Category Archives: Enlightenment

Composing Our World

How do you talk to yourself? How critical are you? How forgiving? How much of this self-dialogue actually makes it into the spoken narrative of your life? And what is the overall consequence? Let’s take a closer look at some of the dynamics of the inner voice, which begins in the subconscious.

The subconscious is the most powerful part of the mind and reflects our deepest and most genuine attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. These are conveyed in the way we talk to ourselves, which represents our mental state of being, our true disposition, and arises primarily from the nurturing we receive in the formative years of our upbringing. Ultimately, our inner voice is the most potent force which moment by moment, hour by hour, and day by day fashions our relationship to ourselves and the world around us.

Three important ways our inner voice effects us are:

Confidence
Poise
Motivation

The words that transmit our attitudes, feelings and beliefs create an immediate and meaningful impact in our lives. Although our memories and associations to them, our life scripting—the knowns and unknowns of our existence—are stored in our subconscious as images and surface through stimulation of our thought and sensory processes, we nonetheless express them as language. Over time, certain expressions may grow to be habitual and serve to define us as individuals, even those that do not represent the true ideals, aspirations, and dreams of the person we are or wish to become.

As the mystical and beloved Persian poet, Hafiz, wisely wrote:

“The words you speak become the house you live in.”

How we talk to ourselves greatly influences the manner in which we respond to challenges, resolve conflicts and overcome hardships, as well as how we enjoy, accept and embrace our existence. It is important to be mindful and choose our words carefully, for they are profoundly interrelated to the reality we manifest. Our inner voice, infinitely malleable and capable of being cultivated into a powerful conduit of conviction and intent, is the force of energy with which we compose our world.

The Learning Mind: Intelligence Beyond Measure

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Intelligence is traditionally viewed as a genetically endowed trait that can be characterized and measured by a cognitive test. The conventional view emphasizes the academic skills of linguistic and mathematical intelligence and downplays other talents and abilities, such as the imaginal dynamics of art, music, dance, and entrepreneurship, as well as the intuitive aspects required for effective relational interaction or mechanical inclination. In fact, there are many forms of intellectual acumen; some of these are malleable and do not readily lend themselves to accepted standards of measurement. In this article, we embrace broader concepts and definitions of intelligence and cognition, and focus on the various and sometimes mystifying ways in which intelligence manifests.

Ambient Communion

At its core, intelligence is a confluence of energy, the sentience of our conscious universe transmitted via the sensorium of the living organism. Each of us is tuned to individuate this organic sentience through our sensual interaction with the world around us. Nature is filled with distinctive voices that speak in the imagery of smell, taste, touch, sound and sight, reminding us that all of life is vital and interconnected. This ambient communion calls upon our elemental character and can stir profound perceptual realizations. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence in the scientific community attests to our sensitivity to electromagnetic energy fields, akin to the migratory ability of birds, which may effect neurological functioning and manifest as psychic ability. These findings share a basis with quantum energy theory and the concept of ‘unity consciousness’, which was propagated by the late Stephan Hawking, among others, and contemplates reality as all life forces, all existence, interacting within a single, unified framework.

You can learn more about this fascinating research in the article Finding The Psychic Science.

Heart Entrainment

Since 1991, the HeartMath Institute has researched and developed the science of bridging the connection between the heart and brain, pioneering the concept of heart intelligence or “heart entrainment.” This groundbreaking research has revealed the heart as a sophisticated sensory organ that receives and processes information—an organ capable of learning, memory, and functional decision making independent of the brain’s cerebral cortex. Numerous experiments have demonstrated that the heart continuously sends signals to the brain that influence the functions of perception, cognition, and emotional reactivity.

The heart generates the human organism’s most powerful electromagnetic field and permeates every cell in the body. Compared to the brain’s electromagnetic field, the electrical component of the heart’s field is about 60 times greater in amplitude, and the magnetic component is approximately 100 times greater.

Data from the HeartMath Institute’s rigorous experimental designs has produced evidence suggesting that the electromagnetic field of the heart interacts with the heart fields of other individuals to convey information and is conducive to transmissions from energy fields beyond the space/time continuum, accounting for perceptual aspects of consciousness such as intuition and precognition. The studies indicate that the heart’s electromagnetic energy field may link to subtle fields of energy containing holographic waveforms encoded with systemic information in non-local order. These compelling findings, which align with evidence of the unified field of conscious energy referenced above, have profound implications and support holonomic brain theory and the concept of reality as a quantum hologram.

