"I'm A Fraud!" (Dealing with Negative Thoughts) - Jeff Foster

Author/teacher Jeff Foster explains that thoughts are not inherently wrong or bad, and we don't have to be at war with them. We can be the space for them, the awareness in which they are allowed to come and go. We don't have to believe them, or take them personally. We can see them as birds tweeting, sounds, that are ALLOWED to be here...
Recorded October 4th 2015 in The Netherlands.

[@WonderingAboutThat]

I love this. So powerful and beautiful and liberating. Thank you Jeff! I am so grateful for your honesty and authenticity and insights.

[@juliangiulio3147]

I find this 'Jeff' is kind of a deep comedian. Lovely! Uniquely-put :)

[@BarakaTMBABW]

One Song, many voices singing. Straight out of ACIM lesson for today, Lesson 35! I see myself as imposed on. Tweet Tweet I see myself as depressed. Tweet Tweet I see myself as failing. Tweet Tweet I see myself as endangered. Tweet Tweet I see myself as helpless. Tweet Tweet I see myself as victorious. Tweet Tweet I see myself as losing out. Tweet Tweet I see myself as charitable. Tweet Tweet I see myself as virtuous. Tweet Tweet Just birds singing.

[@michaelmckearn1960]

such a kind and clear way out of the woods for awhile. i come back to this 7 minutes quite often. the idea that if being cruel to yourself was going to help us heal; it would have helped by now, is so correct for me. on my best days i have made friends with the mean spirited noise and it is a big part of my way forward. thank you jeff.

[@suzic4521]

I love the bird analogy. That’s great. 😊

[@holzbeasor4758]

jeff you beautiful soul... let the birds sing with no judgement of there song

[@kilifischkopp1442]

So you DONT let the ego die. You just see it isnt you.

[@paulkenney9177]

Finally, an authentic and 'real' explanation of our human expression - warts and all!!!!

[@lg9050]

Thank you, thank you. I find so often I am the crazy bird singing at dinner parties, speaking my truth, sharing the most vulnerable thoughts, fears, beliefs I have, usually I'm met silence, awkwardness, subject-changing, or people just telling me it will change. Sharing my truth, seeking deeper, meaningful, honest connections often ends up being so isolating and the source of loneliness.

[@bjharvey3021]

Yes, Mel. I am sure being depressed would not be half as difficult if we could speak freely about it with family, co-workers and other 'normal' people without fear of being judged. Perhaps the whole problem would then begin to evaporate.

[@Andrei-ti1ij]

When you associate a thought with an object or a person or even with yourself through recognition (which already is association), then you believe this thought to be real!! Like these birds that are singing, thoughts are there, but unlike the real birds, thoughts don't produce sound, or light, or pressure, or smell, and they also have no taste, they are invisible to senses, which means that you can't cover your ears or close your eyes in order to not listen to them, because thoughts are seen through an internal eye (through awareness) that can't be switched off!!!!! That's why we are able to do awful things in order to get rid of some thoughts (because we can't cover our awareness). We can work with thoughts only indirectly, reacting to these thoughts, and spending a great amount of energy in order to do something about these thoughts that are constantly bothering us. And partially we become the way in which we deal with out thoughts. Which is like a deal with the devil: . So we become the slaves of our thoughts spending energy to keep some awful thoughts away continuously... it has become a habit. But if we can love these thoughts, which we hate, if we can love those monsters that we have within, then we can get rid of this slavery, of this false sense of tranquility. Freedom awaits us but we have to be able to love what we hate or what we fear most. Because what we hate or what we fear most is a thought! We can't hate something which is not a thought!

[@gregjustsitting]

When thoughts become very light (the incredible lightness of being) they are not bothersome. Thoughts can become lighter (and still have the same content). They may never go, but they are light as air.....

[@lou-anne.h]

[@firstnamelastnam3]

I dont deserve to exist am space for this is deep my existence just that i breathe causes suffering for others being invisible being voicelss being still pretending im not here Will be better and less burdensome for others my existence is a burden to all the 🐤🎶 from my child from long ago this here is melting through this moment just is here now here niw is not a burden But free 🌼 Thanks for being here

[@regismachdy]

Thank you Jeff!

[@TheSolsonia2003]

Wonderful 💫thank you beloved 🙏

[@annettelockhart2949]

Great way of looking at it thank you

[@jimcrich]

Jeff is focusing on "thoughts" but its the FEELINGS that go along with hateful or fearful thoughts that get to me. I can "think" nearly anything, ugly or beautiful, BUT the feelings that go with and sometimes without any "thought" are what bother me so much so, I just use whatever spiritual or psychological tool I have to survive these very painful, frightening FEELINGS. It puzzles me that so many spiritual teachers AVOID talking about FEELINGS? Are they really that afraid to FEEL?

[@fabiovsroque]

I asked myself the same thing. In the tradicional eight weeks program Mindfulness course they talk about thoughts, but they talk about feelings as well, and you can expand that to the behavior patterns that everyone has. If the thoughts are birds, I use to think about my feelings as an elephant in the living room...but they all pop up in the space of my awareness, so, as far as I know, we should treat feelings same way we treat thoughts, letting them be, but you can choose how to react to them. Jeff Foster has a video here in his channel were he talks about the feelings, about finding a place in the body were the feeling reveals itself and stay there in presence alowing the present to be what it is.

