S(e)ELF ACCEPTANCE AND BALANCING THEORETICAL OVERVIEW THE PRACTICAL REASON: UNCONDITIONAL CARING FILLING THE EMPTY LOVE WELL S(s)elf Acceptance And S(s)elf Balancing Are The Keys To Peaceful Living Anyone can learn to develop and maintain a “peaceful coping consciousness” based on inner peace. When we learn to accept life completely, as it unfolds in the present moment, without a total interpretation by the fear-based rational mind, we become able to maintain inner balance and enjoy our personal peace. The primary learning goal is to facilitate a continual process of personal psychological S(s)elf balance. A conscious and balanced interaction of fear and trust based beliefs and behaviors is the Mangrove Seed Way to peaceful living. We need BOTH aspects of S(s)elf ! Until the motivational dominance of fear and anxiety is reduced, human behavior will be a compromise between personally determined needs/wants and what society dictates for the person. We must individually establish own own self-determined boundaries of acceptable beliefs and behaviors. Forgivingly, we must acknowledge that the function of the rational mind (s) is to operate from fear in order to induce human survival/evolution through competitive interaction. Yet, we must accept the challenge to tame this dominant, "well-intentioned beast" by developing the intuitive mind (S) that allows complete personal fulfillment through cooperative interaction. The end of individual suffering occurs when we learn to balance our true S(s)elf. Inner peace results when we consciously allow BOTH the rational and intuitive minds to become balanced in every choice/decision we make in daily living. In time we can individually accept the unfolding of life situations with less judgement. We will live more from trust than fear; from a space of inner peace rather than stress. And, we can each enjoy resting peacefully within our S(s)elf even though other S(s)elves continue to struggle in a stressful world. THEORETICAL OVERVIEW The Mangrove Seed Institute program offers many new foundational beliefs and values for authentic S(s)elf realization. Your Personal Beliefs/Attitudes/Behaviors Undergo Major Paradigm Shifts Away From Fear Based Belief Systems Full recovery from all compulsive thinking and behavior is possible with a shift into present moment awareness With total personal responsibility for recovery, ultimate recovery of peaceful living is about looking inward, not outward A person is born with total innate S(s)elf worth, but it has been masked by cultural conditioning Re-connection to an inner, not outer, power source is the ultimate lubricant for the recovery of peaceful living Emotional healing of past pain / dis-ease (resentments) is critical to the elimination of the fear-based addiction to control All addictions(patterns of compulsive thinking and behavior) are simply external manifestations of an inner fear-based rational mind which operates solely to enhance the probability of personal survival. This rational mind is a mask surrounding a deeper authentic S(s)elf and must be viewed with conscious understanding and compassion. Integration of psychological and spiritual development is necessary for balanced recovery and peaceful living. The exclusive focus on either of these two paths to individuation, at the expense of the other, is a major contributing factor to non-peaceful living on the planet. The deep cure for all addictions and the restoration of peaceful living in the world is the accepting and giving of GENUINE caring in every moment. You Are Provided With An Integrated And Balanced Model For The Recovery Of S(s)elf Worth The Mangrove Seed promotes an educational philosophy which supports the learning process for peaceful living through A clear teaching philosophy which delineates responsibilities, expectations, and personal accountability for change Use of adult learning models for experiential and pragmatic long-term inner peace A six module, holistic curriculum program of “head AND heart based” knowledge necessary for peaceful living An experiential, non-judgmental “heart-mind connection” process for deep emotional healing and spiritual connection Confidential small group and “same growth level” group meetings for continuing individualized support Internet-based interactive dialogue support and additional resource reference Your Personal Transformation Into Peaceful Living Follows A Pragmatic And Disciplined Methodology Incorporates a theoretical foundation for personal growth and release of compulsive thinking/behaviors Offers disciplined phases of psycho-spiritual development with a structured path to follow with individual discretion Tolerantly supporting and validates personal choices; does not attempt to “fix’” anyone in any medical, psychological, or spiritual manner Personal change is the direct objective of all instruction, not the accumulation of knowledge nor intellectual debate Continual encouragement of not only personal growth, but also social connection with like-minded people Respect for all personal privacy through total confidentiality Practically facilitates an evolutionary process of “peaceful coping consciousness” which supports: • Continued awareness of the dominating fear-based ego mind, • Enlightenment about one’s personal truth and meaning in life; and, • Empowerment to acquire and live that “truth” in every moment. Accepting And Giving Genuine Caring Is The Real Reason Behind Successful Peaceful Living The ultimate reason for the success of the Mangrove Seed learning program for peaceful living is a focus on the most basic human need: GENUINE caring: The adequate childhood fulfillment of this need is the essential ingredient to personal S(s)elf realization and peaceful living in adulthood. More often than not, children receive