Rewiring Consciousness: The Art & Science of Spiritual Mind Treatment

Why Grateful?

Many of us are familiar with the scientist Joe Dispenza, whose mission is to demonstrate—through science—that meditation is a viable path to healing. He has been successful in guiding thousands of people to move out of their past patterns and into a future of wholeness.

One of his well-known statements is: “Gratitude is the ultimate state of receivership.”

This is not a new concept—it is an ancient one. Mystics throughout the ages have pointed to the same truth. Meister Eckhart famously said: “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” And in the Bible, Jesus often gave thanks before what we call miracles occurred.

In New Thought, gratitude is the fourth step of Spiritual Mind Treatment. Gratitude lifts our consciousness into the feeling of completion—as if what we are declaring is already done.

But simply saying “thank you” is not enough. As we have already explored, words without feeling carry little creative power. So, the question becomes: How do we feel gratitude—before we see the result?

This is where the practice becomes personal. I’m not sure I can teach you exactly how to feel gratitude, because it is unique to each of us. But I can guide you toward it.

Gratitude lives in the heart center.

If you become still…
If you breathe gently in and out of your heart…
If you allow yourself to reflect on something—or someone—you genuinely appreciate…you will begin to feel it. And once you feel it, you will recognize:

Gratitude is not something we do. It is a state of being. In Spiritual Mind Treatment, we have already moved into that state of being. We have recognized the Presence. We have identified ourselves as that Presence. We have made our announcement. If we have truly entered that consciousness—if we have felt the reality of what we are declaring—then gratitude naturally follows. It is not forced. It arises. It becomes the evidence within us that something has already shifted.

I invite you to practice gratitude throughout your day.

Bless your food.
Feel appreciation for your friends.
Stretch yourself to find the blessing even in your challenges. Because there is always a blessing. Sometimes it is obvious. Sometimes it asks something deeper of us. But it is always there.

For me, when life feels challenging, I sometimes imagine looking back on this moment from the future. And I ask myself: What would it feel like to realize I had missed the beauty of this moment?

The love of my family.
The health of my body.
The richness of my experiences.

Life moves quickly. And gratitude brings us back into the present moment—where the fullness of life is already unfolding.

Gratitude is not a reaction. It is a recognition.

Pace, Gioia, Amore per sempre,
Rev. Dr. Rita Andriello-Feren