Psychotherapy Certificate - SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

Healthy Relationship with Thoughts and Foundation for Unconscious-based Interventions

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Mon, 05 Sep 2022 19:18:01 +0000

Nothing is anything until it is perceived and given a specific meaning, conscious or unconscious. That meaning catches and maintains attention, a function required for any thought to reach an action potential and experienced or expressed. A thought is experienced through a variety of forms. For example, it stimulates the associative functions of the brain and leads to a number of associated thoughts. It also gets expressed internally in forms of states, which then get expressed externally in forms of emotions, and in the body as feelings and sensations. Thoughts also get expressed through actions, often through the mediation of feelings, or directly from thought to feeling, depending on the level of sensitivity or action potential of such a thought. Once we understand that our actions or behaviors eventually lead to our habits, which then determine our results and identity, we will be able to easily understand how what starts as nothing can eventually determine the results we have in our life. We will see these results in all the seven categories of our life, which can determine who we are, and can alter our life. What then started as nothing becomes something once perceived[1]. It is then given meaning, and such a meaning is maintained, is focused on, leading to the expression of thoughts, and from there the rest is history. When we fully understand this, we can see how there is nothing more important than: Understanding our relationship with our thoughts Understanding the mechanism of our thought action potential Understanding how to relate to our thoughts Understanding how to have a healthy relationship with our thoughts. Having a healthy relationship with our thoughts may be stated so often now that it may be experienced as a cliché. This means the notion of having a healthy relationship with our thoughts may have been losing its significance, its power, or its value. Yet, once again, if we understand that everything starts as nothing unless it’s perceived[2] and given meaning to, we’ll then start to appreciate further the impact of developing a healthy relationship with our thoughts. Here’s Why: It is common knowledge that how I perceive anything depends on my attitude about it; while my attitude about anything depends on my belief system. It is also common knowledge that my belief system consists of the number of beliefs I have about the different aspects of my life, and that each and every single one of these beliefs is nothing less than a thought. This means my attitude is a function of my thought. And since my perception is a function of my attitude, it is obvious that my perception is also a function of my thought. In other words, it starts with a thought, it is mediated by a thought, and it ends with a thought. How is it that it ends with a thought? Well, while on the right end of the belief pathway lies my habits, my results, and my identity. I am to remember that nothing is anything until it is perceived and given a specific meaning, conscious or unconscious. In other words, these habits, these results, or this identity that I assign myself, accordingly, are still Nothing. They are nothing and they will be nothing until I perceive them, consciously or unconsciously; then give meaning to them; and then focus on them, once again, either consciously or unconsciously. What this all means is that what my sense or my perception shows is truly nothing. This also means that what matters is how I relate to whatever my sense of my perception shows, and all this is a function of my relationship with my thoughts. There is a caveat: I may be perceiving without being aware that I am. I may be giving meaning without being aware that I am. I may be focusing on something without being aware that I am. And I may be expressing a number of thoughts through my feelings, I may be reacting to them, and I may be identifying myself with the whole process, without being aware of any of it. For it is happening unconsciously. Therefore, a healthy relationship with my thought entails a consciously healthy relationship with both my conscious and unconscious thoughts. Yet, how do I have a consciously healthy relationship with my unconscious thoughts when they are unconscious? The response to this question is at the core and demonstrates the importance of the mastery of Unconscious-based Interventions. The response to this question is, therefore, at the core of the practice of these interventions. When I perform Breath Scanning, I bring myself into a conscious state; and these thoughts that may have been unconscious may then start becoming conscious because I start to relate to my breathing, which is directly connected to my unconscious mind. When I perform Breath Awareness[3], I not only start relating to my breathing, but also to my unconscious mind, directly, bypassing all noise or barriers, and seeing what I would have never been able to see otherwise. Some important factors here are only how am I relating to the random thoughts that I have while I am in direct communication with my unconscious mind. Here’s part of the response to this last question: Practice is key Practice to help with this, requires consistency or regularity, frequency, and intensity Of course, regularity means daily. But frequency means a few times a day. Can you imagine how powerful, freeing and transformative it would be to be in direct contact with your unconscious mind in the morning, as you start your day, then in the middle of the day, and then at night before going to bed? Here’s part of the rationale for this: As you wake up in the morning, depending on how you were thinking the night before as you were getting ready to sleep[4], it may have been either a challenge or not for you to have a direct promoting contact with your unconscious mind, facilitating conscious-unconscious alignment. After an average of […]

