The trick, it seems to me, is to fully accept and feel all of the reactions of your mind, your emotions and your body; without being seduced into experiencing these as constituting the core of who you really are. Denial doesn't work, resistance doesn't work, pretending doesn't work, magnifying doesn't work, acting out doesn't work; but maintaining a sense of humor (if possible) and remembering that at your core you are Light, and that as Light, you are compassion, joy, creativity, etc. does work. All the great teachers, the nde experiencers, and the channelers that I know tell us the same thing about who we are at our core.
It's a neat trick, this shift in perspective. It allows you to view your reactive self as if you were watching a play with that part of you in the starring role. (You can even describe the scene if you like: "There goes Ted again. He feels like his support system is eroding. His obsessive mind is really going off because he is scared and his body is feeling under pressure. Poor lad. Pass the popcorn, please). :)
There will be big challenges, but the reward is freedom; freedom from confusion, freedom from anxiety, freedom from guilt, freedom from isolation, freedom from despair; as the reactive emotions loose their grip over you. This, to me, is the detachment of which the Masters speak. It is not about detaching yourself from your desire for a new car (which can be a balanced expression of your core). It is about learning to detach yourself from the deep emotional pull which your shame, guilt, rage, fear and obsession has on you; not by denying or judging these emotions as good or bad, but by calling forth the deeper part of your being and observing them from this space.
For most people, being "true to themselves" means experiencing whatever emotions and reactions they happen to be having at the time, as constituting the center of their being. I suggest that being "true to yourself" really means fully acknowledging and accepting all these emotions without judgment; but still experiencing (or at least remembering) the core of your being for what it is; a spark of Divine Energy.
And I promise you it gets easier to do this as you practice it. :)
Ted Slipchinsky is a mystic singer, writer and songwriter. You can see more of his work at songsofmysoul.com where you can also purchase his recently released book "Songs from the River". Ted also has a Facebook group The Other TED Talks.