adequate amounts of conditional CARING(love); however, they often cannot differentiate conditional from UNconditional CARING(love). Most children receive inadequate amounts of UNconditional CARING(love). Moreover, the childhood confusion between receiving conditional instead of UNconditional CARING(love) often results in an inability to give away true UNconditonal CARING(love) during adulthood. Finally, this lack of receiving sufficient UNconditional CARING(love) coupled with the confused childhood interpretation between the two types of CARING(love) will often cause difficulties in accepting UNconditional CARING(love) in adulthood. Human transformational knowledge points to a simple conclusion: the more UNconditional CARING(love) that an adult has received during his/her lifetime, the more likely that he/she will continue to provide S(s)elf CARING(love) to BOTH him/herself and to others. In addition, a person cannot truly give away "something" about which he/she has no direct personal experience. Therefore, how can anyone with a lifetime "deficiency" of UNconditional CARING(love) really impart the same to others? Love yourself first, then, love all your neighbors. Jesus In actuality, the simultaneous accepting and giving away UNconditional CARING(love) creates the foundation for peaceful living. If a person can truly accept UNconditional caring(love) on a daily basis, AND, simultaneously give away that same CARING(love) to other humans and to all physical forms in the universe, then that person will live in a space of peaceful calm and joyful interaction with his/her outer environment. A successful, fulfilled, happy, and peaceful “life” is really the continuous process of giving and accepting GENUINE CARING.   The Mangrove Seed Institute Defines GENUINE CARING By Four Essential Ingredients 1. RESPECTFUL RECOGNITION “I acknowledge your important existence” 2. TOLERANT ACCEPTANCE “I accept you totally as you are in this moment” 3. NURTURING VALIDATION “I support you fully to become who want to be” 4. FREE OFFERING “I expect nothing in return for my caring"   You Have The Inner Power To Fill Your Own Depleted Love Well The Mangrove Seed total recovery program of balancing the S(s)elf is founded upon conscious, pro-active actions to repair, refill, and regenerate one’s personal S(s)elf Caring love well. Unfortunately, the creation of a fear-based survival belief/behavior system begins at birth. The process of “learning to fear” continues throughout the human development cycle from infancy into adulthood. Parental, peer group, educational, religious, and governmental programming of a child most often evidences conditional, rather than UNconditional love. Conditional Caring (love) There are many long-term negative effects of CONDITIONAL caring(love) EMOTIONAL Aggressive/passive internalization of unworthiness belief by self-flagellation, perfectionism, passivity, and withdrawal Aggressive/passive externalization of low self-esteem by domination, anger, blame, and submissive manipulation Disconnection from feelings; avoidance of intimacy SPIRITUAL Nihilistic denial of any power source greater than the rational ego-mind Agnostic irrelevance of external sources of strength for inner psychological change Blissful dependency on an external “God-concept” of power for personal change, without personal effort INTELLECTUAL Cognitive repression/suppression of past physical/emotional/spiritual pain and dis-ease Masking of past pain/dis-ease by rationalization and denial PHYSICAL Hypochondriac pursuit of pain High risk-taking physical behaviors Substance and process addictions in pursuit of pleasure and denial of past pain/dis-ease SOCIAL Avoid and flee- withdrawal from social interaction Attack & fight- domination of social situations Mistrustful manipulation of outcomes   UNconditional Caring (Love) By contrast, UNconditional caring(love) promotes emotionally healthy trust instead of fear, and peaceful behavior in daily living Long-term recovery of a balanced S(s)elf and peaceful living is essentially about learning to both accept and give unconditional PSYCHOLOGICAL caring(love). Unfortunately, many addiction recovery and personal growth programs have not clearly differentiated psychological from spiritual love, nor conditional from unconditional love. In addition, the dogmatic external emphasis of traditional religions often blurs one's inner focus that is critical to generate the personal power and accountability for transformation into peaceful living.   The Mangrove Seed Recovery Model Of GENUINE Caring Can Be Visualized As Filling An Empty Well 1. Recognize Your "Love Well" Deficit: Low(or no) S(s)elf esteem caused by fear-based beliefs/attitudes/behaviors and insufficient GENUINE S(s)elf CARING 2. Plug the holes in the well and form a solid bottom: balance the inner fear-based belief system with new trusting beliefs and attitudes 3. Jump start your "love well": accept and trust some form of nurturing support(GENUINE CARING) from outside yourself 4. Add your own S(s)elf caring: create and maintain an inner balanced trust/caring of your innate S(s)elf-worth by changing personal non-peaceful beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors 5. Give away your S(s)elf CARING: to keep your PERSONAL S(s)elf CARING well "full" share your path and process of S(s)elf trust/caring with other S(s)elves

You DO Have The Inner Power
To Fill Your Depleted "Love Well" And Live Peacefully . . NOW!

S(e)ELF ACCEPTANCE AND BALANCING
THEORETICAL OVERVIEW
THE PRACTICAL REASON: UNCONDITIONAL CARING
FILLING THE EMPTY LOVE WELL

You have to move gradually from crying outward– crying out for people who you think can fulfill your needs– to crying inward to the place where you can let yourself be held and carried by God. Henri J. M. Nouwen