Newby here, desperate for some advice (thread 6)

[JRuss]

darkness -- as I said to Sandi, we aren't in control of our thoughts. That's just wrong, albeit wrongly believed by many. We can work on techniques for recognizing thoughts, even interrupting them, with an achievable goal of trying to not let our thoughts drive our emotions, but the mind's output isn't something we can control for any meaningful amount of time. I have devoted 2+ years to learning how to "manage" what I can manage, but part of that is learning, and then accepting, that we can't control the thoughts we have; only our reaction to them.

Re your last point, that's the next goal: trying to understand why I'm afraid to "let go".