Episode 8: What You Feed Grows

The Garden of Thoughts and Emotions

Your mind is a garden — and your attention is the water. In this episode, we examine how focus strengthens emotional patterns, and how we can redirect attention to cultivate peace, not fear.

Tags: emotional regulation, thought patterns, attention, mindfulness, CBT

Hashtags: #InnerGarden #WhatYouFeedGrows

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🧠 Created by Dr. Jerry Gelbart | © 2025 All rights reserved

How to train your brain.

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✨ Thanks for listening to The Potent Mind.


🎧 Subscribe for weekly insights on mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and conscious living.


🌐 Learn more and access free resources at www.thepotentmind.com


🧠 Created by Dr. Jerry Gelbart | © 2025 All rights reserved

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:01):
The mind is like a monkey after three cups of
coffee, jumping from thought tothought, easily distracted.
The Dalai Lama Some of whatclutters our attention are
feelings and sensations, whichare in the body, and probably to
a greater degree are thoughts,which are in the head.
We have a chatter in our mind, avoice that seems objective.

(00:24):
But it's filled withovergeneralizations, black and
white thinking, judging,stories, and spins that we put
on events.
We're so used to it, it feelslike us.
It hooks our attention, and wethink it's reality.
We don't question it.
I don't make up stories.
I don't have a voice in my head.
Yes, that's the one.
It's like a running commentaryin our mind.

(00:47):
Why did he do that?
What's wrong with me?
What's wrong with her?
I like this.
I don't like that.
This is good.
This is bad.
It's the self-talk we're usedto.
It seems like that's ourconscious mind coming from our
objective self, but it'sactually full of those childhood
conceptions, beliefs, andlimitations.
Some might say it's our innerchild.

(01:08):
It's filled with distortions,misconceptions, and insecurities
coming from a belief system weput together when we were about
five years old.
It's been there ever since.
It sticks.
It's hardwired.
What we believe is our objectivethinking is very heavily
subjectively tainted.
It actually becomes asmokescreen getting in our way

(01:30):
of seeing things as they reallyare.
I don't think like a child.
That defensiveness is comingfrom the child that's afraid to
be judged.
Our self-talk is geared tosurvival, self-protection,
figuring out how to be safe.
It's very self-centered.
If we want to have a life beyondsimply surviving, we have to

(01:50):
look beyond just protectingourselves from being
embarrassed.
Most of us trip over and overagain on our fears of being
judged, rejected, or found outto be imperfect or false.
This is a major part of thatinner voice.
If it's helpful to consider thatvoice as your inner child,
that's fine.
It sort of is.
But remember that the thinkingis just that, the naive thinking

(02:13):
of a child.
Don't judge yourself because ofit.
Just try to see where it'scoming from and that it's very
simplistic.
We all have it.
It's with us as we grow up.
It maintains its hold.
I'm different.
Something's wrong with me.
This type of thinking reallylimits us.
Some people call psychiatristsshrinks.

(02:34):
I prefer to be called anexpander, to help people out of
their small self-centered worldsand to increase their potential
for new and broaderperspectives, interactions, and
fulfillment.
And you can't expand if you'refocusing on what's wrong.
Mind gem number eight.

(02:56):
Shrinking.
Self-centered.
Surviving.
Expanding.
Less self.
more into the world, connectingwith others and the universe,
thriving.