“Eventually you will see that the real cause of problem is not life itself. It’s the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes the problems.”
Michael Singer, The unthethered soul
Have you ever had the feeling that you’re mind is driving you crazy?
That it just won’t stop talking no matter what you do and its draining your energy?
That it’s giving you anxiety or making you re-live negative past experiences for no apparent reason?
If you haven’t really immersed yourself in the subject of human conciousness or spirituality, the answer will probably be “yes”.
Actually, most people live like this their whole lives, thinking that it’s just the way life is.
The truth is, it really doesn’t have to be like that. Life can be absolutely beautiful and you could be in a state of evergrowing excitement, if you let it.
That is what the book “the untethered soul” from author Michael Singer is all about.
This book promises to help you free yourself from limitations and discover inner peace and serenity.
In this post, i’ll be giving you an in-depth review of the book
Keep reading to find out if it delivers on its promise!
Table of Contents
Who is Michael Singer?
Michael A. Singer has been a spiritual teacher for more than four decades and he has written two books: the one we are reviewing right now, #1 New York Times bestseller “The Untethered Soul” and New York Times bestseller the “The Surrender Experiment”.
He also created an extensive 8 part online video course called “living from a place of surrender” which helps people liberate themselves from anxiety and negative thoughts and find true inner happiness and confidence from within. You can find my review of the course here.
Furthermore, Michael is the creator of a leading-edge software package that transformed the medical practice management industry, and the founding CEO of a billion-dollar public company whose achievements are archived in the Smithsonian Institution.
While working on his doctorate in economics in 1971, Michael said he experienced a deep inner awakening and went into seclusion to focus on yoga and meditation. In 1975, he founded the yoga and meditation center known as Temple of the Universe, where people have come together to practice and study ever since.
In addition to his work as a spiritual teacher, Michael has made major contributions in the areas of business, education, health care, and environmental protection.
About Michael Singer’s Book “The Untethered Soul”
If you don’t want to read the whole thing, take a look at the review in the video below.
I have to say beforehand, this is probably the best book I have ever read. I think it’s safe to say that it’s the most influential source of information that has helped me change the way I view and interact with the world.
The ultimate goal of the book is to wake you up and confront you with what is standing in the way of your happiness. Spoiler alert: it’s you.
The voice in our heads
Michael starts of with a very familiar mental dialogue that is likely to have played in you head at least once in your life.
“Shoot, I can’t remember her name. What is her name? Darn, here she comes. What is it… Sally… Sue? She just told me yesterday. What’s the matter with me? This is going to be emberassing.”
Immediately Michael points you to a very important fact. One that is both subtle and obvious at the same time. That is that we have a mental dialogue going on inside our heads that just keeps going and going.
The problem is, most people identify themselves with this “voice”. Michael explains that this is one of the biggest misconceptions we as humans can make. A misconception that is the root cause of our unhappiness.
If you are hearing right now, “what are you talking about, I don’t have a voice inside my head”, that’s exactly the voice we are talking about.
How many times have you laid awake at night because your mind just won’t shut up?
Thinking about that embarrassing thing that happened 10 years ago.
Or thinking about a made-up fight with your co-worker.
If you are the voice in your head (and therefore in full control), why don’t you just stop, so you can go to sleep?
You can’t because you are not the mind. It will just continue thinking of new scenarios so it can keep talking.
The consciousness
In this book, Michael goes to great lengths to show you that you’re indeed not the mind, nor the body for that matter. He explains that you are the consciousness who is witnessing the mind and the body.
Just as you are witnessing everything on the outside such as cars and buildings, you are the one witnessing thoughts and emotions come up on the inside.
According to Michael, our minds should actually be seen as a tool that can help us process the world that is unfolding around us.
The problem however, is that most of us get lost in the mind and lose sight of reality. They end up in an alternative reality created by the mind that is built on the (very) limited data the mind has gathered over the years.
This alternative reality is our own doing as we have put our minds in charge of (constantly) thinking of ways to make us feel safe and okay. The irony is, it’s doing more harm than good.
“No, I can’t speak up now, if I say something wrong everyone will think I’m stupid”
“If I dress like her, people might give me some more attention”
“If he talks to me like that again, i’ll make sure he never forgets it”
The voice even takes both sides of the conversation in order to keep on talking:
“I should buy this jacket, it would look good on me. No wait, I can’t buy it I need to save money. Why though? I don’t always have to save money, I should treat myself once in a while. But what if no one likes the jacket. Stop, what really matters is that I like the jacket right? But I did gain some weight the last couple of months. Didn’t I just read on facebook that girls love guys with a bigger belly though. Who am I kidding no girl likes me, forget the jacket.”
According to Michael, being subject to this personal garbage 24/7 (and even worse, identifying with it) is what causes us to be unhappy, stressed, anxious etc.
In his book “the untethered soul” Michael takes you on a journey to help you understand the situation you are in and provides you with the necessary insights to take back control and rise above all this negativity.
The beauty of it is you don’t need time, money, or any other resources to get there. The only thing you need to do is to commit yourself to your own happiness and let go of the alternative reality created by the wandering mind.
The Structure of Michael Singer’s Book
The book is divided into 5 sections.
Part 1 – Awakening Consciousness
The first part consists of 4 chapters. These are called “the voice inside your head”, “your inner roommate”, “who are you?” and “the lucid self”.
