Thought Detox Evaluation

When you are admitted into a detox program one of the first things they do is give you an evaluation. This is to give the staff an idea of where some of the root problems are coming from.

In the same way as we are planning to detox our thought process we need to do an evaluation so we can know where specifically the problem lies.

So today we will do our evaluation.

Today list the following patterns in your thought life:

1. How many times have you said or thought, " could-have, should-have or would-have today?
2. How many times have you inwardly thought "if only"
3. How many scenarios have you thought and created of an unpredictable future?
4. How many times have you played over a conversation or situation that is painful to you?
5. Are you going through the motions of the day not really having a goal.
6. Are you forming a personal identity around a problem or disease? Do you say things like, 'my arthritis", my heart problem" "my unhappy marriage" my problem child"
7. Do you ever make comments like, "nothing ever goes right for me" "everything I do fails', my life is always a mess"
8. Are you honest with yourself?
9. Do you spend alot of time speculating about things (forming an opinion on something with out evidence of it being true)
10. Do you allow your mind to be passive? (allowing it to drift and go where it wants to go without limits and challenges)

If you answered yes to even one of these you need to check yourself into "Thought DETOX!'

Consciously controlling your thoughts is the Main Step of detoxing your thoughts. Your part in this is to learn to not allow thoughts to rampage through your mind but to analyze a thought before you accept or reject it.

You have to take the time to look at your thoughts. Research has shows that an environment in your brain or positive, healthy thoughts can lead to significant structural changes in the brains cortex in only 4 days.

Just remember that just like detoxing from a harmful substance is hard and you want to go back to the substance because even though it hurts you it is a habit that is comfortable and feels safe for you - the same if true for your thoughts - your old patterns and habits in your thinking are comfortable and safe and you will at first want to return back to them even though they are hurting you - this will take:

1. You admitting you have a thought problem
2. Preserving to keep going even when you fall
3. Acknowledging that even though you have certain practical things you must do, it is God would will give you the strength and ability to carry it through and heal any areas that need to be healed in your thinking. To continually ask Him to help you in this process.

Next post we will discuss what to do after the evaluation is done - The next step in Detoxing our Thoughts.

We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity. 2 Corinthians 10:5b (the message)

Some information in this post is taken from " Who Switched off My Brain?" by dr. caroline leaf