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 or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and know the content is safe.

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://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/202112/two-streams-conscious-awareness

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://www.unifiedtheoryofknowledge.org/

############################
To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1

############################
To unsubscribe from the TOK-SOCIETY-L list: write to: mailto:[log in to unmask] or click the following link: http://listserv.jmu.edu/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=TOK-SOCIETY-L&A=1