Unhooking Ourselves from the Past: A Practice of Conscious Evolution in Real Time

Have you ever felt yourself caught in a story you no longer want to live?

It often starts in the mind — a thought you’ve had a hundred times. The words arrive like they always do, pulling you back into a familiar conversation.

Inside, the loop is already playing. On the outside, even if it appears nothing has changed, I can assure you it has. Evolution is doing its quiet work. We are already becoming someone new — breath by breath, choice by choice.

Conscious evolution begins the moment we notice the pattern in real time and choose to shift it. That’s the living edge, where transformation stops being an idea and becomes a felt experience in the body.

I’ve been there. My body tightens before I even notice the thought has arrived. Sometimes I let it carry me, as if this time it might bring something new. Sometimes I catch it and realize I don’t want to spend another moment in that place.

The Truth About the Past

We imagine the past as something we carry with us — a constant load — yet the past isn’t actually here. What we have are stories. Data points. A set of well-worn thoughts that resurface in moments when we’re tired, triggered, or simply on autopilot. In reality, everything else has already been left behind.

One morning, I was holding a coffee mug, replaying a conversation for the hundredth time. My jaw was tight. My shoulders tense. I thought, I don’t want to keep living this moment. I set the mug down, stepped outside, and let the cool air begin my new thought.

Another day, driving, I heard a song we used to play on repeat. My body braced for the ache. Old reflex. Old hook. Instead, I turned the volume up, let my hand drift out the window, and opened my palm. The wind carried the old story away, and I could meet that moment — and that song — in a new way. I knew I was unhooking in real time.

These are the moments that show us change is already underway. The thought arrives, the feeling rises, and something in us says — gently, without force — we can choose another way now.

An Invitation to Travel Lighter

If you’re in a season where the grip feels strong — where the loops are familiar and the release feels far away — you’re not alone. I’ve been here many times, and I’ve learned how to walk this terrain with kindness. I am sharing a few reflection prompts to help you begin your own gentle inquiry.

Reflection Prompts

• Where in your life do you notice the loop starting to play again? How does it feel in your body when that happens?

• If you were to meet that moment differently, what could you do or say to yourself instead?

• Imagine unhooking as a physical act — what would it look and feel like for you to lift that hook from your being?

• What story from your past feels ready to stay where it happened?

If these questions opened something for you, you don’t have to explore it alone. There’s space to be heard, to notice where the hooks are, and to move toward release at your own pace.

You’re welcome to learn more about Soul Sessions: https://www.elainebracken.com/soulsession Or schedule a session when you feel ready: https://ElaineBrackenHealing.as.me/SoulSession75Virtual