The post Healthy Relationship with Thoughts and Foundation for Unconscious-based Interventions first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Recognizing, Breaking, and Eradicating Patterns

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sun, 12 Jun 2022 14:00:02 +0000

Desiring, a state common to all of us, can be tricky when one fails to understand some basic facts that are firmly rooted in and as demonstrated by neuroscience[1]. When we assume that we are thinking about something we want, how we are truly feeling about it is what actually tells us what we are really thinking about. This is because our brain responds best to emotions and least to words. The advertisement and news industries are very much informed about this piece of knowledge.[2] And they have used it effectively, often to our own detriment. When it comes to our patients, many of them report that they pray. Based on their report, it sounds like they are praying. They are asking for money, while feeling poor at the same time, and this is really not an effective way of praying. For because we see through our brain, our brain does not really know the difference between what we want and what we don’t want without relying upon the emotional input.[3] As Einstein says, “Vibration is the language of the universe, not words.”[4] This simple notion partly explains why we can become afraid even when there is nothing there in reality. Think about the last time someone you know walked into the room you were in and you didn’t hear them, and you then turned around and were startled. Or, better yet, think about being in a movie theater or at home, watching a horror movie. We can quite easily convince ourselves and then feel fear[5], even when it is not real. This in turn is related to how we use our words, and how many patients, who pray, seem to use their words. The secret of happiness, of fulfillment, and of success, is, therefore, indeed, rooted in the following: Pattern recognition Pattern breaking Pattern eradication These three steps which are the ultimate 3 goals of our New Psychotherapy Certificate Course are essential to end suffering, to express a state of empowerment, and to express fulfillment, and self-actualization. How fortunate we are to have access to this, and how happy we are to be able to help our clients access this powerful method. [1] Berridge, Kent C. “Wanting and Liking: Observations from the Neuroscience and Psychology Laboratory.” Inquiry (Oslo, Norway) vol. 52,4 (2009): 378. doi:10.1080/00201740903087359 [2] Ward, S. J. A. (2010, August 24). Emotion in reporting: Use and abuse. Center for Journalism Ethics. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://ethics.journalism.wisc.edu/2010/08/23/emotion-in-reporting/#:~:text=The%20emotions%20provide%20motivation%20for,the%20world%2C%20and%20summon%20help. [3] Morin, A. (2021, December 10). This is how your thoughts become your reality. Forbes. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/amymorin/2016/06/15/this-is-how-your-thoughts-become-your-reality/?sh=6a990521528a [4] Vibhavari. (2022, April 19). The vibration of words. HubPages. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://discover.hubpages.com/education/The-Vibration-of-words [5] Debiec, Jacek, and Joseph LeDoux. “Fear and the brain.” Social Research (2004): 807-818.

The post Recognizing, Breaking, and Eradicating Patterns first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Focus Scanning Inquiry

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sun, 05 Jun 2022 14:00:09 +0000

