"Who am I?"

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All of us, at one time or another, wonder who we really are. How might you answer this fundamental question?  

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We have a body and a mind, but is that who we really are? Who we think we are is a complex construct of our psyche, created from our personal and social history, beliefs, abilities, talent, and past experiences; layered together over the time we've been alive.  The development of one's sense of self (small 's'), our identity, is what we refer to as the 'ego' (Latin for 'I') or false self. It primarily involves what we see as the conscious, decision-making part of ourselves; involving processes and reactions in which I, me, or mine are prominent, as in "I hate my father" or "Don't talk to me like that" or "That's mine". However, this identity we think of as 'I' is actually quite fragile and vulnerable; like an eggshell and easily broken. When threatened, our ego will protect itself through defense mechanisms; unconscious psychological strategies or behaviors that function to protect us from, and cope with, difficult or uncomfortable, anxiety-producing thoughts, feelings or events associated to internal conflicts and external stressors.  Such mechanisms can have healthy or unhealthy results/consequences depending on the circumstances and how often they are used. Being unconscious, such strategies are not under our conscious control. Most people engage in them without ever realizing it. These defense mechanisms include: denial, repression, projection, displacement, regression, rationalization, sublimation, reaction formation, dissociation, intellectualization and others. But it is not who we truly are. Who we really are is untouched by any sorrow, pain, trauma or addiction.

 

To contact our awareness is to contact our Self (big 'S'), the higher knowledge within us, without all the confusion, judgements, desires or aversions. When we contact our awareness, we begin to find the freedom that we always had within us; inner knowing, innate wisdom, and inherent intelligence. In becoming master of our awareness, we can direct the focus of our attention and gain control of our choices and thus our life.  What we focus on grows. I specialize in therapeutic services to help those dealing with challenging life experiences find the insight, desire, and tools they need to help themselves.

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Get in touch with your 'Self' today.