The Power of Your Intention

The Power of Your Intention

What drives someone to seek a life guided more by love than by fear and control? This episode of Inner Bonding, hosted by Dr Margaret Paul, zooms in on a simple idea with huge consequences: the intention behind every choice you make. Speaking directly to people working through anxiety, depression, addiction, or relationship struggles, Dr Paul explains that in Inner Bonding there are just two core intentions: "You can choose the intention to control...

Or you can choose the intention to learn about loving yourself and others." That single choice, she says, shapes your emotions, your relationships, and your connection with your own inner guidance. You’ll hear her break down how the "intention to control" shows up as people-pleasing, blaming, withdrawing, self-judgment and numbing out with addictions. She links these patterns to the "ego-wounded self", which tries to avoid pain but actually creates more of it.

Feelings like anxiety, emptiness, jealousy and resentment are described as clear signals that you’re abandoning yourself and chasing control instead of care. From there, Dr Paul contrasts this with the "intention to learn about love", which she describes as welcoming your feelings instead of pushing them away. Through a session example with a client, Katie, she shows how bringing curiosity and spiritual support to your inner child can slowly build trust and start to ease long-held tension and aloneness.

The tone is gentle, clear, and very practical; you’ll get specific phrases to watch for, such as "I’ll do Inner Bonding so that my pain will go away", as red flags that your wounded self is running the show. Rather than perfection, Dr Paul stresses presence: your inner child "doesn't need you to be perfect"—just open, honest, and willing to learn.

If you’ve been doing plenty of self-help work yet still feel stuck, this episode might make you ask: what’s really driving your healing efforts—control or love?