If you ever want to get the 'true' scoop on what the majority and/ or the most vocal in the cultures around you think of a certain topic, I suggest a visit to Wikipedia be included in your due diligence. It is highly informative in this way because readers have the power to edit and to challenge the entries. Here is what Wikipedia has to say about the 'present moment' as it may apply to modern psychology and adjunct 'spiritual' practices: "Buddhism and many of its associated paradigms emphasize the importance of living in the present moment — being fully aware of what is happening, and not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. This does not mean that they encourage hedonism, but merely that through constantly focusing on one's current position in space and time (rather than future considerations, or past reminiscence) will aid one in relieving suffering. A number of meditative techniques aim to help the practiser live in the present moment."
This is very interesting to me, because TRUE awareness would not discriminate along a timeline. This erring notion discounts true presence. If you are bothered right now by some reminiscence, are you not bothered IN THE PRESENT MOMENT? Well, of course you are! Yet, most of us do not hear this bit of truth, not even from our therapists, even though it is common sense. It is very sad, and often devastating, that we hear of 'mindfulness', only to then have it related, with the above mentioned discrimination, strictly to the present moment (as defined by the therapist to exclude a self-state or a trauma that is trying to break into consciousness in pursuit of integration). Interventions like these are nothing more than a culturally sanctioned and cleverly disguised command to uphold dissociation. The big question to ask in such a case is - Whose dissociation? The client's or the therapist's? Well, I think the answer is both. In upholding the client's dissociation, the therapist protects his own. I think this is a disaster. It is very common, but so are many, many other things that undermine health and integrity. It doesn't mean they should just be accepted, though. Sometimes the status quo is colossally fucked up. And where does this leave us? It leaves us with the dissociative and traumatized person being the one to bear the ultimate burden of adult responsibility when they have to write an article like this one to blow the lid off the shameful 'secret' in so many therapies and perverted philosophies.
Sometimes I wish I could start over with my therapist, but I know the dissociative danger in such a wish. Even so, if I could start over, I would start with this statement: "Do not pummel me with the 'Power of Positive Thinking' or 'The Power of Now'. Too many parts of me have intelligence that extends far beyond the quest for some culturally sanctified version of dissociation. And they know when they are not welcome. They're smart like that."
"You shouldn't chase after the past or place expectations on the future. What is past is left behind."
-- Buddha, Bhaddekaratta Sutta
My Thoughts: Those who cut themselves off from the past and place no expectations on the future are most likely to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and eventually be cared for by an overburdened government.
"People like us, who believe in physics, know that the distinction between past, present, and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion."
-- Albert Einstein
My Thoughts: My dear Mr. Einstein, wiser words have rarely been spoken. Thank you for leaving the fruits of your scientific genius in your wake. I hope you have now fulfilled your deepest wish and have finally seen the face of God. Maybe you found that you had been standing in front of it all along.
"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."
-- George Santayana
My Thoughts: Yes, Mr. Santanyana, you are quite correct. And this is why highly dissociative adults who were molested and beaten as children are so likely to be the victims of rape and domestic violence. They were not only deprived of learning from the past, many of them were not even allowed to know of its existence.
Jazz, anyone? Sing it, Shirley!
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This might be my favorite post you've ever written.
ReplyDelete-e
Very interesting and a great post.
ReplyDeletei had a minute to read this earlier, but then didn't have time to comment...I am coming back now to make a comment even tho the 'present moment' of when I read this originally passed...*SIGH*
ReplyDeleteSadly, I think you're onto something here...I swear to God 'stay in the present' - in the NOW are my new drinking phrases!
My psychologist has been talking a lot lately about being in the moment. As though nothing could possibly bother me, or be wrong, as long as I am in the moment. He did admit that some moments are worse than others, and some are truly awful. The moment the plane flew into the World Trade Center was a darn bad moment, I think we'd all agree.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with all of this living in the moment stuff, is that I feel that how one feels in this moment is determined by everything that has happened in all of the moments prior to this moment. I think he would say that if you are bothered by a memory then you are not living in the moment, you are living in the past. Therefore if we are thinking of the past we are not being mindful.
I don't understand how one can get anything done if they are living in the moment all the time. Don't we have to make plans?
Harriet, you are brilliant. And honest. I love that combination. Thank you for your comment. I have so much to say about it and will probably make a post out of it if that's okay with you. I think uncovering this perversion is important.
ReplyDeleteI am? Hmmm... I would love to read your post on this because frankly the whole idea baffles me.
ReplyDeleteIt's not that I don't think mindfulness has it's place, and is useful. When I run I feel like I'm truly totally in the moment and nothing from the past or future is bothering me.
I think I might write a post about this as well!
Harriet - I think you're brilliant too! and I agree! I sure hope there's a money tree somewhere for everyone who lives only in the 'present moment' because I may live in the past a lot - but I'm also saving for the future and I ain't paying the way for those fools!
ReplyDeleteHi Ethereal,
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I am a big fan of yours and wholly agree with your ideas about "the present", especially when it's related to trauma. People with trauma experience horrifying nightmares and flashbacks in the present which are triggered by memories in their past. I think the American culture focuses too strongly on happy endings and on everyone being happy and unfortunately therapists buy into this nonsense. Life isn't all happy. We have a myriad of emotions to experience if we are to be whole human beings. And like history, those who aren't aware of their past and learn from it, are doomed to repeat it. Living only in the present with no mind for the lessons of the past leaves us floating, lost in space, with a mindless mask of "happiness" painted across our faces which never reaches into our souls.
Bravo.
This is so good--especially this part:
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad, and often devastating, that we hear of 'mindfulness', only to then have it related, with the above mentioned discrimination, strictly to the present moment (as defined by the therapist to exclude a self-state or a trauma that is trying to break into consciousness in pursuit of integration). Interventions like these are nothing more than a culturally sanctioned and cleverly disguised command to uphold dissociation.
All that talk about how everything is okay in the present so we should stay with that, aside from generally being untrue in various ways, can have the effect of telling us to keep denying the truths of our pasts, to keep from integrating.