Bruce,

With your expertise in integral and with Eastern thought and practice, I
would be interested to converse with you at some point about the clinical
applications of some of these practices. The clinical application of the
Advaitist meditation Self-Inquiry was the topic of my dissertation, and in
researching for that I found many publishings advocating the use of a
variety of methods, and while of course standardization of these practices
from a Western perspective is not going to be a great reflection of the
true practice in its culture, but aside from that many of these practices
(e.g., most Zen schools) are extremely standardized; yet the literature
does not reflect it.

I feel in therapy the I am-Am is distinction is nearly identical to the
distinction in acceptance and commitment therapy's Self--as-content vs
self-as-context (although as you noted even there the lines between content
and context as Pure Awareness vary quite widely). I have found in my work
that such a distinction can bring about profound transformations when one
defuses/unhooks/shifts/etc. from larger schemas and self-systems, and into
more "spiritual" realms, which is where I particularly wonder what you
think about where, as a clinician, should the line be drawn in how far we
take a client on the spiritual aspect of the therapeutic journey, which
cannot be factored out through standardization if the intervention is to
remain valid and effective. Now I would never try to "wake someone up" to
anything outside of what is clinically necessary, which likely does not
require full self-realization or those second tier consciousnesses to do,
but does that mean it shouldn't happen? I'm just wondering your opinion (I
will get Loch Kelly's book).

For the purpose of descriptive metaphysics, I see their relevance of I
am-Am is as essentially the 1st person vs 3rd person or UL vs UR
epistemologies. But, as I think you eluded to, the applications for Am is
are by definition content-dependent, which in my mind unify the two if one
concedes the inevitability of an awareness/consciousness-based ground of
being, though that's a different discussion almost entirely.


Regards,

Nicholas G. Lattanzio, Psy.D.


On Tue, Dec 21, 2021 at 11:44 AM Bruce Alderman <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> *CAUTION: *This email originated from outside of JMU. Do not click links
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> ------------------------------
> Hi, Gregg, I really appreciated this article, and I'm glad (with your
> credentials) you're sharing this kind of thing on PT.  For those who go
> into it, there are several layers or gradations of experience and insight
> that go with the "am is" -- meaning, some traditions draw distinctions
> between grosser and subtler levels of it.  Dream and sleep yogas are one
> way to get at these subtle meanings (both of which just involve working
> with 'awareness' in dream and deep sleep states).
>
> But for a very practical, innovative approach, rooted both in some of the
> highest contemplative practices but also contemporary psychological
> awareness, I'd recommend the book, "Shift into Freedom" by Loch Kelly.  He
> provides a lot of interesting exercises and tips for 'unhooking' from the
> self-related stream and exploring different dimensions (and implications,
> perceptual and psychological) of the 'am is.'
>
> (His use of "shift" provides a nice, though I think not directly related,
> echo to the work you've been doing with Rob Scott.  I'm going to be talking
> again with Rob very soon!)
>
> Best,
> B.
>
> On Sat, Dec 18, 2021 at 11:44 AM Henriques, Gregg - henriqgx <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
>> Hi Folks,
>>
>>   I put up this PT blog today on two streams of consciousness, the Self
>> Stream (I am) and the Pure Awareness Stream (Am Is).
>>
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.psychologytoday.com_us_blog_theory-2Dknowledge_202112_two-2Dstreams-2Dconscious-2Dawareness&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=Gt2xloWNUy60YoWamAiKQTP9UPCgcjuTh03nEAz5J7E&s=7lnz_N6rvbXDcrhLt8hfAnxtCFl1KO0vLzd7z23w8W0&e= 
>> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.psychologytoday.com_us_blog_theory-2Dknowledge_202112_two-2Dstreams-2Dconscious-2Dawareness&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=qmDtcv3pAvG2JAHQLvszlAtBKtdpGTUJtWZdEipXO-Q&s=Eki4AM1NL2FC6xSOsMfVtcFt4nMBVEFQk38VgTKcrcI&e=>
>>
>>
>>
>> Special thanks to Rob Scott for his work and guidance in this area,
>> G
>>
>>
>>
>> ___________________________________________
>>
>> Gregg Henriques, Ph.D.
>> Professor
>> Department of Graduate Psychology
>> 216 Johnston Hall
>> MSC 7401
>> James Madison University
>> Harrisonburg, VA 22807
>> (540) 568-7857 (phone)
>> (540) 568-4747 (fax)
>>
>>
>> *Be that which enhances dignity and well-being with integrity.*
>>
>> Check out the Unified Theory Of Knowledge homepage at:
>>
>> https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.unifiedtheoryofknowledge.org_&d=DwIFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=Gt2xloWNUy60YoWamAiKQTP9UPCgcjuTh03nEAz5J7E&s=dhV9xczJohnVzFgofA2uQI2rQ-GSZtqE6hKrehLjNXI&e= 
>> <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.unifiedtheoryofknowledge.org_&d=DwMFaQ&c=eLbWYnpnzycBCgmb7vCI4uqNEB9RSjOdn_5nBEmmeq0&r=HPo1IXYDhKClogP-UOpybo6Cfxxz-jIYBgjO2gOz4-A&m=qmDtcv3pAvG2JAHQLvszlAtBKtdpGTUJtWZdEipXO-Q&s=gXCRv02D3Qh-pwwjCWHSqg-2bMilJfARdYBAlfpRPq0&e=>
>>
>>
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