Descartes’s phrase, “cogito ergo sum,” which literally means, “I think therefore I am,[1]” can serve to remind us that, our brain is designed to enhance most of what we think about. This, in turn, translates into what popular parlance, including the business world, refers to as, “What we think about most of the time is what we become.” It does not matter whether what we think about is what we really want or is what we least desire.[2] “What we think about most of the time is what we become” is an often misunderstood piece of knowledge. One way to try to explain this is by using the basic knowledge of a thought. Our thoughts are associated with an action potential[3] in our brain circuit. And it is a basic scientific fact that motion in any system is never without an effect. If we understand that our brain works like a computer, then it may be easier to understand such a process. Do you remember the last time you bought your favorite car? Now, go back to before you began considering that car as the one you were going to purchase. If you look carefully, would you agree that you had barely noticed any car that looked like the one you eventually purchased? Now, let’s get to a few days or weeks after your purchase. Would you agree that you started to notice many cars that looked like yours, more often, more immediately, and those cars started to capture more of your attention? Because this is such a common phenomenon, we barely give any thought to it. Yet, it may be the most common example that most of us can identify with to explain what scientists call the availability heuristic[4]. This concept simply means that we are more likely to notice, pay attention to, or focus on, and ultimately assign higher importance to, that which is readily available. But “available,” not in the physical term; rather, perceptually. For example, before we decided we were going to own that car, it was not readily available, and our brain easily helped us ignore its presence even when someone else was driving it on the street. In other words, you do know that those cars were always there, even when you were not noticing them. You do know that it is less likely that everyone who owned the same type of car decided to drive it during the same period. You would agree that the latter situation is less likely to have occurred. Rather, what is more likely to have ensued is that because the car became available to you, in the sense that it started to have meaning for you, your brain got activated to ensure that you now start paying attention to it. And this is all possible thanks to a very sophisticated group of interconnected nuclei located throughout the brain, known as the Reticular formation[5]. In other words, our brain receives about 11 million bits of information per second and can process barely 2000 bits of them. What gets processed and what becomes conscious to you is what is likely to have had some form of a meaning to you. Food for thought? Many of us somehow know this but our life tends to fail to reflect such a piece of knowledge. This is despite the fact that countless CBT and several cognitive neuroscience studies have shown how perception and focus are the determining factors of our results and identity. As such, one of the simplest yet most important question we can ask is “what am I allocating most of my attention to?” This is known as Focus Scanning Inquiry. Are we focusing our attention on what we most desire or on what we least desire? And this is the most crucial question of all. [1] Gottlieb, A. (2006, November 13). Think again. The New Yorker. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/11/20/think-again-2 [2] Stevenson, T. (2022, May 17). What we think, is what we become. Medium. Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://tom-stevenson.medium.com/what-we-think-is-what-we-become-df58a698de99 [3] The action potential: The Brain’s most efficient game of telephone. BrainFacts.org. (n.d.). Retrieved June 2, 2022, from https://www.brainfacts.org/brain-anatomy-and-function/cells-and-circuits/2020/the-action-potential-the-brains-most-efficient-game-of-telephone-101220 [4] Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015. [5] Mangold SA, M Das J. Neuroanatomy, Reticular Formation. [Updated 2021 Jul 26]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK556102/

The post Focus Scanning Inquiry first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

The 2 Types of Interventions

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sun, 15 May 2022 17:00:05 +0000

