In an interview, Cohen mentioned that his time as a Buddhist monk had cured him of his “disease.” When asked to clarify, he said it was the diseaYou aren’t fixing a broken machine; you are befriending a roommate who has been scared for a very long time. I think you learn to love yourself. All of it. Even the critic.

 In an interview, Cohen mentioned that his time as a Buddhist monk had cured him of his “disease.” When asked to clarify, he said it was the disease of thinking something was wrong with him.  He didn’t elaborate much, but the insight was profound:      He needed no healing because he was not broken. You aren’t fixing a broken machine; you are befriending a roommate who has been scared for a very long time.Does this mean all is suddenly well? Does suffering vanish and the inner critic evaporate like the steam from my coffee cup?  I don’t think so.  But I think you learn to love yourself. All of it. Even the critic. Once you see where that voice comes from, you can learn to hold it with affection. In loving it, you change your relationship to the critique.

The disease of being broken

Dr. Gabriel Barsawme, LSW Apr 26