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Session 6: The River of Your Thoughts
Episode Title: Session 6 – The River of Your Thoughts
With soft river sounds and foglike focus, this guided meditation invites you to step back from the noise of your thoughts and sit—quietly—on the riverbank. In harmony with Session 6, which introduces stress management and cognitive awareness, you’ll practice the foundational skill of observing your internal narratives without reacting to them.
As the river of thoughts flows—“She doesn’t care,” “I’m not enough,” “They’re out to get me”—you learn that you don’t have to jump in. You don’t have to believe every splash. Instead, you notice: thoughts are not facts—they’re habits. This insight, embedded in calm imagery and Milton Erickson–style phrasing, trains the brain to separate feeling from automatic reaction.
By the final breath, the message is clear: You’re not the river. You’re the one watching. And that awareness—choosing which story to follow and which to let float by—is a powerful first step in managing stress, de-escalating anger, and shifting internal narratives before they turn into external harm.
Key take-aways
- Thoughts are not truths—they’re patterns that can be observed and released.
- Mindful awareness interrupts cognitive distortions before they fuel reaction.
- Stress relief begins by stepping back from the mental river, not swimming in it.
- You’re free to choose the story you believe—and the path it leads you toward.
Guided Meditation – “The River of Your Thoughts”
Close your eyes if you want.
Or just let them soften like fog over water.
Not loud. Not wild.
Just moving.This is the river of your thoughts.Some float by like leaves.
Some splash like stones.
Some try to pull you in.But here’s the thing…
You’re not in the river.You’re sitting on the bank.
Watching.A thought floats by:
She doesn’t care.Another one:
I’m not enough.Another:
They’re out to get me.You don’t have to grab them.
You don’t have to believe them.
You just… notice.Thoughts are not facts.
They’re habits.
Patterns.And if you don’t jump in…
they float on by.You feel your breath now.
Steady. Real.
That’s what you can trust.Not the river.
Not the noise.But the ground beneath you.
The stillness inside you.You don’t have to believe everything you think.And you’re free to choose…
what story you tell next.”
View all episodes
By Glenn OstlundEpisode Title: Session 6 – The River of Your Thoughts
With soft river sounds and foglike focus, this guided meditation invites you to step back from the noise of your thoughts and sit—quietly—on the riverbank. In harmony with Session 6, which introduces stress management and cognitive awareness, you’ll practice the foundational skill of observing your internal narratives without reacting to them.
As the river of thoughts flows—“She doesn’t care,” “I’m not enough,” “They’re out to get me”—you learn that you don’t have to jump in. You don’t have to believe every splash. Instead, you notice: thoughts are not facts—they’re habits. This insight, embedded in calm imagery and Milton Erickson–style phrasing, trains the brain to separate feeling from automatic reaction.
By the final breath, the message is clear: You’re not the river. You’re the one watching. And that awareness—choosing which story to follow and which to let float by—is a powerful first step in managing stress, de-escalating anger, and shifting internal narratives before they turn into external harm.
Key take-aways
- Thoughts are not truths—they’re patterns that can be observed and released.
- Mindful awareness interrupts cognitive distortions before they fuel reaction.
- Stress relief begins by stepping back from the mental river, not swimming in it.
- You’re free to choose the story you believe—and the path it leads you toward.
Guided Meditation – “The River of Your Thoughts”
Close your eyes if you want.
Or just let them soften like fog over water.
Not loud. Not wild.
Just moving.This is the river of your thoughts.Some float by like leaves.
Some splash like stones.
Some try to pull you in.But here’s the thing…
You’re not in the river.You’re sitting on the bank.
Watching.A thought floats by:
She doesn’t care.Another one:
I’m not enough.Another:
They’re out to get me.You don’t have to grab them.
You don’t have to believe them.
You just… notice.Thoughts are not facts.
They’re habits.
Patterns.And if you don’t jump in…
they float on by.You feel your breath now.
Steady. Real.
That’s what you can trust.Not the river.
Not the noise.But the ground beneath you.
The stillness inside you.You don’t have to believe everything you think.And you’re free to choose…
what story you tell next.”