“Why have I spent so much time doing all this and for such a long time, and it doesn’t even address my blocks? What is this all about?” Frustrated, Marlene asked this question of Rajvee, her therapist, after she had explained to her why she has not been getting the expected results from treatment. “You’ve been at this a long time, and you’ve done so much, and yes, it has not been addressing the blocks, and you are not getting the results that you have wanted from treatment.” Validated Rajvee. “In fact,” continued Rajvee, “it’s not even what you know as much as it is how you know it; and it is not even what you do as much as it is how you do it. In other words, it is more about knowing things and doing things a certain way.” What is that certain way of knowing and doing things, that Rajvee is alluding to? Below is a summary of what Rajvee is referring to: Science has gone a long way in understanding the brain, the mind, how it works, its mechanism, and how it contributes to who we are today. There is a lot of things that several scholars had suspected, but we had to wait for more scientific discovery, and technology to be able to truly understand them, learn how they work, and know how to apply them to as many people as possible. Science is not a crystal ball. It operates on a trial-and-error[1] basis. A scientist has a hypothesis and expects it to either be true or false. If it is found to be true, she expects it to be either confirmed with further data or contradicted and even rejected. This is why the saying in Science is, “The biggest truths of today are the biggest lies of tomorrow.” What are we to do? What’s the solution? Are we to be at the mercy of Science, continuing on a trial-and-error basis, when there is so much suffering, so much misery, and so much wasted potential? Fortunately, the answer is No. This is because there are two types of interventions for the mind; and regardless of what the modalities may be, they lie under these two broad categories. They are either Conscious-based or Unconscious-based interventions. Our Conscious-based interventions provide us with an indirect access to the unconscious mind[2], where 97% of all our mental processes take place; whereas, our Unconscious-based interventions provide us a direct access to our unconscious mind[3]. This means with our Conscious-based interventions, just like with our Scientific Method[4], a lot or trial and error is required; whereas, our Unconscious-based interventions, being direct, necessitate less of a trial-and-error process; promise a more straightforward and sure result, provide more stability, less relapse, and ensure a faster result with much less effort. SWEET’s New Psychotherapy Certificate Course emphasizes the Unconscious-based interventions. As a clinician, you’ll have the opportunity to: Become familiar with them Learn them Master them Help your clients implement them Help your clients master them Can you imagine unlocking the key to help your clients know and do a certain way that provides them with the results they want? Can you imagine giving your clients the opportunity to get direct access to their unconscious mind, bypassing their conscious mind? Stop imagining, make it real now. Join us today for our New Psychotherapy Certificate Course. Click HERE to enroll. [1] Redish, A. David. “Vicarious trial and error.” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 17.3 (2016): 147-159. [2] Searle, John R. “Consciousness, unconsciousness, and intentionality.” Philosophical topics 17.1 (1989): 193-209. [3] Robbins, Philip. “Consciousness and the social mind.” Cognitive Systems Research 9.1-2 (2008): 15-23. [4] Gauch Jr, Hugh G., Hugh G. Gauch Jr, and Hugh G. Gauch. Scientific method in practice. Cambridge University Press, 2003.

The post The 2 Types of Interventions first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

The Two Types of Understanding

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sat, 07 May 2022 21:41:13 +0000

There are two types of understanding to keep into account. The first one is an intellectual understanding, which involves thinking and assimilating ideas and information. An intellectual understanding is not pejorative in nature. It is important, it is a great first step, and it is encouraged. However, it is neither necessary nor is it enough. This is because of the second type of understanding, which is an experiential understanding, which can be defined as “learning through reflection and experience.[1]” Experiential learning emphasizes the individual learning process and has significant advantages. It provides us with a hands-on and personalized approach to learning that moves away from opinions, dogmas, unfounded beliefs, or just irrelevant facts. Why is it important to go from an intellectual to an experiential understanding as part of making the unconscious conscious? It is important because, through an experiential understanding, we can truly say we know. It goes beyond belief, thought, feeling, or perception. It goes beyond meaning, interpretation, associations, or socialization. Rather, it is getting to know something that has always been present in our unconscious mind but we were totally unaware of. What’s more, is the fact that sometimes we hear it, we understand it intellectually, but everything remains the same only because we are yet to understand it experientially. Having an experiential understanding means you have observed, reflected upon, and discovered for yourself[2]. This leaves you with a level of confidence, refinement, and discernment that is unmatched and that could not be accomplished otherwise. As such, we know firsthand, what’s working, what’s not working, why, what to do, and how to do it. It is as if we have discovered an internal compass or a natural pacemaker, which regulates our heart rate, at all times. Now, how do you go about getting the most out of your experiential learning? One concrete way to look at this is to borrow from David Allen Kolb[3], the Harvard-trained psychologist and professor, who has made many contributions in the field of experiential learning. Kolb answered the above question through the development of the Experiential Learning Model[4] which is composed of the following four elements: Concrete experience Observation of and reflection on that experience Formation of abstract concepts based upon the reflection Testing the new concepts. Needless to say, these four elements or steps are repeated over and over, leading to a level of wisdom (experience, knowledge, and adequate judgment) that is unparalleled. In our New Psychotherapy Certificate Course, you will have the opportunity to learn how to help your clients experience each of these four elements. Experiencing them for yourself will be your greatest asset in helping your clients do the same. You will learn how to have a concrete experience, using your breath awareness, and body sensations. You will learn how to best observe and reflect. You will learn what to do to best allow new discoveries to take place. And you will also learn how to go about testing these discoveries for yourself and help your clients do the same. Education consists of unlearning, relearning, and learning. We can go through such an educational process from conscious to unconscious or from the unconscious to conscious. The first approach requires a lot of repetition, a lot of effort, and a lot of trial and error; while the second approach is rather effortless, more efficient, and therefore faster. Combining these two approaches will absolutely achieve shocking and compelling results; while if you could only choose one approach, the second one is a critical and dependable step-by-step formula that guarantees unlimited results. Stay with us. Read the next article in this series: The Breath Awareness Method: The Why, for the next step in this step-by-step formula [1] Felicia, Patrick (2011). Handbook of Research on Improving Learning and Motivation. p. 1003. ISBN 978-1609604967. [2] Jacobson, M. & Ruddy, M. (2004) Open to outcome (p. 2). Oklahoma City, OK: Wood ‘N’ Barnes. [3] Loo, R. (2002). A Meta-Analytic Examination of Kolb’s Learning Style Preferences Among Business Majors. Journal of Education for Business, 77:5, 252–256 [4] Kolb, D. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. p. 21

