The Five Tools That Help You Discern In Life: Part 1 “Let’s Get Physical”

This mini blog series is based on five tools that are crucial to successful discernment. When these five tools are used together in balance they help you determine whether your thought is rational and healthy, or distorted and irrational. We all know the difference between rationality and irrationality, but we don’t always know how to evaluate between them when we are in the moment. Somehow we just arrive at a conclusion no matter the reasoning and call it a day. Well no longer! You need not be trapped in patterns of thought and remain in confusion, pain, or avoidance anymore.
The first of these five tools is Physical Sensations. Physical sensation is something like this – you walk into a room where your dearest friend is sitting on a couch, and as you enter the room there is only silence. You continue in the direction of your friend, but they glance your way and only lend a shrug to say hello. They give you no other greeting and continue in silence as you approach. You feel a tight knot in the pit of your stomach.
After this interaction your first thought might be…they are ANGRY with me and you feel a sinking feeling. That would be your physical sensation. Just being in the presence of someone and sensing something is wrong is your physical sensor, and it is one of the five tools to discern. These tools used collectively, help you arrive at a conclusion to determine whether or not your thought is accurate, or premature without definitive proof.
This one tool, like all the others, is crucial to discern; however it is never to be used as the only means to an end. When you use physical sensation alone to arrive at a determination, it can be either true or false. By using physical sensation and the other four tools you will be able to differentiate between truth and falsehood. Using all five tools together is vital because neglecting one tool can cause misinterpretation. Once you understand these five tools and are able to use them, you have another tool to add to your toolbox of thinking, life, and relationship skills.

Copyright © 2012 by Michele Fleming Ph.D.