In these chapters Michael points you to the fact that we have a mental dialogue going on inside our heads that often goes on without us actually doing anything. He compares this voice with a very bad roommate that only you can hear and who constantly complains about everything while thinking he knows it all. How long would it take untill you stop listening to that roommate?
Michael then goes on to discuss who you really are, the consciousness who is experiencing everything both inside and outside the body. In addition, he explains why it’s so easy for us to get lost in our thoughts and emotions and lose sight of reality.
Part 2 – Experiencing Energy
The second part consists of 3 chapters. These are called “infinite energy”, “the secrets of the spiritual heart” and “transcending the tendency to close”.
In these chapters Michael reasons that people go about their lives thinking, feeling, and acting, without the understanding of what makes these activities take place. He explains that every movement of your body, every emotion you have, and every thought that passes through your mind is an expenditure of energy.
And the heart is one of the most beautiful and powerful energy centers. However, the problem is that as we are lost in thoughts and emotions we tend to close our hearts which in turn results in negative states such as depression and anxiety. So by transcending the tendency the close, we can free ourselves from these negative states.
Part 3 – Freeing Yourself
The third part consists of 4 chapters. These are called “let go now or fall”, removing your inner thorn”, stealing freedom for your soul” and “pain, the price of freedom”.
In these chapters Michael explains that we as humans tend to try and create a world around ourselves that is predictable, controllable, and definable. We do this because of fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing control. The thing is, by living like this, we let fear/anxiety rule our lives. On the other hand, if we were to recognise this fear and work towards releasing it, it would actually solve the whole problem and bring us to a state of absolute joy.
To do so we have to remove the fear of fear itself. Michael explains that standing up to this fear can be painful in the beginning, but the outcome far outweights the price of pain.
Part 4 – Going Beyond
The second to last chapter consists of 3 chapters. These are called “taking down the walls”, “far, far beyond” and “letting go of false solidity”.
In these chapters, Michael re-emphasizes the need for us to let go of our self-made fears through a story about a self-made house that is actually a prison. By taking down the walls and letting go of the false sense of solidity that we create when we try to control and worry our way through life, we allow ourselves the get rid of our limitations and boundaries and experience ever-new joy.
Part 5 – Living Life
The last chapter part of 5 chapters. These are called “the path of unconditional happiness”, “the spiritual path of nonresistance”, “contemplating death”, The secret of the middle way” and “the loving eyes of god”
In these last chapters, Michael goes into great detail to explain how beautiful life can be if we would just get out of our own way. If we were to use life to let go of the alternative reality created by the wandering mind, we would be able to experience a life filled with unconditional happiness.
Personal Results After Completing The Book
Well, as I said before, this book is probably the best one I have ever read, it really has the power to change your life. When I first read this book a few years back, it was like it had woken me up.
Realising that I had been lost in the mind for all these years, listening to all the garbage being produced by the wandering mind, made me feel like I had been going through life asleep.
This book gave mo so much perspective and made me realise why we as humans act the way we do. Why we go to war, why we feel anxiety, why we have so many problems with ourselves and with each other. It’s because we are all lost in the alternative reality created by the mind.
This alternative reality dictates how life has to be in order for us to feel safe and okay. And since everyone has a different life with different experiences, we all have a different alternative reality inside our minds. These conflicting alternative realities lead to all the problems we have.
Realising this has helped me grow exponentially. In fact, the life lessons in this book were one of the first things that had an actual impact on the anxiety and the low level of confidence that I was struggling with.
And it gave me even more motivation to keep learning and to keep growing.
I would recommend this book to everyone who can read and probably even those who can’t. If you are struggling with anxiety, depression, anger or other negative emotions, this book will change your life forever.
And even if you have don’t have these kinds of problems, this book will provide you with so many valuable life lessons that will make life A LOT more enjoyable.
The Untethered Soul Book Review Summary:
What I Liked:
- It definitely delivers on its promise of helping you free yourself from limitations and discover inner peace and serenity, if you are willing to listen
- Michael conveys his message in a very interesting and understandable way
- It’s one of the few books that can really positively change your life
What I didn’t like:
- Not a single thing
Personal benefits
As I said, this book is one of the first informational sources that had an actual impact on my anxiety and low level of confidence. The life lessons in this book have the ability to change your life for the better. If you really pay attention to what is being said and apply what you learn in your daily life, you will be able to set yourself up towards a path of true inner confidence and happiness.
Appeal
Interesting feels like a major understatement to describe this book. The moment I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. From beginning to end, Michael managed to grab a hold of my attention without letting go. As I said, there are so many valuable life lessons, that I wished that I had read it earlier in life.
Language
The language used in the book is very understandable, even if you aren’t a native speaker. Michael explains relatively hard to understand concepts in a way that is very comprehensive. He also makes use of different kinds of stories to elaborate on things which might be harder to understand.
Price
The price of the book is $14.29. In my opinion this really is a bargain. For the amount of value that’s in the book, I would have gladly paid a lot more.
Overall rating
So in conclusion, this book is a must-read for everyone who wants to gain more clarity in life and make it a lot more enjoyable. It really has the power to reduce anxiety and other negative emotions. I think Michael has really made something unique and I appreciate him for helping others wake up and take back control over their lives.
Michael has also created an online (8-part) video course that helps you learn about your true relationship to the world unfolding around you and to the thoughts and emotions arising within you, called “living from a place of surrender. Take a look at my review of the course here.
