Four truths and four choices

Trans-Personal Approaches to Therapy and Personal Development
© Peter Creagh(2010) Trainer, Supervisor and BACP Registered Counsellor
email : - petercreagh43@virginmedia.com
Transpersonal/Integral Approches to Therapy
Part Two in a Series
FOUR ESSENTIAL TRUTHS –
FOUR CHOICES
Three Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma
Aspects of Transpersonal Therapy
SPIRIT
BODY PSYCHE

FOUR ESSENTIAL TRUTHS – FOUR CHOICES
A Trans-Personal Approach for Personal Development Groups
OPENING RATIONALE
This is the second in a series of personal reflections which are designed to assist
Counselling Psychologists in Training, in the 3rd
year of their Personal Development
Groups (PDGs). to reflect on their own journey. As the Trans-personal Approach to
therapy will guide the PDG throughout this year this note addresses some core trans-
personal themes and its place in the holistic ‘family’ of therapeutic approaches .It does
so by way of some personal reflections. A separate note will be issued for further
details of this approach and for future reference.
Philosophy, Psychology and Spirituality provide some challenges to our modern
lifestyle and also pose some solutions. Frankl, the father of Existential Therapy)
contends that it is our search for meaning that must be answered. Failure to do so
leads to a sense of hopelessness and a lack of responsibility. Roger’s and others
contend that our goal is self-actualisation and a search for the real or core self. The
Spiritual Traditions, of both east and west, remind us that we are not merely a body-
psyche and that we need to develop our awareness of, and listen to, the spirit within.
They also offer some possible ‘signposts’ for this Journey, a journey into the centre of
the self. With this in mind, as a facilitator of the PDG, I felt that it might be helpful to
share some personal reflections and ideas and pose some questions for reflection.
The reflections offered are based on personal experience of the ‘Journey’ over the
past 30 years and by themes which come from my Personal Journal over the past 19
years. Over these latter years, I have been accompanied by the wisdom, compassion
and challenge of my mentor Ishpriya Mataji. These notes owe a lot to her and also to
the writings of Martin Buber, Viktor Frankl, Thich Nhat Hanh (a Buddhist Master) and
Anthony De Mello an Indian Christian teacher.
However, I have refrained from providing a bibliography because the reflections
involve reading and trying to understand one book only and that book concerns my
own personal and authentic self — the book that is the essential I . Hopefully these
and other notes in this series and the PD sessions, allied to the unique contribution
each person makes, may play a part in assisting others in reading the book that is
essentially themselves.
Finally, this is not intended to be, or in any way portray, a uniquely Buddhist approach
to life. Buddhism, like many other cultures and philosophies, has much to offer to the
pool of Universal Wisdom that belongs to us all.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PD UNIT
Our ‘journey’ is often rooted in our past and culture. My own journey is rooted' in my
Celtic inheritance and its deep wisdom and spirituality but has also been informed by
my traveling and experiences of people and cultures around the world, but particularly
by Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism and Islam. All of these Traditions are storehouses of
wisdom, knowledge and experience. We are inheritors of a great deal of Universal
Wisdom; wisdom that has stood the test of tens of centuries in all cultures.
Western society and psychology could benefit by facing the richness and challenge of
these worldwide traditions and learn from them. Any student of psychology needs to
broaden their internal and external horizons. Much of what we practice is influenced
by our own cultural past. However, we are often unaware of the debt we owe to the
wisdom of these other non-western Traditions and cultures. Even when we are, it is
either rarely admitted or properly acknowledged by Western Approaches to therapy.
Examples where we have benefited from the East are relaxation techniques, Yoga
Asanas, pranayama (breath awareness) meditation and awareness or mindfulness.
The remainder of this note will introduce the main themes for this 3rd
year of PD and
will be complemented by a separate handout containing some introductory exercises.
It is important to note that the success of our PD sessions will depend greatly upon
each individual reflecting on our themes between our sessions and thereby using the
PDG fruitfully. Hopefully, these notes may provide challenge, interest and give rise to
some questions and personal responses,
Trans-personal approaches recognise and acknowledge the debt owed to Universal
Wisdom, that is, the ‘inherited’ wisdom from a wide diversity of cultures, a wisdom that
belongs to humanity. It is a holistic approach that integrates ideas, concepts and
practices from both East and West. The Transpersonal Themes that arise out of the
treasure chest of Universal Wisdom that will guide this 3rd
year PD journey are:
• The Impact of the Filters of Culture (covered mainly in this note)
• Holistic & Spiritual Aspects of Therapy - the physical & psychological
advantages of Breath Awareness, Relaxation Techniques, Meditation etc.
* The power of Unconditional Presence (UP) and its connection with
Unconditional Positive Regard ( UPR)
• Self - Transcendence and Self Actualisation (related with the work of
Frankl)
• The importance of the practice of Awareness/ Mindfulness/Practice of the
Present Moment -- and its possible use as a holistic therapeutic strategy.
* Non-Dualistic Approaches to life , the environment and Therapy ( loosely
connected with Buber's I:Thou ways of relating)