The post The Two Types of Understanding first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

The Level of Awareness of Harmony

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Fri, 20 Aug 2021 10:48:48 +0000

Those with genuine compassion tend to view life through the lens of Harmony. [1] They are in rapport with everything, everyone, and every situation. They forgive everything and every one and do not remember grudges or the past. They live without a need to defend, justify, or explain anything to anyone. Rather, they work from the perspective that there is actually more to what our limited senses permit us to perceive. This degree of consciousness is known as Harmony. These individuals understand that there is no life outside them and their outside life is indeed the mirror image of their inside life. [2] As such, they are able to live in harmony with the forces of life. Instead of seeing themselves as victims or at the mercy of life, individuals at this degree of consciousness experience that everything “out there” is meaningless, except for the meaning they assign to it. [3] They, then, are active in life. They are fully engaged, and they know that they and life are One and that their role is to choose. Once they choose, they are confident and work in Harmony with life to express things on life’s own terms, without being impatient, doubting themselves, the process, or life, and without ever giving up. You, therefore, tend to see these individuals as always being calm because they are able to see the whole picture, all the time. Their life, or lifestyle, is characterized by stability, fairness, balance, and readiness. This is because they are and work in Harmony with life. Furthermore, these individuals at this degree of Harmony are less likely to go and rally against war, or hunger, or injustice in the world, and this is because they have already gone through the degree of Dichotomy-free. As such, they are happy to rally for peace, for wellness, and for love. [4] For at this degree, these individuals do not think in terms of good or bad, rather in terms of Harmony with life. They are therefore intrinsically motivated, are able to prioritize long-term goals over short-term ones, and they show a high level of discipline and mastery. They do all that without trying too hard, for they do it all in Harmony with life. For anyone familiar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, individuals are able to reach self-actualization when they are at the degree of consciousness of Purpose-drivenness. However, when they are at the degree above that—at the degree of Harmony—they are able to reach the last level that Maslow added to his hierarchy model. This level is known as Transcendence. Levels of Consciousness – Inquiries What are your overall thoughts on this level of Consciousness? What do you see for yourself? What do you see for your patients, and what does it take for you to help your patients shift? [1] Integral Institute. “An Overview of Developmental Stages of Consciousness.” Integral Without Borders, Integral Without Borders, 3 Apr. 2006, integralwithoutborders.org/sites/default/files/resources/Overview%20of%20Developmental%20Levels.pdf. [2] Kulstad, Mark, and Laurence Carlin. “Leibniz’s Philosophy of Mind.” The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University, 2020, plato.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/encyclopedia/archinfo.cgi? entry=leibniz-mind. [3] M.A., Stuart Sullins. Living in Conscious Harmony: A Spiritual Guide to Being in the Now. Living in Conscious Harmony, 2011. [4] The Harmony Project. “Harmony Within and Harmony Without.” The Harmony Project, The Harmony Project, 1 Oct. 2019, www.theharmonyproject.org.uk/harmony