You can learn more about this seminal experimental evidence in the article Heart Entrainment: Connecting Our Love Energy.

Multiple Intelligences

In his book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, psychologist and Harvard University professor Howard Gardner sets forth the theory that people are not limited to the mental intelligence measured by the typical IQ test. Instead, he proposes that we possess eight different types of intelligence which reflect the diverse ways we interact with the world.

Gardner posits that each of us possesses all eight intelligences, yet everyone has a unique profile, a signature of how these distinctive aptitudes fit together. Here are the eight types of intelligences:

Visual-Spatial Intelligence: The ability to visualize things, such as being good with maps, charts, plans and diagrams.
Verbal-Linguistic intelligence: The skill of effectively using words in both writing and speaking, and comprehending written work.
Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: The ability to reason, recognize patterns and logically analyze problems.
Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: Excellent agility, hand-eye coordination and the ability to perform bodily movements such as sport and dance.
Musical Intelligence: A strong appreciation for music and comprehension of rhythms and sounds; for some, the ability to compose and perform music.
Interpersonal Intelligence: The ability to communicate well and to understand and interact with different people.
Intrapersonal Intelligence: The skill and proclivity for self-awareness and self-reflection.
Naturalistic Intelligence: The aptitude for nature and interest in nurturing and exploring the environment.

Dr. Gardner contends that academia and culture are too focused on linguistic and logical-mathematical intelligence, esteeming the highly articulate and/or logical people of our society. He believes we should place equal attention and value upon individuals who show gifts in the other intelligences: artists, architects, musicians, naturalists, designers, inventors, dancers, therapists, entrepreneurs, and others who enrich the world in which we live.

You can learn more about multiple intelligences at Howard Gardner’s official site, MI Oasis.

Brain Plasticity

The brain has the ability to reorganize itself by forming new connections between brain cells and is continually reshaping itself based upon our experiences. Changes in thinking, behavior, emotion and environment create alterations in the synapses of the brain and neural pathways of the central nervous system. This rewiring of brain circuitry is known and neurogenesis, or brain plasticity. One of the quickest and most effective ways to rewire brain circuitry is through the practice of mindfulness meditation. A set of landmark research studies demonstrated how mindfulness meditation promotes brain plasticity, with subjects having documented neuron growth in areas of the brain involving learning, memory, awareness, and emotional control, including increases in neurotransmission recorded by MRIs.

Research in neuroscience has shown enduring changes in baseline brain function—activity in response to specific emotional challenges that demonstrates brain plasticity―as a result of practicing mindfulness meditation.

By teaching us to pay deliberate attention to the current moment—without attachment to outcomes predicated upon past experiences or expectations for the future—mindfulness meditation helps us become more present in our lives. We learn to identify and challenge limiting beliefs and develop a more sensory-driven relationship with the world around us. We open ourselves to a non-judgmental existence based upon increased awareness and self-possession, fostering a potent connection of mind, body and spirit that diffuses stress and anxiety, expands cognition, and enjoins the enigmatic qualities of consciousness and intelligence.

You can learn more in the article Mindfulness Meditation & Brain Plasticity: The Science of Rewiring Neural Circuitry.

Creative Cognition

Researchers are actively seeking to define and account for the role of imagination in intelligence and correlate how this functions in the brain through neuroimaging. Cognitive psychologist Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman and neuroscientist Rex Young and their colleagues have been working to map out what is referred to as the default mode network, or the “imagination network.” This brain network has been largely ignored by cognitive scientists because it is mostly quiet when we are required to focus externally.

The imagination network is associated with daydreaming, retrieving memories and moderating emotional responses. This system is vitally important for internal reflection and assimilation of meaning, as well as triggering motivation, curiosity and learning. The instant we personally connect to something, our imagination network lights up. We begin making mental and emotional associations based not only upon our experiences, but our deepest seated aspirations—our hopes and dreams and secret longings.

While it is normal for the brain to toggle between the default mode network and the more outward-focused attention network, neuroscience is beginning to chart a more comprehensive understanding of this facet of creative cognition. Findings indicate that very creative people possess stronger connections between the networks and are better at navigating from one to the other.

