Opus Cum Sui—Working with Self

Written By Sean Travis

Behavioral conditioning has been instrumental in shaping, and currently guiding (mostly) society, i.e. industry, schooling, marketing, and, even, parenting. Reflecting into our self (communicating with ourself) is essential in developing a relationship with ourself, others, and the world.

Introspection is fundamental. How we practice is key in shaping how life is experienced. Do we ask ourselves these questions? “Have I been conditioned to focus externally for solutions, solely?”, or “How do I think (process)?”.

Humans are dynamic. Learning to work with our self—the ego, spirit, soul, etc., and the various ways we respond to our environments, as they change too, is essential in developing our personal blueprint/path/ guide through our life.

I hear quite a bit, “I’ve been in therapy for so long, and see, I am still talking about this? “. Why can’t I let it go?”. I believe a factor, which is overlooked to a degree, is how we experience. How we feel in the moment is bypassed and the load is shifted entirely into cognitive processing, with a drive focused solely on a behavioral outcome (driven to soothe a feeling, ironic?).

Side note: It can be extremely difficult to process sensory input when alert systems are activated (sympathetic nervous system) due to the frontal cortex going offline, seen on fMRI scans, and the amygdala highly activated, simultaneously. Neurologically, this is why we are stuck, basically. #neuropsychology #harvardmedicalschool

I am discovering, from observations, that tapping (tactus) into ourselves, checking with how we feel, allows a natural release to be experienced while processing a shocking, unnerving event. #taoism #theway

I will be posting more on steps to tap (tactus) into our self (sui), based on self-observations of practice outcomes, as well as personal outcomes and discoveries from self-reflections. #anxiety #mentalhealth American Psychological Association #personalgrowth #systemsthinking

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7045075788538245121

Photo: Dilek Önder

Sean Travis

Over the years, I have experienced remarkable people sit with me and detail deep, meaningful memories. In many cases, these memories are attached to strong emotions which may distort the person's perception of themselves. I firmly believe that any person who makes a conscious decision to engage in therapy demonstrates strength. Time after time, I have witnessed these same people recognize the resiliency within themselves—that has always been there!

https://newpathscounselingmhs.com
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