Recapitulation of the Paradigm Notes from Group - Part 3

We suffer in life because we are not up to date, but instead carry around unfinished business from the past that we project onto present situations. This past is present in the form of psychological representations about self and others, object representations that form the core beliefs from which we live our lives. We are, however, often unaware of the extent of these beliefs and the impact they have on each moment of our lives, much like the fish who is unaware of the water in which it swims. Functioning to create the environment in which we live, these deep psychological representations not only operate constantly across situations but also are intimately woven into the process of perception at the most elemental level.

The work of making these core beliefs more available consists of:

1. finding these patterns as embodied in the musculature
2. placing attention on them, and
3. letting the attention rest there.

It is not easy to follow this sequence. When we become distracted from these tasks, we might simply place our attention once again on the body, especially attending to the patterns of muscular contraction and the emotions associated with them. If this is difficult, an alternative is to shift the attention to the neutral object of meditation, the breathing, in order to interrupt the distraction that took our attention away from our immediate somatic process. In this way we can return to somatic inquiry with a fresh mind.

The remainder of our group will elucidate how these elements can work together, both exploring further the experience of meditation on the breathing and also the healing qualities of touching fully on the experience of the core beliefs. One preview of coming attractions involves the approach that by staying with the painful aspects of the core beliefs and fully experiencing how they operate in our life, we can connect with the good qualities that are at their root. From this point of view, we do not get rid of the bad and develop the good, but rather discover the continuity that joins them together.