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”

~Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein often compared his thinking and creative processes to that of poets and musicians, describing his insights as “a sudden rapture.” Many brilliant individuals, Einstein and Mozart among them, credit imagination as the source of their creativity and genius. Thus the implications of this compelling area of scientific study come as no real surprise: that integration of the default mode network—the imagination network—is implicit in the function of intelligence.

You can learn more about creative cognition and the role of imagination in intelligence by visiting The Imagination Institute.

Deductions

In consideration of the foregoing, perhaps it is prudent to suggest that attempting to quantify and measure the vast and inexplicable dynamics of intelligence poses profound limitations on human potential. While certain intellectual abilities can be ascertained and gauged to provide a baseline perspective, the testing and labeling of intelligence quotients is at best a starting point in identifying the many capacities of the learning mind.

The agencies that formulate consciousness and intelligence, both our internal interactions and those with the living, breathing universe, are not yet fully defined or understood by science. Yet these are processes that continue throughout our lives and can be altered and enhanced in any number of effective and significant ways. We can partake in the sanctity of ambient communion, practice meditation to expand our cognitive facilities, cultivate our creativity, and entrain our hearts to better transmit information encoded in the unified field of conscious energy. Indeed, we can focus and develop the multiple intelligences that comprise our unique manifestation of organic sentience—our fingerprint upon reality.

Healing The Wounded Child

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The wounding of the inner child is a concept basic to modern psychology. A wounded inner child is one deeply affected by the sense of being unloved, or unlovable, or both. This perception can readily manifest into poor self-esteem, negative body image, addictive personality and other dysfunctions of suffering.

The wounded inner child is a psychological and phenomenological reality, one that can be extraordinarily powerful. As first intimated by psychologist Sigmund Freud, most destructive behavior patterns are, to a greater or lesser degree, related to this subconscious part of ourselves. Indeed, we were all children once, and that presence still dwells within us. Yet when we have endured neglect, abuse and emotional hardship, many of us dissociate with our child-like nature as we grow into adulthood. This abdication of an essential element of ourselves, which is typically driven by a determination to leave our painful past behind, is the basis of many behavioral, emotional and relationship difficulties.

Most commonly, it is within the framework of parental relationships and the nuclear family system that the wounding of the inner child occurs. Yet experiences such as bullying, abandonment, physical abuse, psychological abuse and physical or sexual assault—events that engender shame, guilt, rage and resentment—can also traumatize the inner child. Any experience of being physically or psychologically violated, even when it occurs in adulthood, can create this trauma.

In repressing the memories of such conflicts, we attempt to leave our child-like self behind and thus become emotionally attached to the past. We diminish spontaneity and the joy of cherishing each moment with awe and amazement, which allows our wounding to define us. Paradoxically, as a consequence of denying this essential element of our being, an internal rebellion occurs at times that empowers the wounded child to take possession of our personality and hijack our adult decision making process, creating disruptive episodes and scripting self-sabotaging behavior.

Within the psyche, emotion is a fundamental experience of the inner child. By attempting to block out the negative we also inhibit the positive, essentially muting ourselves at the emotional level. Yet this proves to be a precarious stasis which, in the presence of certain emotional, chemical and psychological triggers, can give way to fits of rage, grief, despair and depression, and may also lead to social anxiety, insomnia, obsessive compulsive behaviors and other disorders. Alas, these are the effects of being emotionally attached to unreconciled wounds of the past, dynamics that come to characterize us as victims—a volatile identity the inner child experiences as being exiled.

In adulthood, we want to believe we have left this wounded child and its emotional baggage behind.

Upon endeavoring to protect ourselves from unwanted reminders of our trauma, we project fear into new situations and confuse our perceptions, diverting our attention from the present to the past. This reaction is known as emotional looping, a symptom of what psychology calls arrested development that further tethers us to the painful memories from which we flee. This fragile vulnerability also draws us into unhealthy relationships with sketchy boundaries and unrealistic expectations, including those of rescued and rescuer, which ultimately prove to be unfulfilling and revisit aspects of the pain and hardship that trouble us.

Healing begins when we stop running from the traumatic memories and embrace the wounded child that refuses to be left behind—when we become emotionally capable of parenting ourselves and nurturing our betrayed innocence back to health. We then come to understand that the demons that haunt us are merely manifestations of the wounded child within, pleading for mercy and liberation from the traumas of the past. By letting go of our fear and delivering the inner child from its desperate longing for love and acceptance, something even more valuable than a lost part of ourselves is gained. Indeed, we come to understand the transcendent power of empathy and how it is rooted in the inner child—the redeemed aspect of our consciousness that is naturally guileless, caring, playful, uncomplicated, and whose manner is simple and straightforward.

