The Mental Emotional Health Blog

As I explained in a couple entries last week, I’ve been listening to The Secret on audio CD. Over the weekend, my mind shifted from just gathering the main message from the book to considering applications.

If a person’s thoughts attract things into their life, what about someone with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder whose thoughts tend to be repetitive? My guess is the author might say that the fear and anxiety a person with OCD experiences will magnify those feelings to the extent that they dominate functioning.  

Examples:   

Person “A.” feels the compulsion to clean the kitchen and will feel extremely anxious if she doesn’t clean the kitchen. By continuing to think, “I need to clean. I need to clean. I need to clean . . .”, she is feeding her own perceived need, and the anxieties that go along with it.

Person “B.” has an intense fear of germs, and he refuses to leave his home. If his thoughts are, “I’ll be contaminated if I go outside. I’ll be contaminated if I go outside . . .”, he may actually get physically sick if he leaves his home because he attracted sickness to himself.

These are only brief guesses at what author Rhonda Byrne might say about OCD. I am still getting through her book, and this is one of the ways I integrate what I read or hear into my thinking.

I am now in chapter 4 of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. It’s still keeping my attention, and I look forward to my morning drives and lunch hours so I can listen.

Two things stood out for me from this book as I listened yesterday and this morning:

1. If we frequently think, “I don’t have enough time”, then we will keep feeling that way. Conversely, if we start thinking, “I will have enough time”, we will find more time in the day. I am trying this out, mostly to see if I become more efficient or limit myself from rushing around.
2. Gratitude is powerful. If we are thankful all the time, from the moment we wake up and throughout the day, we will draw positive things to us.

These are points I took from the book, not exact quotes. But overall, that’s what I understood. One thing I like about The Secret so far is that it is presented as a positive way of life, not just a set of things to do to feel better.

I just bought the audio version of The Secret by Rhonda Byrne over the weekend. My wife’s mother had read it a while ago and she made it sound compelling, and I have read a few things about the book more recently. I figured I’d see what the buzz is about.

So far, I am in Chapter 2 (I love “reading” a book by hearing it sometimes). I put it in my car this morning and off to work I went.

First thoughts: I am intrigued. The Secret is presented as a universal law of attraction, which basically every great person in history used. The more you think positively, the more positive things you attract. If you think passionately and consistently enough, you can gain anything you want. It kind of sounds to me like “I think, therefore I am”, only more detailed. Also, if you consistently have negative or fearful thoughts, you attract those things as well.

It’s possible that this will turn into a book review, spread out over several entries, or just a one-time little blurb here. So far, though, I am interested in hearing more about The Secret. I’d also like to hear from any of you who have read the book.