Category Archives: Self-Improvement

These are exercises that one may apply to oneself to improve.

KHTK 5: ATENCIÓN

June 9, 2011 – 9:28 PM

La atención no óptima es un indicador poderoso de dónde debería uno mirar.

 

TEORÍA

La atención nos ayuda a hacernos conscientes de las cosas. Normalmente nos es posible dirigir nuestra atención libremente y ponerla donde sea que queramos. Éste es el estado óptimo de la atención.

La atención cae hacia un nivel no óptimo cuando se mantiene regresando a una misma cosa. Por ejemplo, cuando uno no se siente bien físicamente la atención se queda más o menos fija en el cuerpo.

La atención tampoco es óptima cuando no se puede enfocar. Por ejemplo, cuando uno pierde su trabajo, el futuro repentinamente se vuelve incierto y la atención se dispersa entre muchas cosas.

CUANDO LA ATENCIÓN NO ES ÓPTIMA, YA SEA QUE SE ENCUENTRE FIJA O DISPERSA, SIEMPRE HAY UNA SITUACIÓN O CONDICIÓN QUE NECESITA RESOLVERSE. 

Entonces, la atención no óptima puede ser usada como indicador para determinar dónde mirar más cercanamente. Uno puede entonces descubrir inconsistencias que necesitan resolverse. Una inconsistencia sería algo que no tiene sentido. Los siguientes pasos pueden ser útiles: 

  1. Mira el área general en la que la atención no es óptima.
  2. Determina cuidadosamente el propósito básico de esa área.
  3. Visualiza cuál sería la escena ideal si ese propósito se estuviera cumpliendo.
  4. Nota las inconsistencias que ahora se hayan hecho visibles.

Simplemente hazte consciente de las inconsistencias. Luego repite los pasos anteriores para cada área de inconsistencia hasta que nada esté escondido o suprimido y la atención esté libre y estable.

 

APLICACIÓN

En ausencia de un compañero puedes hacer este ejercicio por ti mismo. El guía puede ayudar al estudiante de la siguiente manera: 

(A) Repasa la sección de teoría con tu estudiante.

  1. Responde sus preguntas de la mejor manera que te sea posible.
  2. Revisen los materiales de teoría hasta que no queden preguntas sin resolver.
  3. Asegúrate de que el estudiante entiende los puntos principales destacados en negritas en la sección de teoría.

(B) Haz que el estudiante haga los ejercicios en secuencia.

  1. Guía al estudiante a través de los ejercicios.
  2. Haz que el estudiante mire cuidadosamente cada área de atención no óptima. Déjalo descubrir y experimentar las inconsistencias hasta que su atención esté libre y estable.
  3. Mantén una comunicación abierta y amigable acerca de la experiencia que está teniendo el estudiante en el ejercicio.

 

EJERCICIOS

ESTOS SON LOS EJERCICIOS PARA KHTK 5. UN EJERCICIO ESTÁ COMPLETO CUANDO EL ESTUDIANTE ESTÁ SATISFECHO DE HABER REALIZADO TODOS LOS PASOS

Ejercicio 5-1

Recorre tu casa, y localiza áreas de atención no óptima. Aplica los cuatro pasos enlistados en la sección de teoría hasta que no quede nada escondido o suprimido en esa área. Experimenta completamente lo que aparezca hasta que la atención esté libre y estable. 

Ejercicio 5-2

Realiza una caminata en tu vecindario, y localiza áreas de atención no óptima. Aplica los cuatro pasos enlistados en la sección de teoría hasta que no quede nada escondido o suprimido en esa área. Experimenta completamente lo que aparezca hasta que la atención esté libre y estable. 

Ejercicio 5-3

Haz un recorrido en el parque. Mira objetos tan lejanos como tus ojos alcancen a ver, y localiza áreas de atención no óptima. Aplica los cuatro pasos enlistados en la sección de teoría hasta que no quede nada escondido o suprimido. Experimenta completamente lo que aparezca hasta que la atención esté libre y estable. 

Ejercicio 5-4

Visita una cafetería, observa los alrededores, y localiza áreas de atención no óptima. Aplica los cuatro pasos enlistados en la sección de teoría hasta que no quede nada escondido o suprimido. Experimenta completamente lo que aparezca hasta que la atención esté libre y estable. 