This is why mindfulness training and the practice of mindfulness meditation have been a successful medium of transformation for so many people. In whatever ways the events of our lives have shaped us, we can only accept our fate and embrace our misfortunes as opportunities. While one cannot forget the past, it is important to acknowledge that change only occurs in the here and now. By developing the poise, self-possession and connective consciousness to actually be present with what is happening in the moment, we learn to recognize and move beyond ingrained defensive reactions and dysfunctional patterns of behavior sourced in the past, and are free to experience the boundless inspiration of reclaiming our child-like trust and wonder.

Introvert? Extrovert? Or Ambivert?

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In becoming complete human beings we integrate all aspects of our personality, even those to which we aren’t entirely conscious. This is a process that imminent psychologist Carl Jung called ‘individuation.’ Another term for this is ‘self-actualization,’ which is how the traits shared by all human beings uniquely come together for each of us, defining us as individuals.

“Jung’s concept is that the aim of one’s life, psychologically speaking, should not be to suppress or repress, but to come to know one’s other side, and so both to enjoy and to control the whole range of one’s capacities; i.e., in the full sense, ‘to know oneself.'”

~ Joseph Campbell

Personality labels are recklessly and carelessly bandied about, none more so than introvert and extrovert. It is important to acknowledge that these terms represent psychological theories, and that personalities exist on a continuum. If one considers the normal distribution of the bell curve, then about two-thirds of people fall somewhere in the middle. This is why many are confused when trying to apply these labels and often feel like “I’m not really either one.”

Introversion and extroversion were considered as mutually exclusive ‘attitudes’ by Jung, who noted that none of us are completely extroverted or introverted, but we prominently connect to one or the other attitude. In this direct quote, he gives an example of how both introversion and extroversion exist in the psyche:

“If you take an extrovert you will find his unconscious has an introverted quality, because all the extroverted qualities are played out in his consciousness and the introverted are left in the unconscious.”

~ Carl Jung

Jung postulated that opposites create tension in the psyche, and that if we fail to address these tensions by denying the opposites, we repress or push the pressure out of our consciousness. This is what he referred to as part of ‘the shadow self.’ His process of individuation―his solution for overcoming our tendency toward this one-sided nature―is to intentionally integrate all the parts of our personality, even those to which we aren’t entirely conscious. In this way we transcend the shadow self and become complete human beings; we self-actualize.

Dr. John Kappas introduced a profound interpretation of Jung’s work focused through the lens of neurolinguistics, expanding the perspective and contemplation of introversion and extroversion in a number of intriguing ways. According to his formative model Theories of Suggestibility & Sexuality, an individual’s introverted and extroverted personality traits, which are delineated as ‘emotional and physical suggestibility and sexuality,’ begin with the dynamics of information processing inherent in child development and evolve into preferred ways of thinking, feeling and acting. These traits are flexible and adaptable to a certain degree; however, while introverted or extroverted personality traits may be altered based upon a given set of circumstances or conditions, a person remains fundamentally inclined to one or the other.

This interpretation succinctly captures the ambivert concept. Those leaning toward introversion still possess the capability for charisma and an outgoing personality when the situation demands it, and those leaning toward extroversion are capable of solitude, deep thought, and self-contemplation when necessary. The key is to be mindful of how and when these labels represent limitation—to step beyond our comfort zone and sharpen our skills on each end of the spectrum—so that we may actualize and empower our lives.

Wheel In The Sky

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Spinning is a cyclical process innate to creation. Just as the moon’s movement through the heavens and the earth’s movement through the cycles of the seasons represent the cosmic order and nature of life, recognized by indigenous cultures throughout history in symbolic expressions of birth, death, fertility, and the continuity of the world. By various names, myths, legends, fables and rituals, our organic understanding of this phenomenon is characterized as the wheel in the sky.

Sadly, we have long forgotten the keen senses our ancestors possessed, abilities that signified an ambient communion with the living, breathing universe. Thus, part of the ecological trouble with our planet exists within ourselves―and our illusory perception of separateness. We are all, in fact, manifestations of one boundless field of conscious energy, both individual and interconnected, each existing in the center of an infinite geometric spin of energetic awareness.

