Kindle Notes & Highlights
Read between
February 1 - February 20, 2022
Whatever the description, for the SEALs, once that switch was flipped, the experience was unmistakable. Their awareness shifted. They stopped acting like individuals, and they started operating as one—a single entity, a hive mind.
Metaphors and models will go only so far. As a human being, you are already a constellation of selves, and the totality of who you are has already established many working protocols to get you this far through life. If you can see into how and why you—as the collective you—already tick, you can home in on what is already working and simply do more of that. Or, you can consider what might not be working so well and experiment with toning that down a notch or two.
“examples of triggers for switching [between selves] include a color, touch, sexual arousal, the need to perform a specific function, the company of certain people, a specific emotion such as fear or anger, looking in the mirror, hearing a baby cry, a phone call from a past abuser, physical pain, having a bath, and a psychotherapy appointment.”
When I have insomnia, I say inside: “OK. I need to go to sleep now. Could those who want to stay awake, go somewhere else now? . . .Great! I’m sleepy now. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
Before we developed this way to cooperate, I had thought I could never develop any system management until I identified who was who. . . . Now we have a great system of cooperation going! Requesting, not dictatorship. They can make the decision whether to cooperate or not. Here is how I/We do it: Always thank them as soon as I can. I don’t ever ask any “who?” questions, because that scares them. I say, “Those who . . .”—Those who can drive, those who know how to use the computer, those who remember about this, etc.
always word the request in the positive—without using not or don’t or any negative words, because they get confused by negative words. I ask for them to come (or tell them they can leave) right at the time they are needed, not an hour ahead or a day ahead, because they don’t understand anything except present. I tell them how long I need them by telling them “as long as the body” or “until the body” statements.
you can focus on the distinctions between the two major approaches, voluntary shifting and working with selves in place. Then, you can add in the third meta-level practices of centering and developing presence.
