Meditation, psychotherapy --- remove distractions so we can learn to participate more fully in craxiness, etc.

Psychotherapy so we can participate fully in the craziness of our human condition

M: training ourselves to return to immediacy… what is actually most true in our experience of this present moment – “practical sense” to train ourselves to experience the present moment – …more likely that we can engage skillfully with life.

“What is actually the truth of me experience of life right now?” … “What is most true?”

…stories to emotions to feelings to sensations to… we find less and less evidence of any problem, of any division within ourselves – or even evidence of a solid, continuous self

M: deconstruction, disidentification with experience

P: tend to address patterns of experience – how to best take care of ourselves, beliefs about ourselves, others

…base in young childhood experience …and t/f realize that current relationships etc. etc. are the cause of our experience …rather, triggering life-long core vulnerabilities

…work with my relationship with my own vulnerabilities – almost all the things we identify as neuroses turn out to be young survival strategies

…our neuroses aren’t wrong, they’re just several decades out of date

We approach immediacy (in M) through our understanding, our style of engagement

t/f make spiritual practice more integrated

In both skillsets, always introducing contradictory energies – inviting contrasts [Miller – opposites?] – open middle-groundness is the point

E.g. follow our breath… but imperceptibly follow states of mind – returning to breath – that’s the point, the contrast – maybe hang onto that moment of awareness _before_ returning to breath

P: bring attention into immediate experience – what is that like to really believe my story of shame, guilt, etc. – but do I actually experience that in my body?

The real point is the contrast that’s invited by holding the two contradictory experiences together – groundedness, openness, etc.

Invite non-graspable, open experience – start with self-responsibility for working with our neuroses

Not change style; change compulsiveness – experience open potential “where I can go either way” – what way of engaging with my life is in line with my intention? – anything important: contradictory feelings e.g. closeness/distance in relationship

…possibility of holding these contradictory feelings with no promise of resolution, ever

…what’s most true is that they don’t know – why not practice that state of not knowing? – approximations of open mind

Bring practices in line with intention for open awareness – benefits?

…less reactivity, less being captured by patterns, less complaint, less sense of division, more humour, presence, spontaneity, relaxation… ways of relating to experience

…more of an experience of full participation; increased intimacy – not pretending to be separate from our experience – awakened mind is intimate with all things”” – full experiential intimacy …less fantasy that life is about us

What do we do (to foster all of this)? – What is my intention; what is most important to me right now; what is my priority? – the “baseline”

“When we’ve clarified our highest priority, everything else takes its place” in relation to that priority

…experiment with “skillful means” – knowing that these are not the actual point – what supports our intention?

…give it our best shot, and see what happens

…my intention is… there could be several/infinite

Big enough space for contradictory feelings etc. to coexist

People come to P because they have a problem… your process? Challenge their claim that there is a problem. As PT, be “location of open awareness”

…P as externalization of our open awareness, vs. displays of [??]

…no fantasy of healing – just invite more awareness

…challenging people’s stories about their problems – “disturb” their sense of self

…use the provocation as a way of waking up – committing to having that feeling forever