Yet the philosophy and religion underlying western science still manages to portray mankind as a divine incarnation, ‘the image of god.’ Hence we separate ourselves on a fundamental level of belief. In so doing, we assume entitlements that include wasting natural resources and sullying the earth, all for ‘the good of mankind.’ Alas, one of the unique aspects of our ‘exalted’ genus is that we fail to live in harmony with nature.

There are species far older than we are that have evolved forms of intelligence we have not yet begun to fathom. They have seen our kind come and go. They have witnessed the rise and fall of our civilizations. Wisely, they maintain a distance from us, even as we encroach upon their natural habitats and threaten their existence.

The suffering of our planet reflects divisions that exist within each of us, in our attitudes and beliefs, our words and deeds, our apathy and our vain perceptions of creatures we know so little about―beings with complex social and family structures, etheric sentience, and communication and language facilities that elude our grasp. Ultimately, the healing of the earth must first manifest within our individual hearts and minds, for that is where the force of divine unity and boundless consciousness, the interconnected circle of life in all its magnificent forms and potentialities, will anneal our survival.

Indeed, we do not exist outside this sacred circle of life but within it, connected to all things, woven together in the wondrous fabric of time and creation―bound by the cosmic spin of the great wheel in the sky.

A Candle-Lit Pathway

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Wisdom is comprised of many things, not the least of which is a complexity of sadness. This represents the reckoning, the measure of our misfortunes, as opposed to the sorrow and despair of yielding to them. Of course, wisdom also includes knowledge, understanding, perception, experience, compassion and perhaps inspiration―yet it is this leveraging of our woes, the willingness to be present with the disappointment and pain of a meaningful life―that opens the doorways to enlightenment.

We are ultimately defined by our challenges; we either succumb, or we overcome. This is the difference between victory and defeat. We recognize the heart-rending nature of our existence and walk bravely through it, or we attempt to hide away in the depths of the psyche, where the fear of feeling sadness festers into despondency.

This complexity of sadness is acknowledgment of the human condition. We accept it or resist it. Wisdom does not exist in the dark cave of the mind; rather, it arises by entering that cave and lighting candles for the heartache that dwells there. Wisdom sheds not tears for the pain of broken promises and shattered dreams, but for the neglect of self that resides in that squalid darkness―the inner children that have been left behind, the joy and whimsy that has been withheld from the world.

Wisdom is empathy for lost innocence, and innocents. Instead of agitators and troublemakers and brooding malcontents, it sees child-like wonder and awe, wounded and bewildered, relegated to the shadows of subjugated grief and loss. Personas of aggression, sarcasm, cynicism and resistance are viewed as manifestations of the still dark walls of that inner cave, bastions of fear and disillusionment.

Recognizing and understanding the disenchantment of failed ideals and fallen idols, abandonment of hope, the volatility of subdued rage, and the anguish of isolation, are rites of passage within ourselves, inner journeys that continue to define us throughout our lives. Wisdom eschews the fearful fissures and grottos of the mind by courageously embracing hardship, however calamitous or ill-fated, with gratitude instead of disdain. Thus, an enduring character and self-regard―a complexity of sadness―is forged into a candle-lit pathway of existence, one that casts a warm glow into the shadows and welcomes those who linger there.

Mindfulness & The Eternity Of Giving

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I start many of my presentations on mindfulness with a rhetorical discussion of love. What is it? What does it mean? How is it defined? Understood? Misunderstood? Characterized? Commonly depicted? How is love illusory? How is it enigmatic?

What typically emerges is a focus on the love that exists externally; the love which comes to us from others. Of course, we do share our love and in fact, that is the point of the exercise: to remind everyone that we all emerge into the world with love. Each new life, in every magnificent shape, form and fashion, is a miracle of connective awe and wonder, especially for those who bear witness. Thus we are reminded of the well-spring of love each of us carries within, and how this fundamental force represents the core mystery of life itself, the unifying energy of our living, breathing universe.

In being mindful of this elemental phenomenon, we cultivate and foster our innate “heart wisdom,” which serves as the impetus for altruism, philanthropy, social grace, creativity, and spiritual identity. Indeed, our embrace of compassion, empathy, and the power of love serves to align our conscious intention and inspire a more meaningful understanding and life purpose.