The post The Level of Awareness of Harmony first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Purpose-Drivenness

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sat, 14 Aug 2021 03:13:58 +0000

Those at the degree of Dichotomy-free feel so satisfied, get along so well with others, and feel so confident about themselves and life, that they always do good work. However, the individuals who are at the degree above that, accomplish great work. This is because, at this next level, individuals feel inspired, inspire others, and live an inspiring life. They, therefore, have the urge to do their work, they do it effortlessly, while in the flow, and they tend to create masterpieces. They tend to deliver excellent work, be it a book, a painting, a song, a device, a speech, a presentation, or a lecture. These individuals do everything in life with confidence, and as such, say “Yes” to life, and are always willing to take part, and play an active role. They live life through the process of doing everything with intention and purpose. This degree of consciousness is known as Purpose-drivenness. Because of this, individuals who are at this degree of consciousness of Purpose-drivenness, tend to have success in everything they do. You may have seen or heard about some individuals who just grow fast, and whom people just love to have around. These individuals have gotten to this degree of consciousness because after having allowed themselves to be open-minded, to explore, learn, and grow, they have stopped seeing life through the lens of dichotomies. This, in turn, leaves them satisfied with life, and confident in life. This also leads them to overcome the struggles and conflicts that most of us have inside us that have been preventing us from saying “Yes” to life. At this level of awareness, individuals are devoted to take part in life. As already mentioned, individuals at the degree of Dichotomy-free, get along with others easily. This is because they never see anything wrong with anyone or anything. Individuals at the degree of Purpose-drivenness, also see nothing wrong with anyone or anything, and they tend to be very friendly, and friendly just for the sake of it. Just like those at the degree of Dichotomy-free, those at the degree of Purpose-drivenness, are not concerned when things do not seem to be going as desired. [1] They feel empowered, confident, are never afraid to start over if they have to. These individuals are also far enough removed from the degree of Defense-drivenness that they never feel that a certain type of job is beneath them. We once supervised a physician, who, on many occasions would take patients’ socks off herself, to examine them, help them fill out their HRA housing application, prepare for work interviews, escort them to appointments, advocate for them in Court, while also prescribing medication to them, and checking their labs. That same doctor was also often featured on national television, like The View, and often talked about a variety of topics, both in Medicine and about women. Just like this physician, individuals at the degree of Purpose- Drivenness tend to contribute to others and to society without expecting anything in return. [2] They do so as part of who they are and they are always confident to have whatever they need, whenever they need it. Yet, they don’t cease growing, they are very coachable, they bounce back very quickly, and always learn from their experience. They clearly understand that experiencing is part of the process of learning and growing in life. [3] They also are always ready to learn from others, while the whole community often looks to them for advice. Levels of Consciousness – Inquiries What are your overall thoughts on this Level of Consciousness? What do you see for yourself? What do you see for your patients, and what does it take for you to help your patients shift? [1] Bayda, Ezra, et al. Saying Yes to Life: (Even the Hard Parts). 1st ed., Wisdom Publications, 2005. [2] Schafer, Jack. “Love Is a One-Way Street Love Has No Expectations, so Betrayal Is Not Possible.” Psychology Today, Psychology Today, 13 Nov. 2014, www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/let-their-words-do- the-talking/201409/love-is-one-way-street. [3] Valdez, Lillian. “Are You Coachable? And, Why Does It Matter?” American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, 2 Jan. 2020, www.aaepa.com/2020/01/are- you-coachable-and-why-does-it-matter

The post Purpose-Drivenness first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.

