I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up How to Do the Inner Work by Susanne Madsen. With a subtitle that highlights emotional healing, it was easy to imagine it’d be corny, mystical, hackneyed even. Self-help books will naturally have those elements, but this one grabbed me straight away with its message of radical action, starting with trusting one’s intuition. “What’s the worst that can happen if you listen and act on your inner wisdom?” Madsen challenges. More alarming: “What’s the worst that can happen if you don’t?” Touché. In Chapter 1, the reader is forced to reflect on their ability to learn and grow, to achieve something new. It’s a slim guide – barely 160 pages with endnotes – but has perhaps more impact than similar fare twice its length. Deeper in, we learn about kaizen, the Japanese concept of continuous improvement whereby one adds a few minutes each day working on a chosen activity and we realize there are literally zero (good) excuses for not doing just that. Damn you, Madsen! Now I have to do something about this.
We’re encouraged to take a deep breath (more on that in a minute) and parse what is draining from what is fulfilling. Then – not rocket science, people – do less of the former and more of the latter. According to the author, “When you eliminate some of your energy drainers and set limits, you will immediately feel better and free up energy.” Let’s pretend there’s someone at your place of work who for demonstration purposes only we’ll call Mr. Dickhead, or Dick for short. Dick’s your partner, colleague, boss, whomever and he’s become a handful, e.g. dumping work on your desk as you’re trying to leave for the evening or weekend. Madsen offers sound advice for addressing the issue head on but with a fresh twist in that she wants you to first consider Dick’s perspective, even his needs and emotional state. In doing so, you’ll be more perceptive and less likely to get caught off guard or become defensive when he replies. Taking the broader view leads to having an open mind and, as she writes, “it can be helpful not to be too fixed on a specific solution in advance.” Of course, there’s also a decent chance he just turns into more of a dick.
As for breathing deeply, every time Madsen advocates the practice, I found myself doing long inhales through my nose, longer exhales out of my mouth. It gets a bit Olympic with the recommended loose shoulders, relaxed face, and dropped jaw and when not mindful I’d run the risk of passing out, but the impact is undeniable. Along the way, we are encouraged to welcome negative thoughts and emotions. In fact, only focusing on the positive is something called spiritual bypassing (the Johnny Mercer hit song be damned). “If you only want to entertain the pleasant parts of your mind and suppress what is unpleasant, you are not doing the inner work,” she writes. The book ends on a poetic note and is beautifully realized. Reflect on Madsen’s admonition that you are a mountain – calm, steady, strong, grounded, capable of handling any adversity – and any storms that stir “merely touch your surface as they move across the sky and make way for the sun.” Snicker if you must (as I did at first), but if your confidence has wavered of late, it can’t hurt to seek such inspiration.
If you have anything to say about this – or book recommendations – kindly post below (rather than emailing me) to spark conversation. Thank you!