Awareness is the first step to heal or change

Awareness is, above all, an awakening. It is opening your eyes from the inside to make the unconscious conscious and thus be able to take the step and initiate a much-needed personal revolution. Only then will we be able to heal ourselves, to let go of what hurts and, simply, move towards what we deserve.

There are many philosophers and sociologists who define today’s society as a sleeping entity. We live focused on our “I”, but it is a self that others have taken it upon themselves to “narcotize” through the threads of consumerism. A foreign interest that has exploited that eternal dissatisfaction, for which we always long to achieve much more than what we already have.

It may be so. Perhaps we are a “Matrix” type society, always immersed in a state of indefinable apathy. An interior atmosphere in which we satisfy emotional voids through food pleasure, in which we alleviate loneliness with ephemeral relationships or where we limit ourselves to evading boredom through the momentary catharsis of our mobile or computer games. Maybe.

Some may think so, however, there is something that is becoming increasingly evident: There are many people who seek to give authentic meaning to their existence. To do this, they do not hesitate to cultivate themselves through readings, to start therapies, to take advantage of the approaches of different psychological perspectives with which to find that understanding, that “enlightenment” to disconnect from the ordinary and achieve the extraordinary.

We propose you to reflect on it: we propose you to WAKE UP.

Awareness, a necessary step in our personal growth

In psychotherapy, one of the primary aspects of the healing process is to make the person aware of of the real problems that generate your discomfort. When you come to see a psychologist, you are generally very clear about the “external” sources of your discomfort, your unhappiness. (my partner doesn’t understand me, my parents overwhelm me, my boss undervalues ​​me, I don’t have a job and society seems to have forgotten about me…).

However, The good professional must accompany that person towards new internal “awakenings” in which to give you authentic and much fuller control of your life. Now, this is not exactly an easy process..

It takes time to achieve what Gestalt Therapy defines as “aware”(realize something) or that even Japanese culture translates as “satori”, a process of deep understanding that requires removing layers and old rusty links to overcome all the blockages that prevent our authentic being from emerging, our still dormant essence.

Awareness was also a key aspect in Piaget’s theories. He defined it as that delicate and complex process by which people go from an instrumental knowledge of our reality to a more intimate, abstract and significant conceptualization of things.

Still today, These approaches are still very present and, in turn, are deeply rooted in that idea of ​​“awakening”, that understanding or “insight” which Lao Tse himself defined through 4 phases: sleep-wake-self-awareness and objective consciousness.

Is about an inner journey very similar to the one defined by Plato in the myth of the cave. It is moving from that universe of sensations, self-deceptions and shadows to a much higher, free and authentic sphere. We explain below how to achieve it.

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The relief of awakening or reconstruction

We quoted Piaget a moment ago. In his texts on genetic psychology he cites a concept that can be very useful to us: it is the cognitive unconscious. Although it reminds us a bit of Freudian theories, the father of genetic epistemology offers us a valuable approach to reflect on: awareness is not really an “awakening”, nor an enlightenment.

It is not just about making the unconscious conscious, but rather giving it a new construction.. For example, I can become aware of one of my limitations: my inability to set limits or say “NO.”

Making this dimension conscious will be of no use to me if I do not give it a purpose., which is nothing more than exercising change, rebuilding that part of “I” to heal myself, to have greater control over my reality when leaving that cave of “shadows” and unhappiness. Let’s now see how to generate this process of awakening and reconstruction.

The three phases of awareness

This awareness process may seem simple, it is only superficially so.. Above all, it requires being honest with ourselves at all times.

The first step requires opening our eyes from our most intimate and deep area. We talk about the emotional world. Ask yourself what you feel, explore sensations, feelings; Ask your body, your headaches, that discomfort in your stomach… Translate those symptoms into words (fear, anguish, restlessness…)The second step requires you to observe what is happening outside you. Observe your present and pay attention to the obvious, that which sometimes we refuse to look face to face.: My partner shows coldness, I have friends who do care about me, I am investing time and effort in things that are not worth it…The third step is the most complex. You already know what you feel, what happens outside you. It’s time to delve into your defensive barriers, your prejudicesin your attitudes, those that wrongly tell you that it is better to endure than to change, that it is better to turn your face away, stay still and remain silent for fear that things will change.

Face yourself. We ourselves are our worst enemies, so it will be of no use to be aware of your weaknesses if you do not dare to transform them into strengths. Be responsible, gather courage and heal yourself: make the change.

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Images courtesy Nuck Asher, Art New Age