Trauma and all negative experiences are not just held in the mind as thoughts, memories and stories about what happened to us. We experience it as reactions, emotions and sensations in our bodies even when our minds don’t understand why we feel the way we do. That’s the way we are wired.

אמונה is that way too. We are used to thinking of אמונה and בטחון as something we need to work on with our minds. To instill in our minds, again and again, our belief that Hashem is in charge and is holding us and taking care of us.

I personally find that to be a difficult path to אמונה. I believe but can still be afraid. My mind knows the truth yet the story in my mind doesn’t change. Trying to change the story often doesn’t work.

That path can make אמונה feel out of reach and only accessible to a select few on a very high level.

The first of the עשרת הדברות is אנוכי ה. Some ראשונים understand that as the מצוה of אמונה. The question is asked that אנוכי is a statement, there is no , ציווי as in other מצוות. Why not? I heard a beautiful answer said in the name of the Steipler. אמונה is not something we have a choice over. It’s a reality that Hashem created every Jew with, it’s hardwired into us . We have אמונה within us whether we like it or not and we therefore cannot have a ציווי of אמונה. Our choice is whether to access and connect to that reality or we stray from the אמונה that is inside of us. The מצוה is not to believe, it is to stay connected to the reality that we already believe, אנוכי ה.

How do we stay connected to that reality? אמונה is not a story in the mind that we tell ourselves. We don’t need to work on our beliefs, we already believe. We need to experience our belief, the אנוכי ה that is already there. To experience our אמונה, we need to get out of our heads and into our bodies.

One of the most universal and foundational psychological skills is the ability to let go. (Also called surrendering, accepting, and many other names.) Letting go is not primarily a mental process. It’s a physiological process that is hardwired into us. We do it naturally all the time without realizing it.

When our mind tries to solve something we cannot (such as the future or anything beyond our control), our body tenses and braces for threat.

Letting go is essentially giving up and allowing our body to stop bracing.

It’s when you take a deep breath and allow your body to relax even though the problem remains. Because there’s nothing else you can do. Paradoxically, as soon as you do that, a wave of serenity will wash over you and be experienced at every level, mental, emotional and physical.

Giving up and letting go is a physical act of אמונה, done with our bodies. The serenity that washes over you is the result of letting go. You don’t need to work on attaining that serenity. Hashem wired that into you as a freebie if you do your part: letting go. We can choose to let go when we recognize that we don’t have control but also when we are under the illusion that we are in control.

Giving up and physically releasing the control that your body craves is within reach for every person in every moment because אמונה is hardwired into us. All we need to do is our task: letting go. The serenity of אמונה is Hashem’s gift to us when we do our part.

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Chaim Moshe Steinmetz LISW is a psychotherapist in private practice and provides in person and telehealth therapy for a variety of issues. Visit Chaimmoshesteinmetz.com to get a free guide to “ Amino Acid Therapy for rapid relief of Anxiety, Insomnia and Stress”