Personal experience, studying and practicing some of the tenets of this Universal
Wisdom leads one to notice that there are four basic and essential (existential and
esoteric) truths, with consequential choices,. These truths, proclaimed by most of the
mystical or esoteric traditions of both East and West, are at the heart of what it means
to be truly human Note that these four truths and choices are NOT directly connected
with the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.
However, in Buddhism there is the teaching that each of the four noble truths requires
'three turnings of the wheel of Dharma’ (the Path of Understanding and love). These
"three turnings' can be equated to three stages of reflection. These ‘three turnings’
are:
1 a recognition of the essential truth being faced,
2 that there is a requirement for self-encouragement to engage in and with the
implications of the truth and its subsequent challenge and choice
3 The realisation of this truth in our life and our experience of being ‘awake’ to
this truth.
These three stages of reflection which can be applied to all situations in life could
assist readers to reflect on the four truths and choices outlined in the following pages.
It is important to recognise and acknowledge that this dynamic and continuous mode
of reflection is a lifelong process. Each 'turning of the wheel' merely leads to a deeper
understanding and realisation of both self and life. I have found these three 'steps' of
great value when facing 'truths' in my life. Buddhist psychology has stood the test of
time and therefore this wisdom can be transferred to any reflection on the following
four truths.
FOUR TRUTHS AND FOUR CHOICES
We now move onto a brief outline of each of the 4 Truths and consequent choices.
Each will pose a choice and contain some explanatory notes.

Truth 1:- Attachment versus Happiness.
The is the first truth and it provides our first challenge and choice. It requires us to
pause , reflect and prepare to recognise the contrast between attachment and our
search for happiness. It faces us with the challenging fact ; that, as long as we are
attached to personal or material things we can never be truly happy. We will always
have an element of anxiety and worry.
The consequence of this is, that instead of being 'the driver' in our life and our
choices, we will be driven by our attachments and their 'habit energies' Now, by
nature we are habit people, we amass habits throughout our life. Some of these are
life giving and good and some are bad and drain us of psychic energy. Before
exploring the source, possible meaning and ‘message’ of this anxiety, let us look at
how existential and person-centred approaches view self-actualisation.
Self-actualisation can be viewed as a journey that takes us from self-concept to the
real cores self. As we become more aware of who and what we are distortions
caused by conditions of worth are ‘melted away’. Recent advances in theory lead us to
outline a revision of the ‘Real Self’. A more accurate model for the Real Core Self is
understood to be our Self – Concept modified by insights gained from edge of
awareness/ felt sense moments. Thus a rough equation for growing awareness is this:
Real Core Self = Self Concept plus edge of awareness.
This returns us to those moments of anxiety which arguably are caused by our Real
Core Self ‘fighting’ the negative habit energies of our distorted Self- Concept. In other
words, our anxiety caused by our failure to recognise the real source of happiness is
really a ‘message’ from our Core Self.
So a regular review of our ‘habits’ can be beneficial. This is particularly true of those
‘anxieties’ outlined above. If this anxiety is listened to, it can be a positive sign of 'edge
of awareness' experiences and these can (if reflected upon) lead to personal growth.
So by reflecting on this truth and revolving through three rotations of the 'wheel, we
can begin to realise this truth in our life and thus we begin to make wiser choices and
to grow towards self-actualisation. Trans-personal therapy would embrace this
concept and use ideas such as Person Centred configurations of the self and
Existential strategies like Gendlin’s Focusing on edge of awareness moments to assist
in this process. Once we begin to grow in self-awareness it leads us on to the 2nd
of
the four truths about the nature of our attachments

