. Contact Dr. Bruce at: powerofnowtherapist@gmail.com Be sure to visit us our YouTube Channel: Two Way Prayer @twowayprayer1335 – episodes generally post within a couple days following the podcast. You can meet Father Bill’s dog Maggie around minute 56 or so. Here are the Tolle quotes used on this episode: 1. “The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds. The Now is the only point that can take you beyond the limited confines of your mind. It is your only point of access into the timeless presence of God.” 2. “(When) the realm of Being, accessed through the portal of the Now, opens up, suddenly, a great stillness arises within you, an unfathomable peace. And within that peace, there is great joy.  And within that joy, there is love. And at the innermost core, there is the Sacred, that which cannot be named.” 3. “As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love---even the most simple action.” 4. “When the compulsive striving away from the Now ceases, the joy of Being flows into everything you do. The moment your attention turns to the Now, you feel a presence, a stillness, a peace.” But the reverse is also true – is it not? – that when my compulsive thinking takes charge again and leads me away from the Now then I lose my connection with the Present Moment and I begin to feel restless, irritable, and discontent.  5. “An amazing realization is that in the present moment there is only what is, but there are no problems. And if your attention remains in the Now, you no longer inhabit a world of problems.” 6. “Being is accessible to you NOW as your own deepest self, your true nature. But don’t seek to grasp it with your mind. Don’t try to understand it. You can only know it when the mind is still. When you are present, when your attention is fully and intensely in the NOW, Being / (God) can be felt, but it can never be understood mentally.”

Psychologist Dr. Bruce P. from Los Angeles, California helps blend the works of Eckhart Tolle with the world of 12-Step recovery. The Big Book tells us our “problem is in the Mind.” This episode takes a deep dive into the source of our compulsive thinking, first as it relates directly to physical addiction, but then as it traps us in a fearful state of separateness from God, from others, and from our True Selves. The Good News is escape is possible. Listen and start to find out HOW! 3 Quotes Related to THINKING from Eckhart Tolle that relates to "Unmanageable" thoughts and addiction: I would say about 80-90% of most people's thinking is not only repetitive and useless, but beacuase of its dysfunctional and negative nature, much of it is harmful. Observe your mind and you will find this to be true. This kind of cumpulsive thinking as actually an addiction. What characterizes an addiction? Quite simply this: you no longer feel nyou have the ability to stop. Every addiction arises from an unconscious refusal to face and move through your own pain. Every addiction atarts with pain and ends with pain. Whatever you're addicted to (includes all involuntary compulsive mental-emotional habits and reactive patterns) you are using to cover up your pain. Unmanageable (compulsive) thoughts related to everything else: The more you are identified with your thinking, your likes and dislikes, judgments and interpretations, which is to say the less present your are as the wathching consciusness, the stronger the emotional charge (pain) will be whether you are aware of it or not. The greatest obstacle to experiencing peace and the radiant joy of being is identification with your mind, which causes thought to become compulsive. Not to be able to stop thinking is a dreadful affliction... this incessant mental noise prevents you from finding the realm of inner stillness, peace, and joy. The compulsive thinker, which means almost everyone, lives in a state of separateness, in an insanely complex world of continuous problems and conflict. Read more... The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. If you would like to contact Dr. Bruce he can be reached by email. If this information has been helpful to you consider making a donation to Two Way Prayer. Be sure to like, subscribe and share with others who could benefit from this message! #Recovery, #KeepComingBack, #TwoWayPrayer

Psychologist Dr. Bruce P. from Los Angeles, California helps blend the works of Eckhart Tolle with the world of 12 Step recovery. Like the Big Book, The Power of Now has helped millions access the transforming Power for change that is already present in each of us only waiting to be unleashed. Come join us on the journey! Show Notes: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle / The llink will take you to Amazon but note there are pdf versions available online free. Questions for Dr. Bruce P.? powerofnowtherapist@gmail.com  

After practicing Two Way Prayer for nearly a year, Donna began a still deeper journey to depths of her Inner World. Her loving Higher Power encouraged her to invite DonDon, her inner child, to come sit with them at their morning table of prayer. So began a long series of inner dialogues that helped knit together the shattered life of a little girl who lost her father at the age of eight if not long before. These moving dialogues lift Donna’s prayer life into the healing sunlight of the Spirit. You’ll want to listen in as her Kid has a message of love and encouragement directed to each of our own. Show Notes: To write to Donna please send a note through TwoWayPrayer@gmail.com Robert Johnson’s book Inner Work serves as a guide for those ready to bring Jung’s practice of Active Imagination into their prayer lives. You might also see Jungian analyst Barbara Hannah’s classic as well.

Donna came to recovery when her son entered treatment for gambling and drug addiction. She had done all she could do for him and knew she needed to “let go.” But how? The Voice Donna heard in Two Way Prayer helped guide her on the path that led to her own recovery. She recognized the loving Voice as HaShem – Hebrew for “The Name.” Few Two Way Prayer listeners hear the Voice as clearly and as beautifully as Donna records it daily in her journal. You won’t want to miss hearing these shares of gentle guidance and unconditional love. To write to Donna, please send a note through Two Way Prayer

The Ego is usually reluctant (if not outright defiant) in humbly aligning itself with the Great Reality Within. Commenting on the necessary realignment and why we put it off for so long, Franciscan monk Richard Rohr is fond of saying, “There are only two things powerful enough to change a person: pain and prayer.” Then he adds wryly, “most of us choose pain!” Father Bill takes a pause in interviewing men and women embarked on their Inner Journeys to share why the journey is necessary and how Two Way Prayer and Inner work intersect to make us whole.  Show Notes: Brown’s quote: Midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: “I’m not screwing around. All of this pretending and performing—these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt—has to go. Your armor is preventing you from growing into your gifts. I understand that you needed these protections when you were small. I understand that you believed your armor could help you secure all of the things you needed to feel worthy and lovable, but you’re still searching and you’re more lost than ever. Time is growing short. There are unexplored adventures ahead of you. You can’t live the rest of your life worried about what other people think. You were born worthy of love and belonging. Courage and daring are coursing through your veins. You were made to live and love with your whole heart. It’s time to show up and be seen. Ken Wilbur’s Four Pillars of Integral Consciousness: Wake Up, Clean Up, Grow Up, and Show Up 

Faithfully practicing Two Way Prayer for some time, Susanne built a powerful connection with God. In time, she was ready to venture still deeper into her Inner World starting an amazing dialogue with her lost inner child through a process C.G. Jung called “active imagination.” In this episode Susanne shares how she established contact with her “Kid” and reads some healing writings between her adult self and her inner child. She soon discovered the hole in the soul was being filled from within. Show Notes: Here are some guidelines for finding a prayer partner. Robert A. Johnson’s book Inner Work is helpful in understanding how to gain access and begin dialoguing with our inner parts.