Letting Go: Summary Review & Takeaways
This is a summary review of Letting Go containing key details about the book.
What is Letting Go About?
Letting Go describes a simple and effective means by which to let go of the obstacles to Enlightenment and become free of negativity. The primary aim of the book was to seek the most effective ways to relieve human suffering in all of its many forms. It is an invaluable resource for all professionals who work in the areas of mental health, psychology, medicine, self-help, addiction recovery, and spiritual development.
Who is the Author of Letting Go?
Sir David R. Hawkins, M.D Ph.D. is a bestselling author, nationally renowned psychiatrist, physician, researcher, spiritual teacher and lecturer. The uniqueness of his contribution to humanity comes from the advanced state of spiritual awareness known as " Enlightenment," "Self–Realisation," and "Unio Mystica."
What are key takeaways from Letting Go?
Takeaway #1 Your Emotions Can Be Measured
There are different levels of consciousness and emotion that are determined by what you think and feel. In David Hawkins' Map of Consciousness, he explains that emotions are measured on a logarithmic scale from 1-1000. Love calibrates at 500, courage at 200, fear at 100, and shame at 20. Each level has a different vibration that can be felt subconsciously by others around you and that affects everything you do, in a nutshell, like attracts like. You are bringing lack or abundance into your life, joy or anxiety and your vibration level subconsciously affects how other people perceive you.
Everyone has an average level of consciousness that they reside, many existing in a painful emotional state with the average person only raising their awareness level by 5 points in their lifetime unless they focus on spiritual growth or have a near death experience. By living from your spirit and letting go you will naturally move up the consciousness scale leaving shame worry, and fear behind and moving towards more peace, joy, and ultimately love and enlightenment.
Takeaway #2 Finding The Life Lesson
Healing from unpleasant, painful events can be much easier to deal with if we focus on finding the life lesson in the experience. Our subconscious knows that there is a lesson to be learned by every painful event such as a death in the family, the breakdown of a marriage, or the loss of a job but we normally resist learning it. If we accept and recognize that life events, no matter how difficult, are opportunities rather than challenges we can feel much happier.
Takeaway #3 Letting Go
Negative emotions should not be feared, ignored, hidden, condemned nor vented. Letting go means dropping the judgment and observing those negative feelings for what they are; just a feeling, letting them run their natural course and then releasing the negative energy. Anger is at a higher level than apathy due to anger making you feel energized, it means you're moving up the scale of consciousness but isn't vibrational state to stay in for too long, feel the anger and then let it go to make room for a lighter feeling of willingness or patience, compassion, or surrender.
Letting go, being surrendered means feeling that nothing needs to be changed, everything is perfect as it is. It means having no strong emotion about a thing – It's ok if it happens, and it's ok if it doesn't happen. It means letting go of attachments, enjoying something but not needing it for continued happiness. There are no power struggles to be right, no points to be proven, and no judgment, life flows effortlessly. By continuing to practice surrender unconditional love can eventually be reached, something that only occurs on .04% of the population.
Book details
- Print length: 368 Pages
- Audiobook: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Genre: Spirituality, Self Help, Nonfiction
What are the chapters in Letting Go?
Chapter One - Introduction
Chapter Two - The Mechanism of Letting Go
Chapter Three - The Anatomy of Emotions
Chapter Four - Apathy and Depression
Chapter Five - Grief
Chapter Six - Fear
Chapter Seven - Desire
Chapter Eight - Anger
Chapter Nine - Pride
Chapter Ten - Courage
Chapter Eleven - Acceptance
Chapter Twelve - Love
Chapter Thirteen - Peace
Chapter Fourteen - Reducing Stress and Physical Illness
Chapter Fifteen - The Relationship between Mind and Body
Chapter Sixteen - The Benefits of Letting Go
Chapter Seventeen - Transformation
Chapter Eighteen - Relationships
Chapter Nineteen - Achievement of Vocational Goals
Chapter Twenty - Physician, Heal Thyself
Chapter Twenty-One - Questions and Answers
What are some of the main summary points from the book?
Here are some key summary points from the book:
- Importance of letting go: The book emphasizes the significance of letting go of attachments, resentments, fears, and negative emotions in order to experience true happiness and personal growth. Letting go allows us to free ourselves from the burdens of the past and live fully in the present moment.
- Power of surrender: Surrendering is a central concept in the book. It involves accepting and acknowledging the reality of a situation without resistance, which leads to a sense of inner peace and harmony. Surrendering doesn't mean giving up or being passive; rather, it involves aligning oneself with the flow of life and trusting in the process.
- Role of emotions: Emotions play a vital role in our lives, and the book explores how suppressed or unresolved emotions can hinder personal growth and happiness. By allowing ourselves to fully experience and process our emotions, we can let go of their hold on us and move towards a more liberated state of being.
- The ego and identity: The book delves into the nature of the ego and how it contributes to our suffering. It discusses the importance of transcending the ego's limitations and identifying with a deeper, more expansive sense of self. By recognizing that our true identity is not tied to external circumstances or achievements, we can let go of the ego's grip and experience a greater sense of freedom.
- The power of forgiveness: Forgiveness is highlighted as a transformative practice in the book. By forgiving ourselves and others, we release the resentment and negative energy that weighs us down. Forgiveness is not condoning or forgetting the actions that hurt us; instead, it is a conscious choice to let go of the emotional baggage and reclaim our inner peace.
- The journey towards love and compassion: "Letting Go" emphasizes the importance of cultivating love and compassion towards ourselves and others. Through acts of kindness, empathy, and understanding, we can break free from the limitations of our ego and experience a profound sense of interconnectedness and unity with the world.
What are good quotes from Letting Go?
“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.”
“If you want to forget something or someone, never hate it, or never hate him/her. Everything and everyone that you hate is engraved upon your heart; if you want to let go of something, if you want to forget, you cannot hate.”
“Accept yourself, love yourself, and keep moving forward. If you want to fly, you have to give up what weighs you down.”
“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that's all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.”
“No matter how much suffering you went through, you never wanted to let go of those memories.”
“Letting go means to come to the realization that some people are a part of your history, but not a part of your destiny.”
“Letting go doesn't mean that you don't care about someone anymore. It's just realizing that the only person you really have control over is yourself.”
“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.”
“If people refuse to look at you in a new light and they can only see you for what you were, only see you for the mistakes you've made, if they don't realize that you are not your mistakes, then they have to go.”
“Cry. Forgive. Learn. Move on. Let your tears water the seeds of your future happiness.”
“Time doesn’t heal emotional pain, you need to learn how to let go.”
“We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, maybe the very reason why you don't have something better.”
― David R. Hawkins - Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender
* The summary points above have been concluded from the book and other public sources. The editor of this summary review made every effort to maintain information accuracy, including any published quotes, chapters, or takeaways
Chief Editor
Tal Gur is an author, founder, and impact-driven entrepreneur at heart. After trading his daily grind for a life of his own daring design, he spent a decade pursuing 100 major life goals around the globe. His journey and most recent book, The Art of Fully Living, has led him to found Elevate Society.
