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The Crisis Formula by Mansukh Patel

Mansukh Patel presents a potent formula in his book Crisis and the Miracle of Love, which he co-authored with Helena Waters, for handling the most devastating events in life in a way that not only helps the reader rise above crises, but also turn them into triumph. In the book Mansukh Patel talks about the potential of any crisis becoming a catalyst for change and transformation. As Mansukh says, nothing ever happens by accident and there is always a very good reason for every event in our lives.

The underlying approach Mansukh draws upon in Crisis and the Miracle of Love is that life can be considered a school where many lessons are on the curriculum to be learned. Certain lessons will keep repeating themselves until we have learned them and become what we are meant to be. Every crisis, says Mansukh, is an opportunity to walk back into a life that is more satisfying than you ever thought possible. It is merely a question of deciding to make your crisis work for you instead of against you.

One thing that Mansukh Patel has always maintained is that ‘life is always LEADING you and never misleading you.’This phrase can be of great use when things appear to be taking us away from where we really want to go.

The Formula

1. TAKE CONTROL

Every day ask yourself three questions:

• Why is this happening to me?
• What do I need to learn from this situation?
• What do I need to change in my approach to life?

Write down any answers that come to you and you will be amazed at the answers that come to you.

2. ACCEPTANCE

The hardest part of any crisis situation is accepting what has happened. We tend to fight against what is. There is a constant dance between acceptance and making changes. As Mansukh Patel elucidates, there are things that happen in life over which we have no control whatsoever. People we love may die, suffer illness or disability. People we trust can let us down. So many things are beyond our control –but the pain we feel comes from the fact that we just cannot accept what has happened.

In the book, Mansukh Patel invites the reader to ask themselves:

What have I got to accept?

Mansukh suggests that the answer to this question is quite simply everything, especially the things you perceive as negative. Now this begs the question: HOW?

In response, Mansukh Patel then asks us to check whether our identity is tied up with something that is now not as appropriate as in the past.

For instance, maybe our identity is tied up with something or someone that it may now be necessary to let go of, such as a child or parenting a child. Perhaps they are ready to move away from home. Mansukh’s advice is to let them go and stop hanging on.

Perhaps your looks are beginning to fade. If your self esteem is tied up with how attractive you are, then Mansukh offers thoughts about how to build your self worth on deeper, more enduring values.

3. FORGIVENESS AND LETTING GO

Forgiveness is one of the key factors in recovery. Mansukh Patel describes forgiveness as an act of great strength and courage. You are daring to do those things that other people are not even willing to consider. Those who forgive, says Mansukh, are the ones who win. Forgiveness asks us to look at all that has ever happened to us which may be stopping us from moving forward.

Here’s some ideas from Mansukh.

• Look for the good points in the person or situation that has hurt or is hurting you.
• Ask yourself what is brilliant about it and persevere until you find something.
• Dig a hole in the ground, put your head into it and speak or shout all your old feelings into the hole. Cover the hole up afterwards! (This may not sound like a serious suggestion, but in fact it has been used in a variety of cultures to great effect.)
• Find someone to talk to who will listen without judgement and tell them how you feel. If all else fails talk into the mirror.
• If the person who has hurt you has died, plant a tree in their name as an act of forgiveness. As you plant it, wish them well and let go of any negative connection with them.

Mansukh emphasises in his book that forgiveness does not need to be filled with doom and gloom –it can be fun and creative.

Here’s another method that Mansukh Patel recommends to help the process of forgiveness:

• Sit down and stop for a moment and close your eyes.
• Imagine yourself very free inside from ay hurt or inner chaos.
  Feel it now.
• Stand up, imagining that you love and like everyone in your life.
• How does it feel?
• Visualise yourself full of strength and power and then say out loud:

'It is time to:

• forgive and let go the past
• forgive and accept myself and everything about who I am
• let go the old me and move into what I have become
• let go and clear unresolved pain so I can move on'

The last part of Mansukh Patel’s Crisis Formula is:

4. INTERNALISE

According to Mansukh this means starting to focus the mind inside and to contact an inner power –something bigger and much more powerful than ourselves. The only place real healing can really come from is deep within us. This introspection process involves deep relaxation and meditation. In deep meditation it is quite natural to experience a certainty that we are not alone, that there is a power of life working within us and most importantly for us –to help and to heal our individual predicaments and trials. In turning our attention inward, we start to become aware of that power and the force of love that works through it.

Mansukh Patel’s Crisis Formula appears within the book Crisis and the Miracle of Love by Mansukh Patel and Helena Waters, which is available from the International School of Dru Yoga in North Wales, UK. Contact www.druworldwide.com for more details.

For more information, consider:
The Dance between Joy and Pain –Mansukh Patel and Rita Goswami
Crisis and the Miracle of Love –Mansukh Patel and Dr Helena Waters
The Peace Formula –Mansukh Patel
The Secret Power of Light –Mansukh Patel
Dru Yoga –Stillness in Motion –Chris Barrington, Anita Goswami, Annie Jones, Mansukh Patel
Dru Yoga DVD - Mansukh Patel and Coby Langford