Exercise: Conditional Love

 

         Try this Exercise from the Matrix Experience

Exercise: Conditional Love 

  1. Bring into your awareness every circumstance in which your parents withdrew love or approval or criticized you. 

  2. Bring into your awareness any other feeling or actions that you knew if you expressed or acted on would be unacceptable. 

  3. Bring into your awareness any situations where you acted covertly to avoid the withdrawal of love, or criticism.  

  4. List every reason and rationale that your parents used to blame you for the withdrawal of love.  What did they indicate was wrong with you? 

  5. Feel what your parents actively approved of, and what messages they gave you about what was acceptable and what wasn’t.  

  6. Looking at your answers above which reasons or rationale do you accept as being your fault for the withdrawal of love.  In other words where did and do you blame yourself?  

  7. Take each answer above from question six and rewrite it blaming your parents or the appropriate person.  Remember there is absolutely no excuse for conditional acceptance. 

  8. Close your eyes for a few minutes; try to imagine the feeling of unconditional acceptance.  Describe that feeling. 

  9. Write a paragraph describing what it might feel like if you gave this gift of unconditional acceptance to yourself.  

 
Level IIIKyle Mercer