The dementors, swathes of black clouds mounted over Harry, ready to suck his life. Harry, however, focused his thoughts on his best friends, Ron and Hermoine - his happiest memories - and screamed, ‘Expecto Patronum!’
A shield of dazzling silver burst out from the end of Harry’s wand. The dementors flew away. Harry was finally safe.
In the Harry Potter books, dementors are creatures that suck every happy memory, and good feeling and fill the air with the worst ones. JK Rowling, the author of the series, created these creatures as metaphors for her own depression episodes. She described them as 'cold absence of feelings.'
During the entire series, Harry fights with Rowling's metaphorical creatures with his happiest memories and the powerful charm of ‘Expecto Patronum’.
Interestingly, like Harry, we too can fight our monsters with good memories. Recent studies have revealed that real-world depression, negative thoughts, and situations can be overcome with the help of happy memories.
Studies show that nostalgia or the longing for the good old days serves as an internal antidote for loneliness. It thus acts as an in-built defense mechanism to protect us against negative thoughts and situations. A fact that has led to the beginning of nostalgia-based therapies for clinical depression. Such is the power of good memories that Holocaust survivors used them to temporarily change their perception of the state that they were in, letting them persevere just a bit longer.
A powerful memory that you can re-create everyday
Not all memories can be re-created. The ones that cannot be re-created can push you into a bittersweet zone. Yet there is one beautiful memory that you can create every day and push into your armory of good memories.
It is the memory of the calmness and bliss one experiences in their meditation. These memories can help you relive those moments anytime, anywhere. You can stay calm despite the chaos around you. All with the power of a single memory.
Popular sage, Rishi Patanjali, a spiritual scientist of yore explains his Yoga Sutras, ‘by the memory of having experienced the Self, a state of heightened awareness can be gained.’
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar explains further, "Once you have had a very peaceful, beautiful state of mind (experience), the very memory of it will make you relive that. The memory of samadhi (state of equanimity) reproduces memory of the Self, freedom, devotion, surrender, love, joy and this brings you back to yourself."
Overcoming that one obstacle
Memories of bliss and goodness not only help us elevate our consciousness, but also help people around us as they catch our vibes. However, remembering good things goes against the mind’s natural instinct to remember and chew on the bad and ugly. The math of reality is simple. If somebody gives you ten compliments and one insult, you are more likely to hang onto that one insult.
Dr. Prema Seshadri, a meditation teacher with The Art of Living suggests, "Self-effort"
Make the conscious effort to re-wire your habit of ruminating on your thoughts.
"If we observe every thought as thought itself and not necessarrily labelling it as good or bad or mine, then one naturally develops a sense of detachment to one's thoughts. This is the way of the Upanishad, to rise above from the pettiness of the mind," adds Manas Ram, Faculty, The Art of Living.
Next time you find yourself frustrated with life, clear your mind off the negativity with an overpowering memory of a clear and calm mind that you can create with meditation.
Written by Vanditaa Kothari