The Eternity Of Giving

Cathexis Therapeutic Imagery specializes in innovative approaches to workplace wellness, mindfulness training, and personal development. Via private coaching, presentations, workshops, training events, and our partnership in the unique online wellness community Your Wellness Room—used by Kaiser Permanente, EFactor and other notable companies—our nationally recognized programs and practices help people and organizations make positive changes. Please call for a free consultation at (818) 512-4371 or contact us via email.

Video Attributions:

“Eternity of Giving” written and produced by Shawn Quinlivan, C.Ht. & Cathexis Therapeutic Imagery.

Music “Tumult” courtesy of Kai Engel (edited) http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Kai_Engel/The_Run/Kai_Engel_-_The_Run_-_07_Tumult
Licensed via Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Higher Law – An Inspirational Video

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Written and produced by Shawn Quinlivan, C.Ht. & Cathexis Therapeutic Imagery

Music “Whispers” courtesy of Hyson (edited)

http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Hyson/Soundtrack_for_the_Weary_Vol_I/Hyson_-_Whispers

Licensed via Creative Commons 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Love Or Fear? The Motivation Equation

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Where is the fear? And how can love diffuse it? These are the questions inherent in almost all motivational challenges. By developing a deeper understanding of the fundamental relationship of love and fear and how they function in the human organism, we learn to graciously navigate emotionally charged thought processes and volatile perceptual boundaries, thus inviting profound shifts of perspective in real time.

The Primal Elements

Love and fear are elemental forces we are born with and experience throughout our lifetimes, yet they defy absolute comprehension. Behavioral philosophies and psychological theories of the mind commonly consider love and fear as the primary emotions of the reptilian brain, with all other emotions being secondary. Physiologically, love and fear are tied to our survival instinct and the release of the stress (fear) hormones adrenaline and cortisol, and their anti-stress (love) hormonal counterpart, oxytocin. On a mental, emotional and physical basis, love connects us—within ourselves, to each other, and to the world around us—while fear separates us.

Consequently, love and fear are also the primal factors of motivation. Love is the impetus for connecting to our world so that we develop and thrive, while fear compels separation as a means of protection for ourselves and our loved ones. Comprehending this innate relationship of love and fear as the motivational foundation of human behavior offers a tangible context for resolving conflict and inspiring transformation, both individually and collectively.

In our innovative programs and practices at Cathexis Therapeutic Imagery, we actively enjoin our clients in the mindful process of identifying separating behavior (fearful actions and/or reactions based on perceived threats) and responding with connecting behavior (caring gestures and acts of compassion). This serves as an effective strategy for breaking down complex issues into workable pieces that can be addressed in the moment, and empowers change as individuals, teams and organizations realize how compassion is the potent connective tissue in their internal and external relationships. We call this dynamic cognitive empathy, which is an important component of a larger skill-set known as emotional intelligence.

Excavating Maslow’s Pyramid

Any credible discussion of the psychology of motivation requires consideration of Abraham Maslow and his motivational theory based on human needs. So let’s examine Maslow’s infamous hierarchy of needs, which is archetypically depicted as levels within a pyramid.

Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs Is More About Self-Actualization Than Motivation

Maslow proposed his hierarchy of needs in a paper entitled “A Theory of Human Motivation,” which was published in 1943. The concepts have provided a framework for the psychology of motivation and have been widely utilized to conceptualize policy and practice in the social sciences and in business. The precept is that human behavior is motivated by the satisfaction or frustration of needs, which are arranged in a predominant hierarchy from physiological, to safety, to social, to esteem, to self-actualization.

Yet Maslow’s theory has its share of criticisms, the most significant of which are the limited scope of his research sample and the subjective methodology used in formulating the characteristics of “self-actualization.” The study was conducted by analyzing the biographies and writings of eighteen people, most of whom were highly educated white males. The subjects included Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, William James, Aldous Huxley, Gandhi, and Beethoven, as well as students from the top 1% of college populations. Although the study did include extraordinary women like Eleanor Roosevelt and Mother Teresa, they comprised a small percentage of his sample. Thus, the validity of Maslow’s theory is questionable as to females, as well as individuals from lower social classes and varying ethnicities. It is also relevant to note that Maslow did not include children in his study.

