Eckhart Tolle’s Thoughts on Chronic Illness

I read Eckhart Tolle‘s ‘The Power Of Now’ about 3 years ago. His next book, ‘A New Earth’, has sat next to it on the shelf for the last 3 years, but I only felt the need to pick it up and finally read it this week. Little did I know there was so much in this little gem of a book regarding Eckhart Tolle’s thoughts on Chronic Illness.

On the bus on the way into work this morning on a wet, humid, stormy Sydney day, I read the following paragraph. I’ve spoken about these feelings and sentiments before in this (slightly controversial) article, but I just wanted to float these ideas past you to see if they resonate. I really wish somebody had done the same with me when I was at my lowest.

It is not just people with good or near-perfect bodies who are likely to equate it with who they are. You can just as easily identify with a “problematic body” and the body’s imperfection, illness or disability into your identity. You may then think and speak of yourself as a “sufferer” of this or that chronic illness or disability. You receive a great deal of attention from doctors and others who constantly confirm to you your conceptual identity as a sufferer or a patient. You then unconsciously cling to the illness because is has become the most important part of who you perceive yourself to be. It has become another thought form with which the ego can identify. Once the ego has found an identity, it does not want to let go. Amazingly but not infrequently, the ego in search of a stronger identity can and does create illness in order to strengthen itself through them.

- Eckhart Tolle, ‘A New Earth’

Photo taken from here

Does anything in this article ring true for you? Where in your body can you feel it? Your gut, your throat..? I’d love to hear your thoughts below.

Love and acknowledgement,

Katie     xxx

For more on this same topic, click here and here.