Disentangling The Mind

An Integral Guide to Transform the Mind and Live Unperturbed

Introduction

You are not alone if you are tired of feeling stuck in patterns that seem to repeat over and over again in your life. Maybe you have tried everything you could, but true happiness seems far away, and nothing seems to work.

As a spiritual and mental health counsellor, who has worked with over 150 clients, I know that everyone experiences suffering in one way or another.

People who think they don’t suffer are probably sleepwalking and turning a blind eye to their suffering.

It seems like we suffer due to external reality, which may very well be the case in extreme situations. But in general, it is our mind that weighs us down.

And because it is within us, there’s a way out! This article introduces a big project, which deals with the problem statement mentioned below.

Problem Statement

“We suffer. We don’t exactly understand where the suffering comes from. And we need a way out.”

Suffering is a universal experience, but most of us don’t understand where it comes from. We need a way to diagnose the root cause of our suffering and find permanent relief.

The Vision: Disentangling The Mind

My vision is to map the entire consciousness landscape in a model that can be used to:

1. Understand how the layers of the psyche are formed
2. Recognise the conditionings which cause suffering
3. Get insights into their formations
4. Replace them with skilful behaviours
5. Become wise and prevent the growth of further suffering

Some more clarity on the Vision

Cognitive Shift > Perceptual Attainment

“Understanding is like a patch, it wears off.
Experiences are like the mist, they fade.
Realization is like space, unchanging.”
- saying in Tibetan Buddhism

Here, Cognitive Shift refers to a permanent realization that fundamentally changes how our mind perceives the world.

Whereas, Perception Attainment is taking the mind to some different state and abiding in it (like coping mechanisms.)

Many people get stuck and attached to perception attainments, like accessing altered states induced by drugs to escape life’s challenges. Yes, it makes you feel free, but for how long?

For example, if you are feeling disconnected (A), the aim is not to just feel better by going out with friends (B). Because being at B is a temporary perception attainment out of the main issue A.
The project aims to understand the experiential shift as you go from A to B. Thus, unveiling the entire landscape of the mental layers (why we are the way we are). Thereby, changing the relationship with mental contents, and providing freedom right where you are.

In other words, I want to help people move beyond coping mechanisms and achieve experiential knowledge of the roots of their suffering.

But of course, sometimes at an intermediate level, coping mechanisms can be used to cultivate stability so that the mind loosens its defence mechanisms.

For example, if a person is feeling disconnected (A) and not in a situation to honestly encounter the true reason for it, then instead of confronting the truth head-on, it is much better for the person to use some healthy coping mechanism to feel grounded (B). But once the stability is established, dissecting the real cause of the problem becomes the next step (changing relationship with A).

Experiential Causality > Conceptual Story

Moreover, as the project title suggests, it is about understanding how the mind unfolds. Thus, it will be more experiential and less philosophical.

For example, if you are getting angry in any situation, the story your mind makes of why you are angry is less important than understanding why the mind is making the story at the first place.

Who is it for?

The project will serve people from all walks of life, including:

1. Curious people who want to understand how the mind works
2. Psychotherapists (including psychedelic-assisted psychotherapists)
3. Psychologists
4. Meditators
5. Spiritual Teachers
6. People who are facing challenges in their life (the project is not intended to replace traditional therapy, but rather, to serve as a helpful supplement)

Modalities

As you can see, the project aims to cater to big communities from different viewpoints. To integrate them into a single unified model, the project will contain:

1. Case studies: the central theme of the project is to have lots of case studies about people to understand “how their minds evolved”
2. Psychology: Spiral Dynamics, 9 Stages of Ego Development, work by Ken Wilber and others
3. Spirituality and Meditation: Progress of Insight, Calmness vs Insight, Transcendence and Immanence etc.
4. Altered States: Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy, Breathwork etc.

The model will lean more towards the practicality of tools in a given situation, i.e. no one-size-fits-all approach.

Dissecting the Process

The project will cover the entire roadmap for smooth implementation:

1. Assessment: understanding where you are
2. Diagnosis: understanding the root cause of the current state
3. Plan: learning the skills to dissect the mind and uproot the cause
4. Evaluation and Iteration: mapping the progress and iterating the plan

Next Step: Case Studies

I am starting this project by writing anonymous case studies of the clients who have worked with me.

I am targeting to release 1 case study per week! Follow me to never miss any updates.

Open to Collaboration

The entire project will someday be weaved into a form of a book. It is a big task, and I am up for collaborations!

Please reach out if you are a professional, have conferences or workshops, have a like-minded online community, or have resources and ideas to collaborate on the project. Or refer me to those who may be interested in this initiative. Or if you want to work with me 1:1 on your personal growth journey.

Find out more about me: vismay.super.site
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Thank you for reading. Have a heartful day ahead!