Ejercicio 5-5

Recorre lugares en los que haya mucha gente, como el mercado, la estación de autobuses o el aeropuerto, discretamente observa las personas y los alrededores, y localiza áreas de atención no óptima. Aplica los cuatro pasos enlistados en la sección de teoría hasta que no quede nada escondido o suprimido. Experimenta completamente lo que aparezca hasta que la atención esté libre y estable.

 

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By vinaire | Also posted in Spanish | Comments (0)

Approach to Looking #2

April 12, 2011 – 6:33 AM

October 2, 2013: This essay has been superseded by:

KHTK EXERCISE #3: Unwanted conditions

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When no incident, confusion, shift or shock comes up in Approach to Looking #1 then approach as follows:

(1)   Look at the area absorbing most of your attention, and locate

(a)   Persons attached or connected to it

(b)   Places or locations attached or connected to it

(c)   Incidents or events attached or connected to it

(d)   Times or moments attached or connected to it

(e)   Situations or circumstances attached or connected to it

(f)    Anything else that comes to mind in connection with it

(2)   If at any time you spot when the condition, which is absorbing most of your attention, started then make a note of the fact.

(3)   If the attention goes back again and again to the moment when that condition started then apply Approach to Looking #1 to that area.

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By vinaire | Comments (0)

Approach to Looking #1

March 28, 2011 – 7:21 PM
August 17, 2014
This issue is now obsolete. For latest reference please see: Handling Unwanted condition.

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Here is an approach to looking that one may use to target a specific condition. The condition could be a psychological symptom that one wants to get rid of; or some circumstance that is preventing one from being more oneself. In either case, it takes looking to discover what underlies that condition.

The steps are as follows.

(1) Locate the area that is absorbing most of one’s attention.

This is an area where one’s attention is usually fixed, or keeps returning to; but where one finds it difficult to focus on details. This is usually the area of unwanted condition. See ATTENTION.

(2) Locate in that area a traumatic incident or major confusion.

Do not go digging in your mind for this information. Usually such information is right there. It will come up easily when you look for it. See INTRODUCTION TO LOOKING and LOOKING AND THINKING. If no such information comes up then apply APPROACH TO LOOKING #2.

(3) Locate in that incident or confusion a major shift of some kind.

This may be a sudden shift in one’s outlook. Or, there may even be a shift in one’s personality. There is some major influence that took place, the effect of which was looked upon as a solution at that time. See if such a shift is right there to be found. If there is no such shift then apply APPROACH TO LOOKING #2..

(4) Locate the moment of shock (surprise or realization) that may have triggered that shift.

This could be something that happened out of the blue. If such an instance comes to view then experience it fully several times. There may be emotional discharge. Do not resist. Just experience it. If no such instance comes up then apply APPROACH TO LOOKING #2..

(5) Locate a point during that shock when all perceptions and feelings seem to freeze.

If such a point of freeze comes up then fully become aware of it . The purpose of these five steps is to zoom to the core of this area of non-optimum attention without speculating. If no such point comes it is still okay to continue, because the above purpose is already served.

(6) Look for any hidden information in and around that shock and shift.

Information can get submerged due to the element of shock and surprise. Simply relax and look around without digging. If this information is there, it would appear as you put your attention in the area of shock and shift.

(7) Look for any suppressed information in and around that shock and shift.

An idea or impulse is suppressed if you wouldn’t let it out. Simply relax and look around to see if you suppressed your thoughts, ideas or emotions during those moments of shock and ensuing shift. Be totally non-judgmental when looking. Honestly become aware of what is there regardless of any thoughts about the matter.

(8) Look for feelings and emotions in and around that shock and shift that are still persisting.

One may find intense feelings and emotions around such shock and shift. But if they are no longer there then so be it. However, if any feeling or emotion from that shock and shift is still persisting then look at it more closely. Notice if that feeling or emotion seem to be coming from some location in or on the body, or away from the body in space. There may or may not be such a location. In any case, fully experience that feeling or emotion without resisting. Don’t try to get rid of it or do anything with it. Just experience it. Continue until the feeling or emotion seems to discharge. Then check this step again until all such feelings and emotions are addressed.

(9) Non-judgmentally acknowledge ideas, thoughts, decisions, messages, etc., that show up.

During the above step if any ideas, thoughts,decisions, or messages appear then acknowledge their presence unconditionally. Be totally non-judgmental. Do not avoid. Do not try to figure out anything. Simply acknowledge what comes up. 

