My favorite bumper sticker is one that says: “Don’t believe everything you think.”

The mind is an extraordinary thing. It can solve problems, imagine amazing ideas, envision inconceivable possibilities, help us plot strategies for difficult challenges, as well as aid us in connecting dots that transform our capacity to comprehend previously incomprehensible experiences. And, in uncountable other ways, it can bring greater clarity and understanding into our lives. As we have all undoubtedly recognized, however, there is a shadow side to the mind that activates experiences that can leave us feeling diminished, depleted, hopeless, frightened, and impotent. Yet neither the “negative” nor “positive” perceptions which we hold represent an absolutely accurate reflection of reality. They are rather, interpretations of ourselves, other people, and our world that have been produced and shaped by our mental software. The difference between what “is” and what I think “is” can be an incredibly difficult distinction to make. This is because our thoughts can be extremely convincing when we are trying to discern the truth.