Beyond Thoughts — Overcoming Mental Reactivity

Before we continue where we ended in Beyond Emotions — Overcoming Emotional Reactivity, first this. The question ‘What is Consciousness Development?’ needs to be addressed to be able to understand my 4 Phase model. Here is my answer to the question — Consciousness Development is:

1. Increasing the quality of consciousness by

• recognizing the ever-present pure awareness (nature of the mind, that which perceives)
• freeing yourself from the grip of hope and fear — the essence of reactivity in all phases

2. Becoming aware of the perspective from which you perceive

• all 4 phases are perspectives of observation
• all observation is relative; assumed absoluteness from any perspective stagnates development (especially symptom of lower levels)

3. By transcending and including evolving to a next phase

• this is the mechanism of development of consciousness and evolution in general.
• after the ‘automatic’ Autonomous Phase, there is only awareness development through conscious and focused commitment, motivation and discipline.

Mechanism of Consciousness Development

In Beyond Emotions — Overcoming Emotional Reactivity’ we considered the development question posed by the 2nd Psychological Phase [1]:
‘How do I free myself from the limitations of my Emotional self — how do I transcend my emotional bondage to attachment and aversion, to hope and fear?’ We saw that the first conscious appropriation of our emotional shadows is a necessary condition to desidentify us from our Emotional self.

If, for whatever good reason, we want to desidentify too soon or too quickly (a very common mild form of dissociation, certainly not unknown to me), this has consequences for the quality (incomplete) of the transition to and development in (obstacles) the next Phase. The mechanism of consciousness development (as in other domains, described extensively by Ken Wilber [2]) is to include and transcend. This mechanism is the same in all phases, only the content of what must be included and transcended, and how (process) differs per phase.

The Existential Phase
In the 3rd Existential Phase we can describe the development question as:
How do I free myself from the limitations of my Rational self — from my commitment to, and automatic interaction with, the continuous flow of sensory impressions and chattering thoughts?
Or, put differently, from the deeply rooted belief that I am an independent, separate and self-sufficient ‘self’.

Identifying with, or acquiring the rational shadows (unconsciously identified with the content/meaning of your thoughts, taking them literally) is what we do here with meditation techniques. After all, these are aimed at learning to observe your own mind (that you would soon be happier and relaxed from it is a possible by-product, but especially popular marketing). Observing the mind is the further development of the observer, the capacity for self-observation that we already needed in the Psychological Phase.

Here we refine this ability because our rational reactivity is more subtle, but certainly no less stubborn than the emotional one. Without this ability we will not be able to realize that we have a perspective (in that Phase) but are the perspective, and that is precisely our bondage! With our observation skill (awareness) we observe everything that comes into our mind, without wanting to hold on to something or to get rid of it, just like all the sensory information. Conscious identification (no dislike of content) and conscious desidentification (no attachment to the content) are the inclusion and transcendence.

Meditation
In essence meditation techniques serve to get to know our own mind. We train our perception by distinguishing between subject (that which perceives) and object (that which is perceived). In the Autonomic — and Psychological Phase we are to a large extent what we perceive — rather than having perception. With all its consequences due to the chronic lack of overview and insight. This requires differentiation between subject (that which perceives or is aware) and the object (that which is perceived).

And that is precisely what meditation techniques bring us here — by soothing our mind with shamatha meditation (concentration, awareness) and clarifying with vipashyana meditation (insight, space) we transcend our unconscious identification with all the sensory information and thoughts, by consciously identifying us (conscious observation of the content of the stream) and disidentifying with it (to have consciousness thoughts and not being them).

Relax in Attention
Through this exercise we will gradually experience more space and peace, and we are more present. We become less reactive (immediate reflex reaction to your own thoughts — think, for example, of worrying — a difficult to break through vicious circle — or sensory information) and the counterproductivity of our reactivity dissolves.

Relaxing in Attention is a mental technique that can be practiced easily by relaxing your mind. How? Say quietly to your mind ‘

Relax in …….. (fear, desire, anger, sadness, whatever there is!)’ Repeat this regularly to remember yourself — and if you do it as an invitation and not as an assignment, then it will not be a ‘must.’

The essence is, just like in meditation practice, nothing of what is present — here thoughts and sensory information — needs to be changed , so nothing to hold on because it is so nice, or to get rid of it as quickly as possible because it so annoying or painful. Relax in whatever there is.

And so we come to the transition to the last phase, the Realization Phase. Read about it in ‘Beyond the Self — Overcoming Reification’. Good luck!

[1] My model of Consciousness Development distinguishes 4 Phases — the Autonomous, Psychological, Existential and Realization Phase. The first Autonomous Phase runs until our adulthood (about 25 years) after which we enter the Psychological Phase. How we develop in this and whether we will move on to the next phases is entirely dependent on our own insight, dedication, motivation and discipline, and yes, luck is a factor.

[2] In his latest book The Religion of Tomorrow: A Vision for the Future of the Great Traditions — More Inclusive, More Comprehensive, More Complete, you will find his most comprehensive and up-to-date version.