Clearing your conscience is good for your body, mind and spirit. It’s like a detox for the soul. All you need is the courage to ask yourself the hard questions.

Here are some conscience clearing questions to think about:

• How have I contributed to the misery of others?
• How have I acted as a perpetrator?
• What are the affects of my perpetration?
• How would I feel if I understood how much grief just one of my negative actions caused another?

If you’re into revenge then you might feel satisfied. But if you consider yourself to be an honourable person, I’m guessing you’d be appalled and aggrieved if you truly understood how destructive actions can impact another.

I hear from the affected every day:

I shared a promotional plan with someone I trusted, on the understanding that we might work together on the project. After sending through the plan, they decided not to collaborate. Fair enough, I reasoned. But shortly after, I realised that they had stolen my plan, and successfully implemented my project.

Facilitating a dialogue between the client and the archetypes involved can help them to take a step back from the situation, and regain the impetus to move on. Here’s snippet of what happens. The dialogue starts by recounting the perpetrator’s wrong doings, in order to clear the debris. Then it moves into identifying what the client has gained from the situation.

Thief, you’ve stolen from me. You took something that was not yours to take. What you have now does not belong to you.

Prostitute, your morals and ethics are questionable. You can’t be trusted. Your actions demonstrate this. You’ve sold yourself out.

Shapeshifter, the project is founded on deception. It’s on shifting sand.

Victim, while I’m feeling like a victim of theft, you’ve shown me that I need to be more cautious when it comes to choosing the best people to work with. You’ve taught me to be more discerning.

Muse, I own the credit for inspiring the success of the project. You can’t take that away from me.

Saboteur, while I’m feeling like I’ve been undermined, you’ve been a catalyst for learning more about myself and others.

How do you reconcile your negative actions in the depths of your soul? How much stress do your actions place on the personal energy budget of those you affect? How often do you clear your conscience? When you detox your mind, and make a habit of it, then you won’t need to detox your body.

At the end of the day, you need to be willing to see and accept the situations where you’ve been the source of other people’s suffering. Otherwise, how can you – in all honesty – know your self?

References

Krech, G 2002, Naikan: Gratitude, grace, and the Japanese art of self-reflection, Stone Bridge Press.

Krech, G 2017, Question your life: Naikan self-reflection and the transformation of our stories, ToDo Institute.