7 THE EVIDENTIAL MIND

We went on in our discussion, exploring the "Evidential Mind." Richard experienced his relationships with almost everyone as unpredictable and threatening to his power. He asked, "Why is it others make us feel what we don't want to feel?"

"The mind can only give you information supported by your internal reality structure. If your core belief is 'I am powerless and get attacked by women,' your mind must process your experiences with women in a way that matches that reality. Any information not in sync with that belief is blocked," I answered.

We discussed the idea that the mind is an evidential device and can access only the information one is willing to see. It then uses that information for building its realities which are the mind's picture of actuality. When required information is blocked, it is impossible to build an accurate reality. If Truth is not allowed, the mind cannot reflect the Truth.

"Richard, when you deny involvement in what happens, in effect, you instruct your mind to hide information relating to your responsibility in that event. The mind does not show you realities contrary to what it believes, because data inconsistent with its deeply held opinions is blocked or gated out.

"The mind has no choice when denied access to information or providing uncalled for data. It sees things that didn't happen if a belief that is different from actuality is triggered. When a belief is resonated by an event in the world, the brain cells that hold that belief will fill in data that is not present in the actuality. The data filled in will show up in the mind's reality as if it were part of the actual external event. Our belief systems, until purged of unconsciousness, tend to hold us in an hypnotic-like state.

KEY THOUGHT—"It is the theory that decides what can be observed." Albert Einstein

"The mind can only follow your instructions to hide what you do not want to see and see what your B.S.—Belief System—calls for. Gaining access to denied and therefore hidden information and undoing false beliefs are the keys to healing what is at the root of most repeated experiences. Here are a couple of examples that illustrate the point.

"In a laboratory experiment, cats were implanted with electrodes in the area of the brain that responded to sound. A device that created a clicking noise was placed close to the cat's ear. Each time the experimenters would click the device, the cat's brain registered the sound.

"A mouse in a bell jar was placed in front of the cat. With the cat's attention and senses set on the mouse, sensitive electronic equipment showed the clicking sound no longer registered in the cat's brain. All evidence of the clicking was blocked, or gated out of the cat's awareness. It appears that only evidence that was important to the cat at the moment gained admittance to its awareness."

"How does that translate in human terms?" he inquired.

"The implications are many, especially in relationships. A computer analogy allows us to look deeper into the Evidential Mind's impact on human function. Consider a computer. It is incapable of choice and can only display information as directed. The person operating the computer selects or creates the programs that run on it. Since the computer can only follow directions and display information it has access to, the information available to the operator is limited by the program that is operating.

"Like a computer, the mind can use only programmed, available information in building a reality about the actuality on which it is focused. When a 'program' is run in a mind, the information the mind can access and the quality of reality available are predetermined by the directions from that program. This fact is commonly recognized and called a bias, slant, mind-set or prejudice.

"If a mind's 'blame program' reads, 'Find the guilty party and make sure it is someone else,' the reality showing up in that mind can only reflect evidence that is contained in brain cells and is consistent with the program. All other information, internal or external, is gated or blocked out of awareness. It is simply not available for use in building the mind's current reality. If no consistent information is resonated by the actuality being focused upon, the mind will hallucinate the needed evidence out of its past and attach it to the reality generated. Ever have someone 'see' you do something you didn't do or 'hear' you say something you did not say?

"A computer must be reprogrammed, or a new program must be loaded in order to access information that is different from what is currently available. In a similar fashion, we must direct our minds to close the 'blame program' and open the 'responsibility program' if we are to see situations, others or ourselves differently.

"If your mind-set or 'program' is 'I'm right, you're wrong! It's settled! Why argue?' Your mind can only use information proving you're right in building its reality about you. It can only use information that proves another's error to build a reality about them. Any bias renders the mind incapable of providing accurate information about the actual world."

KEY THOUGHT—My mind can only show me my reality. It may or may not matc h actuality, but it always matches what is going on inside of me.

I explained to Richard that my conclusion from these ideas and from my observation of human behavior is that the mind only permits into awareness information that supports its goals and prejudices. All other information is hidden. If we hold an emotionally charged goal of being right, the mind withholds all evidence that would show the Truth of a situation—that we have made a mistake. The errors we refuse to acknowledge in ourselves, we blame on others.

Blaming someone else for what goes on in our minds and using our internally hidden information to build our mind's image of "them" is called projection. Projection of our internal process is the main block to healing. When we project, we take what is internal and attempt to place it outside ourselves, thus cutting ourselves off from Forgiving what is hidden.

"I know I project because I do experience identical realities repeatedly. I'm grasping that those scenarios are coming from my own mind, but I don't understand how that interrupts healing. How does projection work in relationships?" Richard queried.