The empirical and theoretical criticisms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs contemplate the following:

Cultural relativity and universalism
The validity and ordering of the original categories of needs
The lack of defined and measured variables throughout the model

Contemporary research by Tay & Diener (2011) tested Maslow’s theory by analyzing the data of 60,865 participants from 123 countries, representing every major region of the world. The survey was conducted from 2005 to 2010. The results of the study support the view that universal human needs appear to exist regardless of cultural differences. However, the ordering of the needs within the hierarchy was incorrect (see SimplyPsychology.org article here). While this and other research refute the existence of the original need categories and question the directional hierarchy that Maslow proposed, these studies do support the existence of lower and higher level needs, along with gratification and deprivation as motivators of self-actualization.

“None of Maslow’s needs can be met without social connection.” ~ Pamela Rutledge, Ph.D., M.B.A.

In her astute Psychology Today article: ‘Social Networks, What Maslow Misses,’ Dr. Pamela Rutledge takes issue with the widespread assumption represented by the pyramid: that human connection is NOT a primary need or instinct, but occurs instead as an upward climb from food and shelter. She points out the collaborative effort required for basic hunting, gathering and protection from the elements, and illuminates how the drivers of social connection are intimately interwoven into our basic survival, even in a world shifting with technology.

Purely on the basis of definition, a persuasive argument exists that motivation and self-actualization are not one in the same. And, as you can see, a rigorous unearthing of Maslow’s pyramid uncovers a framework that is clearly about self-actualization—the process of systematically meeting human needs. In fact, one might even conclude that a better title for Maslow’s 1943 paper would have been “A Theory Of Human Self-Actualization.”

Our Wonder Years

A rational mind would consider food, water and shelter more urgent requirements than affection and nurturing. The mature individual would deem safety a priority over compassionate interaction. And pragmatic adults would agree that security in maintaining these basic necessities is more important than self-esteem and the sense of belonging.

Yet as infants, wrapped in swaddling clothes and safely cuddled in loving arms, nursing at our mother’s breast and having all our fundamental needs met for us, the opposites all hold true. Common sense, supported by thousands of research studies on childhood development, tells us that at this stage of life, when sentience is rapidly developing both psychologically and physiologically, love and esteem needs are primary—not a third or fourth tier priority.

As infants and children, we acquire our vast repertoire of skills by studying the faces, voices and actions of others, beginning with our parents and primary caregivers.

The importance of early childhood development has been acknowledged by economists, behavioral scientists, educators, neuroscientists and biologists. Our formative years effect how we grow and develop through adolescence and into adult life. The most powerful external influence on all aspects of our development, resilience and adaptability to life’s challenges, is the quality of love we receive from our parents and primary caregivers.

Our formative attachment relationships determine our physiological functioning, cognitive perception and emotional awareness, development of language skills, and understanding of ourselves, others, and the unfolding world around us. The varying forms of separation anxiety experienced by all children, which can endure or recur throughout childhood, demonstrate both our innate understanding of the need for love, and our instinctive fear at the prospect of being separated from those who provide it to us.

The fundamental physiological need for emotional interaction with those who love and care for us is how motivation awakens in our lives. Love drives our desire to connect, learn and develop. When circumstances challenge our bonds to these relationships, we sometimes experience fearful reactions that we must learn to cope with. When these critical attachment relationships are non-existent or nominal, or if they are significantly compromised or severed during our childhood journey, traumatic developmental, emotional and psycho-social consequences can result—all of which are rooted in a deep and abiding fear of not receiving the love we need.

Connecting Or Separating?

Motivation is a quickening of inner awareness and self-possession based upon two factors: the drive to fulfill our basic need for love and all that we associate with it, and the experience of fear—the circumstances, situations and people we perceive as threats to that love, or to our own safety and survival. Cognition, curiosity, comprehension, exploration, discovery, affection, and affinity are among the developmental aspects of our formative years, and are all connecting behaviors primarily associated with love. Apprehension, worry, indecision, anger, aggression and aloofness are among the common childhood separating behaviors associated with fear.

Yet the primary emotions of love and fear are also conceptual in nature and as we learn more about how they influence our world, we manifest additional behaviors that reflect the broader spectrum of secondary emotions related to them. This brief Slideshare illustrates how love and fear function as powerful forces of motivation in our everyday lives, and reminds us that we can alter our perspective by being mindful and choosing compassion and empathy.

Our lives are filled with transition. Events both expected and unexpected impact our day to day functioning, self-esteem and sense of purpose. Growth and adaptation in a fluid and fast-paced world of technological, economic, political and personal challenges are prerequisites to our health, happiness and survival. The catalyst in how we respond to the trials and tribulations posed by these largely externalized factors, is motivation—an internalized, somatic phenomenon that is greatly influenced by our developmental associations with love and fear—and which, throughout life, continues to be shaped and impelled by our social interactions.

