In a world flooded with self-help advice and motivational slogans, Dr. David R. Hawkins offered something far more powerful: a direct pathway to inner peace. His work, especially the book Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender, outlines a process that can help one move beyond anxiety, guilt, anger, and fear—not by fighting them, but by letting them dissolve.
This article explores Hawkins’ background, the core principles behind the Letting Go technique, and how you can use it to transform your own life starting today.
Who Was Dr. David R. Hawkins?
Dr. David R. Hawkins was a psychiatrist, spiritual teacher, and researcher of consciousness who combined decades of clinical experience with profound spiritual insight. He was the author of numerous books, including Power vs. Force, The Eye of the I, and Letting Go.
What made Hawkins unique was his ability to blend science, psychology, and spirituality into a coherent system for personal growth. He developed a “Map of Consciousness”—a scale of human emotional and spiritual states from shame (the lowest) to enlightenment (the highest).
But his most practical and life-changing gift to the world may be what he called the Letting Go technique.
What Is Letting Go?
Letting Go is the practice of surrendering inner resistance. It’s not passive resignation. It’s not repression. It’s not “being OK with everything” while bottling up emotions inside. Letting Go is the conscious willingness to allow a feeling to be fully present without resisting it, judging it, or trying to change it.
“Surrender is the inner transition from desire to peace.”
Most of us spend our lives resisting our inner emotional world. We push feelings down, distract ourselves, or try to control external events to avoid discomfort. This resistance is what keeps us stuck. Letting Go breaks that cycle by helping us face what’s inside—and dissolve it.
How to Practice Letting Go (Step by Step)
Here’s a simplified breakdown of the method as outlined in Letting Go:
1. Become Aware of the Feeling
Start by noticing what you’re feeling. Is it anger? Sadness? Jealousy? Anxiety?
You don’t need to analyze it or figure out where it came from. Just feel it.
2. Allow the Feeling to Be There
Instead of resisting or distracting yourself, allow the feeling to exist without trying to fix or change it. Let it rise within you.
Don’t label it as “bad” or “wrong.” Don’t try to justify it or blame it on someone else.
Just be present with it.
3. Drop the Story
This is key. Let go of the mental story around the feeling. If you’re angry, don’t dwell on what someone said or did. If you’re anxious, don’t obsess over “what if” scenarios.
Feel the raw emotion in your body—without the narrative.
4. Stay With the Feeling Until It Dissolves
You’ll notice that when you truly allow a feeling without resisting it, it begins to fade. Sometimes this takes seconds, other times longer.
The more you practice this, the easier it becomes. You’ll begin to feel lighter, clearer, and freer.
Why Letting Go Works
Letting Go is effective because what we resist, persists. Repressed emotions don’t disappear—they fester and shape our perceptions, behavior, and even physical health.
By letting go of inner resistance, you remove the emotional “charge” behind problems. You stop projecting your pain onto others. You start seeing clearly. You regain your natural peace.
“That which is done with love is more powerful than that which is done by force.”
Letting Go restores you to that place of love, truth, and inner power.
Real-World Benefits of Letting Go
People who practice letting go consistently report:
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- Decreased anxiety and stress
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- Improved relationships
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- Faster healing from trauma
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- Greater emotional resilience
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- A deeper sense of peace and purpose
It doesn’t mean you stop taking action. But now, your actions are free of emotional baggage. They come from clarity, not reactivity.
A Final Word
In a world that often rewards noise, hustle, and control, Dr. David R. Hawkins gave us a powerful alternative: the path of surrender.
Letting Go is simple, but not always easy. It requires presence, honesty, and a willingness to feel what we’ve been running from. But it offers something no coping mechanism or distraction ever can: freedom.
If you’re overwhelmed, reactive, or stuck in old emotional patterns, try this: the next time a difficult feeling arises, don’t suppress it. Don’t run from it. Don’t judge it.
Just let it be there. And let it go.
You might just find your life begins to change—in ways you didn’t think were possible.
