Mantras have long been recognized as powerful tools for focusing the mind, anchoring emotions, and guiding behavior. Whether used in meditation, therapy, or daily life, a mantra serves as a simple, repeatable phrase that helps us align our thoughts and actions with our deeper intentions. Mantras offer clarity in moments of confusion, calm in times of chaos, and perspective when life feels overwhelming. Among the many mantras that exist, one stands out as particularly powerful—not just for its therapeutic potential but for its profound applicability to life itself: "trust, be open, and let go."
Psychedelic therapy status
In recent years, psychedelic therapy has evolved from an underground movement into a legitimate field of mental health research. Studies at renowned institutions like Johns Hopkins and Imperial College have shown that substances like psilocybin and MDMA can be remarkably effective in treating conditions such as PTSD, depression, and anxiety. But the real magic of these therapies lies in how they are framed, and one of the most common guiding principles is the mantra “trust, be open, and let go.” It helps participants navigate the unpredictable and often challenging inner landscapes that psychedelics reveal, providing them with a roadmap for emotional and psychological healing.
The mantra and how it works in psychedelic therapy
In psychedelic therapy, the phrase “trust, be open, and let go” serves as a guiding light through often intense and disorienting experiences.
- Trust means believing in the process, trusting the therapists, the medicine, and one’s own capacity to handle whatever arises. It’s about letting go of fear and surrendering to the unknown.
- Be open encourages individuals to allow the experience to unfold without resistance, to face difficult emotions or memories without shutting down or turning away.
- Let go speaks to the final act of release—whether it's the release of control, of painful memories, or even the desire to understand everything in the moment. It encourages patients to stop clinging to outcomes and allow the process to flow naturally.
How it can be transposed into everyday life
This mantra isn’t just for psychedelic sessions—it can be applied to everyday life with transformative results. Each part of the phrase offers a key to navigating life’s complexities with more ease and grace:
- Trust helps us face uncertainty with confidence, knowing that we don’t need to control every aspect of our lives.
- Be open encourages us to embrace change, new opportunities, and the full spectrum of our emotional experiences.
- Let go reminds us that after doing what we can, we must release the rest—stop overthinking, stop ruminating, and let life unfold as it will.
To become unstressable and live a happier life
Mo Gawdat’s concept of becoming “unstressable” ties perfectly into this mantra. By accepting that we cannot control everything and focusing only on what we can influence, we can eliminate unnecessary stress from our lives. Trusting the process, being open to change, and letting go of what we can’t control helps cultivate a sense of peace, no matter what life throws our way. This shift in mindset is key to living a happier, more resilient life.
How to use it to see the world differently
Living by the mantra “trust, be open, and let go” changes how we perceive the world around us. Trust allows us to see the bigger picture, recognizing that setbacks are often setups for growth. Being open helps us embrace opportunities that we might otherwise overlook, while letting go frees us from the mental clutter that clouds our judgment. By living with this mindset, we start seeing the world not as a series of challenges to be overcome but as an ever-unfolding journey where each moment brings its own wisdom.
The importance of understanding what we control and don't control (trust)
At its core, trust is about knowing what is within our control and accepting what isn’t. This echoes the wisdom of the Stoics, who emphasized focusing on what we can influence while letting go of what is beyond our reach. By trusting ourselves, our decisions, and the process of life, we relieve ourselves of the burden of trying to micromanage everything, freeing up energy to focus on what truly matters.
Be open: seeing opportunities, going with the flow, and releasing negativity
Being open is about embracing life’s flow rather than getting stuck in rigid expectations or patterns. This openness allows us to see new opportunities and perspectives, and it encourages emotional flexibility. When we’re open, we can process emotions like anger, sadness, or frustration without becoming consumed by them. Instead of bottling up negative emotions or letting them control us, we allow them to flow through, learning what they have to teach and then moving on.
Let go: release the need for control and emotional clutter
Letting go is often the hardest part but also the most freeing. In life, we frequently find ourselves ruminating over past mistakes or worrying about future outcomes. Letting go means releasing that need for control, accepting that we’ve done what we can, and moving forward without being weighed down by what we can’t change. It’s not about ignoring emotions or difficulties but about dealing with them, learning from them, and then releasing them, so they don’t consume us.