Pratipakṣa bhavana can be used to become emotionally mature and thus qualify for the knowledge that reminds me of my free nature. For this, one must soften a strongly subjective view by practicing the opposite behavior to the behavior based on that subjective view. Only then can one neutrally see which laws govern a mentally healthy life (dharma, īśvara).

This is perfectly logical mathematics of the mind. Do I harbor hatred? Then I hate this person. Then I simply have to practice love. Changing course is, of course, not the easiest thing to do. There's a whole psychology behind it.

Why would I do this? If I'm unhappy about something for a long time, the strategies I've devised apparently don't work. Every therapy hinges on the recognition that I couldn't figure it out on my own and seeking help. In this case, I seek help by practicing the radical opposite, possibly with advice (from counselors or the teacher). This way, I always know what to do and can transform quickly. If I'm tormented by hatred towards someone, I'm courageous enough to replace it with love. If I'm tormented by specific fears about something, I confront it head-on, only to discover that it's not so bad after all.

Cognitive therapy also utilizes this by identifying the root of the oppressive thought and replacing it with a healthy, constructive thought.

This expresses that Vedānta views the mind as a neutral instrument, guiding the body through the world with love, and ultimately teaching me to think outside the matrix of ignorance.

I also use the extremely effective technique of pratipakṣa bhāvanā when I judge unjustly or think something destructive. When I judge someone, I can, for example, name their qualities. This is also an effective tool for binding desires or irrational fears.

This technique usually works to transform negativity into positivity, but it doesn't have to. An overly inflated self-image ("it's hard to remain modest") can also lead to limiting pride, arrogance, and pretentiousness. Then I can practice something like, well, as an insignificant person, you also have your good things and your shortcomings, just like everyone else.

It's about neutralizing the mind in line with objective, empirical reality, as a stepping stone to freedom. In essence, it's about arriving at a value of zero, by playing the dualistic poles off against each other within myself. The fact that we can create a mathematical equation is proof of the objective nature of reality. It requires a great deal of willpower. But it's liberating and equanimous when I start achieving results.

If a preference, desire, or even addiction is clearly sabotaging my development, I'll temporarily practice an aversion to it. For example, I might drink way too much coffee, and then I'll consciously think, "Damn, that's such a disgusting black stuff!" I'll picture the person who seems to bother me the most and meditate on my love and attention for them. If I'm afraid of spiders, I'll approach them. I'll hold the spider in my hand and see that nothing really happens, except a slight tickle. After a while, I'll exclaim, "How could I possibly be afraid of that!" This is a proven fear therapy. People with a fear of flying are encouraged to fly. Similarly, if I think I don't understand something, even though it seems important, I'll go for it anyway. At some point, I'll forget that I didn't know it.

Often, the wrong values get in my way. This method can also be applied to practicing the opposite value. It helps to expose destructive values like greed or jealousy and actively practice generosity or favoritism. After all, every glory someone has is īśvara's glory. This can be done with any value. A well-known example is forgiving your parents for a perceived bad or mean upbringing or neglect, etc. You don't forgive them for their sake; you forgive them because you want to rid yourself of the poison.

Thus, when I experience an unfavorable emotion or tendency, I can deliberately cultivate an emotion or tendency that is its opposite. Who wants to carry mental poison around for a long time? It is therefore a form of meditation, by consciously and mindfully recognizing the destructive thought. If necessary, I ask for help. Or at the very least, I can listen carefully to feedback from people I trust.

To draw strength, it is enormously helpful to invoke īśvara in prayer. After all, īśvara is all knowledge, and so I use 'his' knowledge to recognize the limiting, destructive pattern. īśvara is also all power, and so I also tap into 'his' vessel to wade through the destructive parts of my viscous conditioning and simply see things, neutral as they are.

A just god merely expresses that the entire practical field is simply doing its work consistently. If I feel bad, it's simply an invitation to see differently. Then I have a wonderful life. Righteousness (dharma) is thus precisely aligned with the straightforwardness (ārjava) of what I think, say, and do.

Life is meant to be learned from. In doing so, I don't have to shy away from occasionally giving the mind a dressing down. Only then do I see that the mind is neutral, and not me. First of all, it's a blessing if I can recognize which thought is an obstruction. The mind, and its material instrument, the brain, are highly plastic and changeable. By listening carefully to īśvara's message, I can become a completely different person in just one lifetime, ready for freedom!

Loving instead of hostile, admiring instead of jealous, confident instead of insecure.

Consistent application of well-chosen strategies will fade away bad, belittling thoughts and habits, creating others that counteract and displace them, so that wholesome habits can overcome unwholesome habits.

This is an efficient way to transform my hindering conditioning into suitable conditioning for knowledge. While this practice helps in dealing with rāga-dveṣas and the associated emotions, it is ultimately intended to provide a more comprehensive perspective on the neutral transactional world (vyāvahārika satya) of īśvara. This level of reality is also called īśvara's creation (īśvara sṛṣṭi).

Pratipakṣa bhāvanā is applied by someone to their own mind. A similar technique is also used by teachers, by using a dissenting viewpoint presented by someone else (the pūrvapakṣī) in the satsang, who offers comments. In texts, the author himself presents such an opposing, dissenting objector (pūrvapakṣī). Then it says 'objection,...' Ādi Śaṅkara frequently used this.