Dichotomy-free

Mardoche Sidor, MD and Karen Dubin, PhD, LCSW — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 00:57:41 +0000

We tend to see the world in terms of dichotomies. [1] Good or bad. Right or wrong. Like or dislike. Good or evil. And the list goes on. The first step to knowledge is our ability to name things. [2] We started talking, saying things like, “dada,” “mamma,” “water,” “bottle,” “milk.” Naming proves that we are conscious. It gives the comfort that we think we have control over things, and it makes us feel “safe.” This step of naming is then followed by our ability to define things, which in turn, is followed by our ability to categorize, sort out, classify, or further label. [3] Little did we know that this third step of knowledge often becomes the basis for many of us to display a faulty and distorted way of seeing the world, ourselves and others. This faulty and distorted way is known as, dichotomy. Dichotomy entails sorting things out into their perceived opposites, seeing things through the lens of “all or nothing,” of “black and white,” or of “either here or not here,” without ever stopping to think of a grey area. While this has been a way of living for most of us, it has also been a handicap for us to really live life fully. Operating from a world of dichotomies leads to pain, misery, and suffering. Individuals who are at the level of Dichotomy-Free tend to live with satisfaction because they are not judging, and they are not judging because they no longer see the world as either black or white. These individuals have not only reached the preceding degree of consciousness, Open-mindedness, but also feel empowered to continue to grow, while also feeling satisfied with life, things, and people, the way they are, at any present time. These individuals are also satisfied with themselves, exactly the way they are, as they continue to grow and expand. For anyone to reach this degree of consciousness, it requires them to have given up the old and common way of seeing the world. It requires them to have become dichotomy-free, which also bears the name of this degree of consciousness. Individuals at this degree, therefore, enable themselves, but also enable life to take its course, without judging it. They are able to do that because they are not seeing things as “either/or.” As a result, individuals at this degree of understanding go through life trusting themselves, others, and life, which leads them to go through life through the process of freedom and emancipation. For they are no longer rigid. Rather, they are flexible, fully understanding that the world is too complex, too multidimensional, and too multifactorial to be reducing it to just a pair of opposites. Because of such a level of flexibility, individuals at this degree no longer have that level of vulnerability that individuals at the degree of Defense-drivenness would be subject to. For they are too malleable, adaptable, and amenable for anyone, or anything, to control or break them. As they are no longer caught in dichotomies, wasteful meanings, or useless oppositions, these individuals are able to use their energy to address real-life challenges instead of continuously making a big deal out of something insignificant, or being mad at life. As such, and even when addressing challenges, these individuals are consistently unmarried to results. “If I miss this train, then I’ll hop into the next one;” “If my partner breaks up with me, then I’ll find another one;” “If I don’t get this job, then I’ll have another one.” They are judgment-free and dichotomy-free. Anyone who has yet to reach this degree of consciousness may think this is a scary place to be. On the contrary, individuals living at this degree of consciousness, have a level of confidence, sense of safety, and sense of wellness. They also display a sense of comfort, wellbeing, independence, and freedom. Furthermore, because they are not interested in “getting their way,” the concepts of feeling conquered, or defeated, or frustrated, or scared, is foreign to them and absent from their vocabulary. They, therefore, do not feel intimated by anything or anyone; they do not feel the need to prove anything to anyone, and they know that life has its ups and downs, yet always ends up being, and will always be, enough. They don’t hope, or have faith, or believe. Rather, they know that things will always be for their own best interests. They know Nature works, and that this is what Reality is. Lastly, when around people, these individuals feel safe, they are easy to get along with others and are not interested in conflict. They also show little interest in disagreement, rivalry, or competition or in making others wrong, or in making them feel guilty. They, therefore, show a consistent control of their emotions; they never try to control others; and when dealing with others, they tend to practice what is known as non-interference. [1] Berlin, Sharon B. “Dichotomous and Complex Thinking.” Social Service Review, vol. 64, no. 1, 1990, pp. 46–59. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/30012066. Accessed 3 July 2021. [2] CogniFit. “Naming.” Naming- Cognitive Skill, 3 Jan. 2017, www.cognifit.com/science/cognitive-skills/naming. [3] Alessandroni, Nicolás. “The Development of Categorisation and Conceptual Thinking in Early Childhood: Methods and Limitations.” Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, Springer Nature, 22 July 2020, prc.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s41155-020-00154-9#citeas.

The post Dichotomy-free first appeared on SWEET INSTITUTE - Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals.