MKE Week 10 – About Brainwashing

Why does brainwashing have a negative connotation?  Isn’t it a GOOD thing to “cleanse your mind”?  Cleanse it of negative thoughts, limiting beliefs, self-doubts, anger, fear.  Keep it sparkly clean with love, gratitude, generosity, health and fellowship!

Here is what Wikipedia says about brain-washing:

Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwashing is said to reduce its subject’s ability to think critically or independently, to allow the introduction of new, unwanted thoughts and ideas into the subject’s mind, as well as to change his or her attitudes, values, and beliefs.

The concept of brainwashing was originally developed in the 1950s to explain how the Chinese government appeared to make people cooperate with them. Advocates of the concept also looked at Nazi Germany, at some criminal cases in the United States, and at the actions of human traffickers. It was later applied by some in the anti-cult movement to explain conversions to some cults and other groups.

I guess if you are brain-washing someone for your own gain, or at the expense or harm of the other person, this would not be a good thing.  And any technique that takes away a person’s ability to think for themselves can’t be positive.

But for me, the Master Key Experience is literally washing my brain and cleansing my mind.  I have much fewer negative thoughts now, and am better able to deflect them with my “shield of love“.  I can see that by keeping my mind focused on what I want instead of what I don’t want, and by setting specific goals that are aligned with my true purpose; I can grow (and I am growing) into a new person (Me)!

This week I have had a couple of revelations that have helped to wash my brain.  On Monday, I made an error at work.  I am a nurse, it wasn’t a huge error and it did not cause pain or harm.  However, I immediately thought “Stupid Me, how could I make such a dumb mistake?”  Of course that ended my Mental Diet for the moment.  But then I started to think more positively and turn it around.  “I actually am quite smart, I am a very good nurse, I readily admit my mistakes, take responsibility, and learn from them.”  So I felt much better, and my mind was a bit cleaner.

The second incident occurred yesterday.  I was having lunch and a lovely visit with a friend.  She started telling me about an event that happened recently with a youth who took his own life, causing an explosion at her local library.  I hadn’t heard about this as I do not watch or read the news, and generally avoid bad or negative discussions.  While I listened I felt sort of detached, like: yes that is terrible and sad, but I don’t have to let it affect me or my attitude.  “AHA”, I realized – “I don’t have to let things outside myself affect me – unless I choose to”!  I make that choice!  Cool!

And now the Mental Diet seems even easier.  Not sure if I will make it to Day 7 on this go-round, but I am now on day 4, feeling great!

I am looking forward to the webinar this weekend, have been participating in the replays of “Finding your Authentic Purpose” – those are amazing, I still have one to go.  It is great fun to find 100+ words that describe my good qualities, and 100+ wants in my life – a good way to stretch the mind, which also keeps it clean.  But I haven’t quite decided – am I “Compassionate Coach”, “Powerful Leader”, “Inspiring Communicator”, “Calm Supporter”, or “Grateful Guide”?

Happy Brain-washing!