Letting Go

David R. Hawkins, a psychiatrist, physician, and consciousness researcher, draws on decades of clinical practice and personal experience to present a technique he calls the "mechanism of surrender" for releasing negative emotions. He argues that this mechanism is the key to resolving human suffering, illness, and limitation, and that it works for anyone regardless of background, belief system, or spiritual orientation.

Hawkins opens by cataloging a lengthy, humorous list of self-improvement methods people pursue, from psychotherapy and meditation to crystals, exotic diets, and cults, and argues that none provide lasting relief because people look outside themselves for solutions when the answer lies within. He defines letting go as a sudden cessation of inner pressure, accompanied by relief and lightness, an experience everyone has had, such as when a heated argument suddenly strikes one as absurd and laughter replaces anger. People carry a large reservoir of accumulated negative feelings, and these feelings, not thoughts, are the true source of suffering. A single suppressed feeling can generate thousands of thoughts; surrendering it causes all associated thoughts to vanish.

The mind habitually handles feelings through three inadequate mechanisms: suppression and repression, which create psychosomatic symptoms; expression, which contrary to popular belief propagates feelings rather than resolving them; and escape through diversion, substances, and constant activity. Hawkins identifies projection, the attribution of one's own repressed feelings onto others, as the mechanism underlying wars, social conflict, and interpersonal destruction. The specific technique of letting go involves becoming aware of a feeling, allowing it to arise without resistance, and letting the energy behind it dissipate while ignoring all thoughts. He stresses that resistance keeps feelings in place and that the ego will resist the process through skepticism and forgetfulness, which he frames as signs of genuine progress. He argues that the real source of stress is internal, not external, and that feelings transmit vibrationally, influencing life events according to the principle that "like attracts like" (19).

Hawkins introduces the Map of Consciousness, a logarithmic scale from 1 to 1,000, adapted from his earlier book Power vs. Force. At the bottom is Shame (20); at the top is Full Enlightenment (1,000). Courage (200) marks the critical dividing line: Below it, emotions are destructive and weaken the body; above it, they are life-supportive and strengthen it. The scale ascends through Fear, Grief, Apathy, Desire, Anger, and Pride below the line, and through Neutrality, Willingness, Acceptance, Reason, Love, Joy, and Peace above it. He connects emotional levels to the body's energy systems, arguing that each negative emotion impairs associated organs, while ascending the scale naturally produces spiritual awareness.

The book devotes chapters to each major emotional level. At apathy and depression, Hawkins exposes the belief "I can't" as "I won't," arguing that behind every claim of inability lies a fear or resistance that can be released. He identifies blame as a major block: It offers payoffs of innocence and self-pity but costs freedom and reinforces helplessness. He introduces a law of consciousness that people are only subject to a negative belief if they accept it applies to them, and recommends associating with people who have already resolved the problems one faces. On grief, he states that if fully surrendered to, an overwhelming episode runs its course in about 10 to 20 minutes; if resisted, it can persist for years. The psychological basis of grief, he argues, is attachment and dependency arising from inner incompleteness.

Addressing fear, Hawkins traces his own progression from being unable to read a case history aloud as a medical intern to enjoying extemporaneous speaking on national television. He presents the case of Betty, a patient with escalating phobias so paralyzing that every therapeutic approach failed. Hawkins decided simply to love her, sending loving thoughts during their phone sessions, and over months Betty improved without developing psychological insight, demonstrating the principle that "Fear is healed by love" (93). He examines Carl Jung's concept of the shadow, the repressed aspects of the unconscious, arguing that acknowledging these impulses with humor defuses their power. He also addresses guilt as a destructive form of fear, contending that moral behaviors can be motivated by love rather than guilt.

On desire, Hawkins argues that wanting something blocks receiving it because desire implies lack, creating psychic distance from the goal. He contrasts the culturally ingrained approach of struggle with a surrendered state in which goals manifest effortlessly, and recounts finding an ideal apartment in New York City within 24 hours of surrendering the desire for it. Discussing anger, he identifies unmet expectations and self-sacrifice as hidden sources of resentment and introduces acknowledgment of others' contributions as a key to preventing conflict. He cites the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, which found that bereaved parents showed significant cardiac improvement after learning to relinquish bitterness. On pride, he distinguishes it from genuine self-esteem, arguing that truly humble people cannot be humiliated because they have nothing to defend.

Courage is where the surrender mechanism becomes fully effective. At this level, the world is seen as offering opportunities rather than threats, and fleeting moments of stillness and clarity begin to occur. At acceptance, love is experienced as emanating from within rather than obtained from others. At the level of love itself, Hawkins defines it as a state of being that radiates outward, transforming situations without conscious effort. He describes unconditional love as rare, occurring in only 0.04% of the population. He recounts a personal breakthrough: After 10 solid days of continuous surrender in a cabin, reaching profound despair and then completely letting go, an overwhelming infinite peace emerged. On peace, he recounts a second experience: After years of continual surrender, a sudden transformation in a restaurant revealed a stillness in which time lost meaning, all things were connected as one life, and the real Self was revealed as without beginning or end.

Hawkins then applies the framework to practical domains. On stress and illness, he argues that suppressed emotions are the primary stressor and describes the body's stress response, including the acupuncture meridian system, a network that transmits bio-energy through the body to the organs. He explains kinesiologic muscle testing, a procedure in which negative stimuli instantly weaken the body while positive ones strengthen it. On self-healing, he lists the many illnesses he had at age 50, including migraines, a chronic duodenal ulcer, diverticulitis, and Raynaud's Syndrome, a disease causing loss of circulation and sensation in the fingertips. During a severe diverticulitis attack, rather than going to the hospital, he surrendered every sensation for four hours; the bleeding stopped, and the condition eventually disappeared. He recounts similar healings of other conditions, including the restoration of his vision after six weeks of surrendering fear about impaired sight.

On relationships, Hawkins argues that feelings always affect others whether expressed or not, because people are intuitively connected. Negative emotions create corresponding negative responses, while love and forgiveness produce positive change. On vocational achievement, he identifies three levels of effectiveness and cites a study showing a 33% increase in insurance agents' sales within six months of learning the technique. The book concludes by affirming the technique's compatibility with all religions, meditation, psychotherapy, and addiction recovery. Hawkins describes the "final run" as continuous surrender of every thought and feeling at the instant it arises. When everything standing in the way has been released, what he calls the Presence, understood as ultimate reality or the real Self, shines forth: "Enlightenment is not something that occurs in the future, after 50 years of sitting cross-legged and saying 'OM.' It is right here, in this instant" (335).