“Motivation kinetically embodies the desires, ambitions, revelations and trepidations that both consciously and subconsciously order our lives.”

Understanding the intrinsic relationship of love and fear helps us identify the underlying motivational factors in ourselves and others. We recognize separating behaviors that result from falsely perceived threats, and distinguish them from comportment rooted in deeper-seated fears. We also embrace the unifying force of love. By mindfully connecting with caring gestures, acts of kindness and compassion, and critical attending, we discover that fearful reactions can be mitigated and diffused. This is how practicing cognitive empathy negates the limiting aspects of fear and inspires us to address larger connective issues and fulfill needs that ultimately define actualized people—individually, collectively and organizationally.

Love Is Not Always Tame

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“Aslan was gone. But there was a brightness in the air and on the grass, and a joy in their hearts …” ~ C.S. Lewis, from The Chronicles Of Narnia

Love and fear are our primary emotions. They are also the elemental forces of motivation. Love is the impetus for connecting to our world so that we develop and thrive, while fear compels separation as a means of protection from threats. The fundamental relationship of love and fear offers a profound context for inspiring narratives of crisis, conflict and transformation. At life’s fateful crossings of love and fear, our individual and collective strength and fortitude, our courage of conviction, are forged. This is why the ancient traditions and wonders of story medicine—the fantastical and heroic adventures of love’s triumph over fear—hold such sway.

HERO MYTHOLOGY

As observed by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung in their seminal work on the human psyche, and later expounded upon by renowned mythologist Joseph Campbell, the symbols of hero mythology appear to exist as archetypes within our subconscious mind. On a psychological and spiritual level, we identify with the hero of the story, who conquers fear and overcomes insurmountable odds in order to claim victory and salvation for loved ones. The storytelling traditions of our indigenous ancestors are the foundation of the hero’s journey, which evolved into the archetypal right of passage common to world mythologies.

“To acknowledge the power of myth is to realize that one lives amongst all these ancient tales. And is not we who make sense of the stories, but rather the stories that make sense of us.”

As the oldest form of psychology known to mankind, storytelling draws our truest sense of self into the tale in meaningful and insightful ways. The metaphor of an unfolding adventure of discovery, a journey filled with confounding problems and challenges, motivates us to embrace the power of faith and possibility in our lives. We are inspired to consider new viewpoints of ourselves and the world around us.

I was moved to study and master Therapeutic Imagery because it conjures this symbolic and mythical realm of adventure inside of us, where we find deeper and yet familiar realizations about ourselves and our challenges. As a trance state healing medium, it continues to teach me lessons through the transcendent revelations of my clients. These story-based experiences are profound at bringing new perspective to the trials of love and fear that occur in our everyday lives. We become unstuck. We move beyond limiting beliefs and negative emotional attachments that have held us back and undermined our well being.

THE GREAT LION

Aslan “the Great Lion,” who despite his loving and benevolent nature is not tame and can be both powerful and dangerous, has a particularly profound meaning for me. I read the Narnia stories just before the occurrence of a life shattering event. I was thirteen at the time and the subsequent loss of these books haunted me for years. Of course, I bought them again but the memory lived on as a reminder of the fragility and tragedy of our family . . . and of life itself. Yet Aslan remained steadfast in my heart. Courage was still possible. Inspiration welled up inside of me in music and the calling of songs. Love was bigger than betrayal. And I persevered.

Someone recently asked me why they should trust me to help them. It was a fair and honest question, and a challenge to my ‘license’ as a motivator and inspirator. I told them I am a survivor of childhood trauma and PTSD. I said simply that I understand the landscape of suffering and shame, and I know from my own life how it is necessary to vibrate from a place of love in order to overcome fear. I teach my clients that compassion is strong enough to change individuals, dangerous enough to challenge paradigms, and powerful enough to transform the world.

Indeed, just like the mighty Aslan, love is not always tame.

Innovative Programs & Practices For Holistic Health

Ambient Communion

Heart Entrainment

Multiple Intelligences

Brain Plasticity

Creative Cognition

“When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come close to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”

Deductions

The Eternity Of Giving

The Primal Elements

Excavating Maslow’s Pyramid

Our Wonder Years

Connecting Or Separating?

HERO MYTHOLOGY

THE GREAT LION