Just One Look Forum Archives

I want to point out that "nothing happens" when we look. While we normally think that nothing happening is a bust, or not what we are expecting, or not what we would prefer, we seldom notice if at all that "happens" is a verb. So "nothing happening" is pretty cool. We normally don't consider nothing to "happen". It has been my experience that when I experience this it is a glimpse of what it feels like to be "me".

The less I expected from the looking, the more it changed the way that I reacted to circumstances in my daily, working life.

Nice that we don't have to wait for the sense of self to be palpable, still, peaceful, and fulfilling all the time. It's impossible to look wrongly.

Hi David

When I first looked a couple of weeks ago I did not know I was 'looking' I was guided through the process by someone I know. I experienced a massive rush of emotion which made me cry which was destabilizing as I am not an emotional type of person. In fact I could not even drive my car for about an hour after this and had to go and sit somewhere before I went to work. This effect has passed now and I would say that it feels like a quiet sense of self. As I have mentioned in one of my other replies to you I feel quite agitated at the moment and the looking calms me down immediately although it has also caused this restlessness and concentration and a much more emotional state than I am used to. I am hoping this will pass.

Fiona:

Thank you for your post. As a psychologist I have worked with people and brought the act of looking into the process. In some cases there have been disturbing and upsetting experiences that followed. The risk is that these experiences are misinterpreted to be "dangerous", that they mean something, that something is happening that will hurt you, or that you will lose control, become overwhelmed, impulsively take action to escape. This is why it is so important to have support and be related to others for whom the "fever has broken", others who can assure you that you are never effected and have never been effected by what has come into to your experience. It is clear to me that as the fear departs and that which arises in thoughts, emotions, physical sensations begin to appear as just that which is "happening", rather than a threat that a state of well being, the natural state, a direct experience of life is occurring. The natural state is the experience of being a context of "openness". When we are experiencing uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or sensations as the looking does it work there is no concern and these experiences are simply part of the array of life. In the end all there is...is life...and it is clear that we are that and that is us. If you have looked the end is certain. Notice the thoughts and notice they are just thoughts, rather than you thinking, this provides some space to relax. I have found that as the recovery occurs that it is useful to do whatever will support you in just "relaxing" and allowing yourself to let your experience occur.

Stay in touch please and let us know how your doing.

Love.