One of the suggestions I’ve been hearing over and over is the one of “letting go.”

Many people will even use it as an allrounder reaction to stories or problems they hear about. My guess is, that they’ll often use it when they don’t know how to help.

Their suggestion might be totally right. When there is a problem, there will be resistance to it. When there is attachment to something, there will also be fear of letting go. Both resistance and letting go are connected. If one appears, the other will not be far away. Thus, suggesting some form of letting go will almost always be a good idea.

At the same time, the suggestion to simply “let go” is too easy. It’s easier said than done. There are two things one can assume. One is that the person who doesn’t let go doesn’t know how to do it. The other is, that whatever resistance there is, it serves a purpose.

The simple suggestion to “let go” becomes a goal that the person is invited to achieve. What is missing are the instructions on how to get there.

A better way to help will be to complement the concept of letting go with an objective and a process that is suitable for that person. That is, what is it that the person could try to let go and if so, how could she implement it?

There will not be any guarantee that the option will allow them to let go but trying it will move the person closer to her objective.