[@petersalisbury108]

Hi Jim what you are saying is very natural. What you think about creates resultant feelings and what you might feel can create resulting thoughts. Thinking then feeling is the most common route, or an anchore being fired to a past emotional situation. However, the liberating piece of the puzzle is to enquire to what does the feeling or thought report to? What is aware of those feelings and thoughts? It can't be mind because becuase thats where the thinking is coming from. Who is it that chooses not to like the feelings? Feelings are just feelings and the mind apportions meaning to them... then some ownership of those feelings and thoughts by a mistaken identity and it can become a problem. A problem that is a phantom.... Ownership is occuring. Beyond ownewrship (which is actually false) is being. Being owns nothing and just is. Being applies no meaning to anything, thats minds preoccupation. FInd being and the puzzle falls apart, good luck my friend....namestey...

I get what you're saying. Jeff Foster talks about feeling too, just not in this video. Also Jeff Brown, Jenna Forest, and others. I think if you search a bit, you can find them. Just not a lot genuine people that I know personally like that. So now I'm coming to accept myself even though others can't. Guess I lost hope in that, or searching. Might still be there, but to a lesser degree.

[@wilma8326]

Those negative feelings are there because we identify with the negative thoughts and we believe the thoughts. That's how we feed the feelings so they keep coming alive. Once we treat the thought as being not personal and not true, then the feelings are not fed anymore and we can work them out of our system.

[@light_of_existence]

Your bad feelings may be related to subconscious negative thoughts or negative beliefs (which are not true) about yourself. Try this: Whenever a bad feeling arises sink into it and search for a sentence that may represent this feeling. Mostly it's something like "I'm a failure, I have done it all wrong, I'm not lovable...". There you've got your subconscious thought, a negative belief that has been conditioned in the past and has in fact nothing to do what is NOW. In other words thoughts and feelings are very connected. About feelings is not much more to say than accept them as they arise. But if you can deconditionize the subconscious beliefs and identification with thoughts, negative feeling will loose their impact.

[@KowdleBala]

Thank you.

[@miriamllumiquinga8846]

Thank you, it's helpful.

[@jamesgreen4962]

At least he's being honest

[@JasonVanDoornMusic]

Thank you 🙏

[@korg7160]

Wow just wow 💚

[@nielsjoklein]

I love to see thoughts as sounds while I am really high 😇

[@patrickjmhamilton]

thanks Jeff

[@matthewnguyen7500]

Cute true. Thank you Jeff

[@carnivore-andy68]

nice one jeff..cheers.

[@ngatihine6072]

I stopped trying to get rid of thoughts. I inquired to who do they appear? I d say to me! I asked who l am and then there was silence for 5 seconds but I glimpsed into who l am and so i inquire constantly and its a practice

[@jimoneprism]

thank you!

[@claudedehay8243]

tweet tweet..... tweet tweet... A BIRD DEMOCRACY.... lovely...

[@annettelockhart2949]

So true I love your videos

[@kareemmohammed5270]

healing words

[@robertjsmith]

THAT sea gull just shat on me

[@philtrem]

Reframing it seems to defeat the purpose, because then you are not meeting the thoughts. It's yet another form of avoidance, which is control, which is what causes fear and so on... But yeh, essentially... Whatever comes up, just roll with it.

[@josbuysen3564]

+Philippe Tremblay hai friend...interesting your response on this...but what do you mean with the first sentence...refraiming etc............................

[@philtrem]

"to reframe" essentially means to interpret something in a different way

[@Kerry-ft2zf]

I'm not sure it's possible to believe that your thoughts are just birds singing. That they aren't connected to us, that its not the truth. We believe our thoughts and they create an experience in our bodies, then we then absolutely believe how we feel in our bodies. Maybe it works though, it seems to have worked for him. I think what's happened is his internalised view of himself has changed, he's able to be compassionate with himself because of a change in awareness... and then in turn thoughts can begin to change into more positive and accepting ones.

[@flag81]

Is that a second part to this when Jeff says they will do a meditation on difficult thought ? Please let me know.

[@freefit34]

If we view thoughts as having little power, clouds that just pass by, then is it a matter of picking and choosing the thoughts that guide our actions day to day. If I do not take negative or positive thoughts seriously, then how do I act in the world.

[@carlavela7106]

💙💙💙

[@carpo719]

I hear you say thoughts are like 'children' but I just feel that is a bad metaphor. Most thoughts are nothing, and pass. the ones that endure do so for a reason, and we need to embrace it whatever it may be, and our subconscious often knows the difference better than we ever could. You are defining imposter syndrome, a well known thing we all encounter

[@GBriser]

Thanks! I’m ALSO a fraud! 😱😂

[@garage13]

people connect over shared problems, it's ok to say you are not ok lol

[@marycandullo526]

You are not your thoughts!

[@artakan303]

Ok, but what you think change how you feel .... so thoughts are not all equals ... and if you are only full of "negative" thought you will feel bad .... that's why we don't want them ....

[@katepaisley7546]

+eLeS Dyzer it's the identification with those thoughts that cause us suffering, not the fact that they are there, in my experience

[@DarioCangialosi]

I believe they ARE partly truths that are trying to be recognized. how could you give them recognition if you dont't try to think them as truths?

[@claudelebel49]

I'm a fraug 🐸 :)

[@teippiviritykset]

To "Deal" with that "You are a FRAUD" -voice in you (super ego) It is really good to read the book "Soul without shame" by A.H. almaas. That will help you to listen the voice and stop and notice it, instead of being a victim for it and just act or freeze like a slave.

[@annettelockhart2949]

Birds lol