Do you ever feel like you are drowning in your own story? Like the weight of your history, the volatility of your emotions, or the physical limitations of your body are a cage you can’t escape?

Most of us spend our entire lives identified with the “external shell”—the persona, the job title, and the physical form. We say, “I am tired,” “I am angry,” or “I am a failure.” But in the world of Spiritual Transformation, we learn a radical truth: You are not the things you experience. You are the one witnessing them.

I Am Not the Body, I Am Not the Mind: Breaking the 12 Attachments to Find Your Sacred Self

This Not the Mind Meditation Practice is the path of Neti-Neti (meaning “not this, not that”), an ancient practice designed to peel away the layers of the ego until only the Sacred Self remains. To truly heal and transform, we must learn to let go of the 12 attachments that keep us tethered to suffering.

The Science and Spirit of “Not This, Not That”

The journey from “Worm to Butterfly” requires a metamorphosis of identity. At the Center for Healing and Life Transformation, we believe that healing is only the starting line. True transformation—what we call Contemplative Intelligence—begins when you stop identifying with the transitory and start identifying with the eternal.

When we use the “Not the Body, Not the Mind” practice, we aren’t just relaxing; we are surgically detaching our awareness from the “binary system” of the physical world. By repeating this practice 108 times, we tap into a sacred frequency that balances our doing (physical form) with our being (formless stillness).

The 12 Attachments: What are you clinging to?

To find the “self that is unchanging,” we must first acknowledge the 12 specific anchors we often mistake for our identity:

1. The Physical Body: Understanding you have a body, but you are not its limitations.
2. Sensations: Recognizing that pain or pleasure are data points, not your essence.
3. Emotions: Realizing you are the sky, and emotions are just the weather passing through.
4. Thoughts: Breaking the cycle of the “monkey mind” and the “thought thinking the thought.”
5. The Mind/Intellect: Transcending the need to logically solve every spiritual mystery.
6. Personality: Letting go of the “persona” you’ve built to please others.
7. Roles: Recognizing you are more than a parent, a spouse, or an employee.
8. Your Story: Releasing the “history” that you use to justify your current suffering.
9. Witness Awareness: Moving from the participant to the observer.
10. The Ego/Identity: Shedding the “I” that seeks validation.
11. Returning to Sacred Self: Aligning with pure consciousness.
12. The Self Unchanging: Arriving at the unborn, undying presence within.

How This Not the Mind Meditation Practice Heals Your Life

Why is this important for mental health? Identification is the root of most anxiety and depression. If you believe you are your depression, you cannot heal it. If you believe you are your bank account, you will always be in fear.

By practicing the 12 Attachments Meditation, you create “psychological distance.” This distance allows you to:

• Reduce Stress: When you aren’t your stress, it loses its power to paralyze you.
• Heal Trauma: Your history (your story) no longer defines your future.
• Find Meaning: You move past the “optical delusion” of separation and realize your connection to the Divine.

The Butterfly Emerges

The process of letting go with the Not the Mind Meditation Practice is not about loss; it is about space. When you release the 12 attachments, you aren’t becoming “nothing”—you are becoming everything. You are making room for grace, peace, and the “Imago Dei” (the image of God) to reflect clearly through you.

Transformation isn’t a destination; it’s a daily practice of recognition. Today, as you move through your world, remind yourself: I have a body, but I am not this body. I have a mind, but I am not this mind. In that small gap of awareness, you will find your freedom.

Are you ready to stop coping and start transforming? Join us on the journey from healing to wholeness with the Not the Mind Meditation Practice and all the other amazing wisdom from Mark and The Center for Healing. Namaste.