What is Waking up?
A real-life example
“Man's task is to become conscious of the contents that press upward from the unconscious.” — Carl Jung
As you know I am writing a book titled “Wake the F Up.” It’s about the evolutionary process that most humans go through in their lives (if they are lucky).
But what is waking up? And what are we actually waking up from?
In this article I provide a real-life example and describe the typical phases people go through on the path to waking up. I am sure you will recognize yourself or family members here and see how waking up can change your life.
Let’s say you have a problem. Let’s says it’s depression. It’s not really bad, but when it hits you lose your joy for life. You call in sick to work and just want to sleep. You cry a lot and wonder if you are going crazy.
Phase 1. Eat, sleep and rest. As a first step, you might just try to sleep it off. Perhaps your doctor told you that you just needed more sleep, better food and more exercise. So you eat a salad, go for a long walk and promise yourself that you will build healthy habits into your daily life.
Phase 2. Think your problem away. The next time you get depressed, it hits you harder and lasts longer. This time, you might talk to a friend or a therapist. They will likely remind you that everyone gets depressed on occasion and most get over it. They might recommend a video, a book or another professional.
Most advice at this phase entails using your thinking to lift your depression. You might learn about how your thoughts and unconscious beliefs impact you. You might even learn how to surface these thoughts and beliefs, question them and replace them. You know the mantra, “change your thoughts; change your life.” Some folks might say things like, “It’s all in your mind” and “Quit being a victim to your thinking.”
Although these methods and talk-therapy help, as we all know, it’s often difficult to shift thinking and mental habits often return. My personal ah-ha moment on popular self-help books occurred when I realized that if we only needed to change our thoughts (and this was easy to do) then we would all be problem-free by now.
“One should use information and logic as a drunkard would use a lamp post, only for support, not for illumination.” Sadhguru – Inner Engineering
I suggest here that unless these techniques get to the root of the problem (which is the human condition) they can only do so much. Having said this, there are many powerful techniques, including depth psychology, that go much deeper by using somatic, emotional and body-based methods, I discuss these later as useful tools to waking up.
Phase 3. Go beyond thinking. Let’s say that the next time you get depressed, it’s much worse. You might begin to think that things are hopeless. You may realize that you have a hormonal or chemical imbalance and that certain drugs can relieve your depression.
You might also try things like EMDR, EFT, Hypnosis, Reiki, plant-medicine and other modalities that do not require thinking. They go beyond your mind. In many cases they go around your mind and delve into your energy body, neurology or cells and can even “re-program” you. Some of these techniques are highly effective and many of these modalities might relieve your depression.
As for hypnosis, I am a fan of Bruce Lipton, Joe Dispenza and Gregg Braden. Each are experts on the power of the unconscious mind and each has engaged in extensive research on how our minds work and how we can shift harmful unconscious beliefs. Yet for many of us, these techniques don’t come easily. Months later, habits can return. It’s up to you to decide whether these techniques work for you.
Many folks try all of these strategies over many years. Many others get exhausted by all the effort, and come to accept that they are doomed to suffer from depression their whole life. Some, however, move onto phase 4, which is waking up.
Phase 4. Waking up to the human condition
In my case, I tried almost everything before turning to the wisdom of mystics and philosophers. My breakthrough in understanding occurred while reading over a hundred books and integrating what I learned. In a nut shell, this is what I found out:
All humans suffer from a thing called “the human condition” (including the egoic-mind state) and unless we recognize this, we will never truly end our suffering. We humans are designed to live in bliss, but our egoic-state-of-mind stands directly in our way. It does things like create a “false self” then defend it endlessly – often causing us to live in constant fear. However, each of us has the capacity to break free and liberate our minds. Indeed it’s an evolutionary process.
As for depression, a person who is “awake” might see his depression from a different perspective. He may not even label it as a “problem” and allow the sensations to move through his body. He might accept that it is showing up for a reason and might sit with the difficult feelings, thoughts and beliefs that accompany it. He might focus on the present moment (where no problem exists) rather than the past (guilt) or future (worry). He may be able to let go of memories and emotions with self-compassion and forgiveness. Finally, he might observe or witness himself from above and see how the depression can be resolved from a higher sense of self. And these are just a few ways in which waking up might help.
The bottom line is this: Although many techniques and modalities resolve our pain and suffering, waking up to our human condition can be a highly impactful and enduring solution. As we wake up to this condition and its accompanying egoic-mind state (sometimes called the “veil of illusion’), we can not only reduce suffering but liberate our minds and live with clarity and ease.
For those who wish to learn more, I invite you to read some of my favorite authors such as Byron Katie (Loving What Is); Eckhart Tolle (A New Earth); Michael Singer (The Untethered Soul); Michael Brown (The Presence Process); and Marianne Williamson (A Return to Love).
Stay tuned.
In my next entries I talk about:
What is the human condition?
How to transcend the human condition?
The many benefits of waking up.
Thank you for joining me.