“Many people who have inner emotional scars have never suffered physical injuries… the result on personality is the same.” – Maxwell Maltz, M.D. – Psycho-Cybernetics, Updated and Expanded
An inner emotional scar may be present in the mind without any hint of a physical scar. These scars are usually due to traumatic experiences we witnessed or were a part of in some way.
The trauma doesn’t need to be extreme to leave a scar. It could be as simple as being slighted, rejected, or disrespected somehow.
While giving a speech at one of my events, one of my teachers, the late Ted Nicholas, told a story about his failures as a young teenager who desperately wanted to make the roster of the basketball, football, or baseball team. In
those days, the coach would post a sheet of paper on a wall that listed the names of everyone who made the cut.
With eager anticipation, Ted would examine the roster and upon not seeing his name, feel demoralized.
As Ted told this story, one that took place six decades earlier, the audience could feel the pain associated with his memory and how he used it to drive himself forward, becoming a successful entrepreneur, best-selling author,
as well as an accomplished tennis player who regularly defeated top players throughout the world.
Dr. Maltz often said that the plastic surgeries he performed were for 0.5 percent of the population, mostly for those who were born with a physical defect or those who were injured in an accident.
He also stated that the principles of psycho- cybernetics are for the 99.5 percent of the population who have internal scars from failures, setbacks, hurt feelings, rejection, a loss of love, and so on.
All of us have endured some sort of emotional upset that has left us with internal scars. The good news is that this internal scar tissue can be eradicated through the practice of visualization and Theatre of the Mind.
Doing so begins with finding the positive in the negative, noting how you can use your traumatic experiences to benefit yourself and others.
Matthew Furey
Today’s email is an excerpt from Psycho-Cybernetics 365 – a life-changing book with a pivotal message for each day of the year.
