MEANING MAKING MACHINES
On this episode of The Karen Kenney Show, we’re exploring how we're all "meaning-making machines.”
We dive into how basically, our brains are constantly trying to make sense of everything and everyone that happens to us.
I break down how we both consciously and subconsciously assign meaning to events, experiences, and environments, and often with a negative spin - thanks to our brain's built-in negativity bias.
I also share some powerful insights from Viktor Frankl, a neurologist, psychologist, and Holocaust survivor who taught and wrote in his book - Man’s Search for Meaning - that finding meaning can help us survive anything.
Something that I’ve learned over the years? We actually have a choice in how we choose to interpret our experiences.
We can choose to see things through a lens of love or fear, and that choice can totally transform our perspective.
But here's the crucial part - while we get to choose the meaning for our own lives…
We can't and shouldn't decide the meaning for other people's experiences.
Telling someone, "Everything happens for a reason" when they're grieving or suffering isn't helpful - it's dismissive.
Sometimes things just don't make sense, no matter how hard we try to figure it out, or want to make meaning of it.
So, I encourage us all to be aware of the stories you're telling yourself, choose a perspective that empowers you, and remember that you don't have to or may not be able to understand everything.
Sometimes the mystery is part of the journey.
If we can “work with what happens”, find our joy, and keep moving forward… we can gradually, but inevitable turn our stories into our glory! ❤️
KK’S KEY TAKEAWAYS:
• Humans are naturally wired to assign meaning to their experiences, often subconsciously and with a tendency towards negativity.
• We have the power to choose how we interpret the events of our lives.
• Viktor Frankl's philosophy teaches that finding meaning can help us survive almost anything, even in the most challenging circumstances.
• Our brain's meaning-making process is a survival mechanism that helps us feel safer by trying to make sense of our experiences.
• While we can control the meaning we assign to our own life, we cannot and should not dictate meaning for others people’s experiences.
• Saying things like "Everything happens for a reason") - can be harmful and dismissive of genuine suffering.
• Some experiences will never make sense. Sometimes, acceptance is part of the healing process.
• Shifting our perspective from "This happened to me" to "This happened for me" can be helpful and transformative, but this shift must come naturally from within and not be forced .
• Our meaning-making ability is a skill we can develop, improve and update, by gaining new insights, experiences, and personal growth.
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KAREN KENNEY BIO:
Spiritual mentor and writer Karen Kenney uses humor and dynamic storytelling to bring a down-to-earth, no-BS perspective to self-development.
Bringing together tools that coach the conscious and unconscious mind, Karen helps clients deepen their connections with Self, and discover their unique understandings of spirituality.
Her practice combines neuroscience, subconscious reprogramming, Integrative Hypnosis, somatics, spiritual mentoring, and other holistic modalities to help regulate the nervous system, examine internal narratives, remove blocks, and reimagine what’s possible.
A passionate yoga teacher, long-time student of A Course in Miracles, and Gateless Writing instructor, Karen is a frequent speaker and retreat leader. Via her programs The Quest and The Nest, she coaches individuals and groups.
With The Karen Kenney Podcast, she encourages listeners to shift from a thought system of fear to one of love, compassion, and personal responsibility.
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