(10) Look for efforts in and around that shock and shift that are still persisting.

One may also find, around that shock and shift, effort to do something or to prevent something from happening. If no such effort is there then so be it. However, if such an effort is there and it is still persisting then experience it without resisting.

Non-judgmentally and unconditionally acknowledge the presence of ideas, thoughts, decisions, messages, etc., which might appear during this step.

The above steps help one become aware of the psychological structure that is supporting one’s unwanted condition and keeping it there. With this awareness come insights. With those insights comes relief and better perception. This is followed by lessening and even disappearance of the unwanted condition.

Here’s to a lot of fun with looking!

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By vinaire | Tagged | Comments (0)

The Psychology of Fantasy

March 27, 2011 – 1:46 PM

Reference: Wikipedia – Psychoanalysis
Reference: Wikipedia – Fantasy (psychology)

“Freudian psychoanalysis refers to a specific type of treatment in which the “analysand” (analytic patient) verbalizes thoughts, including free associations, fantasies, and dreams…”

A psychoanalytic patient is encouraged to verbalize his or her fantasies so that the psychoanalyst may induce the unconscious conflicts causing the patient’s symptoms.

But, fantasy is basically imagination. It is a visualisation of desired scenarios and conditions.

“Fantasy in a psychological sense is broadly used to cover two different senses, conscious and unconscious. In the unconscious sense, it is sometimes spelled “phantasy”…

“… He [Sigmund Freud] considered that men and women ‘cannot subsist on the scanty satisfaction which they can extort from reality. “We simply cannot do without auxiliary constructions”, as Theodor Fontane once said…[without] dwelling on imaginary wish-fulfillments’. As childhood adaptation to the reality principle developed, so too ‘one species of thought activity was split off; it was kept free from reality-testing and remained subordinated to the pleasure principle alone. This activity is fantasying…continued as day-dreaming. He compared such phantasising to the way a ‘nature reserve preserves its original state where everything…including what is useless and even what is noxious, can grow and proliferate there as it pleases’.

But fantasy is essential to bringing about a new and improved reality. All progress in science and humanities has come about as a result of fantasies.

“Daydreams for Freud were thus a valuable resource. ‘These day-dreams are cathected with a large amount of interest; they are carefully cherished by the subject and usually concealed with a great deal of sensitivity…such phantasies may be unconscious just as well as conscious’. He considered ‘These phantasies include a great deal of the true constitutional essence of the subject’s personality’ and that the energetic man ‘is one who succeeds by his efforts in turning his wishful phantasies into reality’, while the artist ‘can transform his phantasies into artistic creations instead of into symptoms…the doom of neurosis’.”

To fantasize is a natural function of the mind. A fantasy may simply indicate the area where a person’s attention goes to, and that’s about it.

The source of psychological symptoms may be determined as follows:

(1) First spot the key area where a person’s attention is either fixed or where it cannot be focused.

(2) Then look further into that area of non-optimum attention for inconsistencies.

(3) Keep looking until all inconsistensies are found and resolved.

No verbalization or analysis is needed. All that is required is looking per Attention.

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Glossary

Fantasy
Origin: “a making visible, display.” Fantasy is basically imagination, especially when extravagant and unrestrained. It is a visualisation of desired scenarios and conditions. Fantasy is essential to bringing about a new and improved reality. All progress in science and humanities has come about as a result of fantasies. 

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By vinaire | Comments (0)

Talk and Relief

March 26, 2011 – 2:11 PM

Reference: Wikipedia – Psychoanalysis

“Freudian psychoanalysis refers to a specific type of treatment in which the “analysand” (analytic patient) verbalizes thoughts, including free associations, fantasies, and dreams, from which the analyst induces the unconscious conflicts causing the patient’s symptoms and character problems, and interprets them for the patient to create insight for resolution of the problems.”

From my experience, it is not necessary for a person to verbalize his or her thoughts, and invite someone else to analyze them for him or her, in order to obtain relief.

A person knows his or her own self better than anybody else ever could. All the answers one would ever need are available to the person from within himself or herself. One only needs to wade through one’s confusions to finally spot those answers.

So, no analysis is needed, nor any advice. What may be needed is guidance on how to go about looking, and some friendly encouragement to keep on looking untill the answers are found. Neither guidance nor encouragement lead to violation of a person’s privacy.

One does not have to verbalize one’s intimate thoughts to obtain relief.

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By vinaire | Comments (0)