Let go! I have heard this expression the entirety of my life. I understand what it means. I understand what it means to me. Implementing what I understand is another thing all together. I have to admit that I have a hard time letting go. I have experienced letting go before. It provided a glimpse into what I am looking for. But I cannot sustain that feeling.

Letting go automatically implies attachment. Attachment to the ego. Attachment to life. Attachment to people. Attachment to so many things.

I have smoked DMT on a few occasions and knowing I just need to let go I don't. I fight and am as stubborn as an ass sometimes. Ego or whatever. Maybe this is too broad of a subject? Maybe there is no short answer to letting go? I just know that I struggle with this more than anything lately. I feel like letting go is what I need to do to relax. To start living. To be happy to just be. Free of needing to control or attach.

Does anyone relate to this?

Yep. First let go of the idea that letting go is an all or nothing type of thing. Take small steps and focus on what you want to let go of. Surrendering to something and letting go of it does not mean that it has power over you, quite the opposite, it will have little to no power over you. If you really want to let go of something keep focusing attention on it each day and little by little let go of it until it is no longer a problem. It is like relaxing a tense muscle. It's hard to completely relax it at first, but if you keep relaxing it little by little the tension will eventually completely release and the pain associated with it will release as well. Keep at it. Good luck to you.

Part of the issue, is the desire to let go. It is our natural state, but does take practice and small steps, in order to acquire the ability to do it on a more continual basis. Funnily enough i was about to write a post about letting go of a past relationship… It's difficult because i have a fond memory which my mind likes to bring out, and feelings then come with that, but when you go to the deeper issues, of why things ended or why you aren't together now, and you don't allow the mind to fantasise about what could be, you realise there is a lesson in each past moment.

What really stops us from letting go is fear. Fear can only exist through thought and time, those two are interconnected, they work together, thoughts only exist through memory and memory only exists through time, and time, in actual fact only exists because of memory. Realising this, we can start to get to the route cause of our suffering. When we come to this realisation, we can discover what is causing our suffering on the deepest level, we can bury out the roots, let go, and plant a new seed which can grow into a healthier foundation, such as love and compassion. Thank you for sharing your experience, this is an ongoing journey, but remember the journey is the path, you shall blossom in your own time.

Radically accept yourself for who you are now, you are made up of your thoughts, you feelings and your bodily sensations which allow you to perceive the external environment. Accept all these factors together, and you realise there is only one moment, in which all these things occur Much love brother, the journey is a beautiful one!

Basically from what has already been suggested above, the first recognition is seeing the wanting of 'letting go' as your first and foremost distraction and allowing fresh space of thought (mind) to open deeper through deconstruction of old practices, attachments and mind paradigms that govern some areas of mind.

Completely letting go is definitely a function of the heart function imo-e, rather than going straight into mind to 'let go.' After all, mind is what distracts us in the first place. So, it's also about being mindful of inner states of awareness and immediately allowing each thought to drift by. Such as clouds in the sky that pass by without stress or force. They are simply just passing by as you, the 'observer' watches them. After practice and repetition, I feel this does give way to a greater sense of well-being or even wholeness. By allowing the very being-ness within in your heart to unfold. By saying yes to the unshackling. No force.. just simple observation and correcting of the mind through the heart. Do not shun or be afraid of acute needs or changes such as laughter (which ultimately will lend a hand in letting go further), changes in expressing yourself, embracing new dimensions of thought, seeing and listening, as well as many other aspects that may or may not be true to you and your surroundings.

I wish you well my friend.

First step i've learned in this process - there can be no 'thinking' about it. One fell swoop. The second you 'think' or open up any dialogue in your head about 'letting go', the train has far passed, most of the time.

Always accept things as they are ..and jump in the river ..no matter how things may appear at that given point in time.

Simple breath meditation, or even just bringing your awareness back, over and over to the present moment behind your eyelids, learning to not be hinged to any passing thoughts, passing deeper and deeper into that which doesn't require thinking. Fall into a consistent pattern with it. Work with some basic yoga poses also (getting into uncomfortable positions all the while learning to hold a impartial repose). These things aren't to be taken lightly, they go hand in hand with these experiences. Consistency is key. You will benefit accordingly.

I keep reading all of your responses over and over. OCD a bit. I really appreciate the intelligence and thoughtfulness. That is what is so nice about the Nexus. Genuine people.

Who wants to let go and of what? Look into it. This whole setup hinges on the highlighted above. What is it? Where is it? It is a phantom, perpetuated by (movement of/in) thought. Make it look for itself and it will collapse onto itself and dissolve into stillness. Letting go happens spontaneously every time deep sleep takes over. The highlighted above is not there then and neither is the question of letting go.