Truth 2:- inherent or 'Borrowed'.
Our second truth and our second choice and challenge is to realise that this
tendency to be attached ( see Truth 1) is NOT natural throughout our life. It is a
`borrowed' tendency and is heavily influenced by our culture and its power to ‘filter’
our perceptions in ways that can be either life giving or life inhibiting. Now at this stage
it may be important to expand on what is meant by `culture'.
Culture For the purpose of our PD reflections, a general description and
definition for culture is as follows.
Culture involves sociology and anthropology. It results from a sharing of a common
history, practices, beliefs, attitudes and values by (one or more) racial, regional or
religious groups. It transcends race and ethnicity. An example of this is Celtic Culture,
a mixture of racial and ethnic groups who, at one time, shared a common culture. In
addition, each of us belongs to many sub-cultures. We have teenage culture, street
culture, working class culture, workplace culture and so on. Then each unique
individual belongs to a family and this can have its own variations of culture within the
mainstream culture. All these greatly influence and effect our filters of culture' and lead
back to the question of whether our attachments are inherent or borrowed.
What could the contention that `attachments' are borrowed mean for us? Are we
never to depend upon or become attached to another? Well obviously the answer is
not a simple yes or no and certainly there are times in our lives when we need to be
attached. As a child we have a need for protection and love and therefore are
dependent upon adults for this (see Bowlby’s Attachment Theory). We need to have
strong dependable ‘attachment figures’. We need consistency, guidance, boundaries,
good example and most of all love. This is a natural and necessary stage for all
children, who need to have a safe, nourishing and protective environment if they are to
develop a healthy ego.
It is natural for children to be dependent upon and attached to significant adults. But
just as a child is weaned off liquid food, so too, as we mature, we need to be weaned
off an over-dependency upon others, upon things and eventually even upon
ourselves. This last point leads on to the concept of self-transcendence. However, if
we retain this tendency towards 'attachment' in adult life it leads to undue dependency
and attachment to the personal and material. This tendency towards attachments is
very often a product of our society, our culture, our religion etc and of our own unique
story. In short, in humanistic terms, it is part of our conditions of worth and our self
concept.

However, wisdom through the ages suggests, that our human tendency to retain a
strong belief in and/or `desire of our attachments, is both unwise and potentially
draining both emotionally and physically. It is a sign that we have fallen for the basic
lie that underpins the human struggle. This lie is one that contains the following strong
and difficult to shift ‘message’. It goes something like this: that I cannot be without ...
X... , (whatever X is ) otherwise I will be unfulfilled and unhappy. Part of our
maturing and taking responsibility for our life is to recognise that our media,
commerce, society and culture all encourage attachments. It is good for business and
can make it easier to `control' society. It can also, in the short term, seem the - easier
option. Hence the often used term 'Go with the flow’ but, we need to remember that
only dead fish constantly move with the tide. It is often healthier to swim against the
tide.
Ancient teaching has always advised us of the wisdom of learning how to discern
between `needs' and ‘wants’. As people we have genuine and legitimate needs. We
have needs for shelter, food, security, relationships, intimacy etc. Very often, because
of the conditioning of the filters of culture we can either find it difficult or be unwilling to
discern between our needs and wants .Perhaps this may be because we have never
been encouraged or shown how to begin this process. We also need to face the
challenge that our unwillingness is very often based either on greed and cultural
pressures and/or a false view of our real self. So learning to notice this and to make
wise choices and thus find the real self is the goal.
This is a life-long task but developing perspective and awareness is one of the
foundations for the journey. It can also help, if we seriously acknowledge and face the
deep impact of the filters of our cultural upbringing. Failure to do this can be the most
serious obstacle to developing a sense of our own uniqueness and our paradoxical
inter-connectedness or oneness with all.

Truth 3:- The Need to Develop a Perspective for Detachment.
To be truly alive and happy we need to develop a perspective that `detaches' us from
the unessential. This requires us to learn how to detach, not physically but in
consciousness and awareness. This needs to be one that includes our ability to
detach from others, from things, situations and even my `self’ - particularly the `self
that is based on our `self—concept’. In short, we need to practice discernment in
making life giving choices.
Now, this requires us to –
Slow Down ----- Calm Down --- Relax and Rest
And thus, to begin to see things in the present moment as they really are. This can
lead us to the stage of Unconditional Presence (UP), a focused and transcendent
awareness of the Core/ Real self and to the nature of our inter-dependence. One of
the most powerful and effective ways of beginning this process is to develop our ability
for ‘mindful attention’
This is not an easy thing to achieve. Failure to develop perspective locks one into a
negative cycle that involves clinging to attachments and buying the lie that there is
nothing one can do. We begin to believe the lie that we are helpless and fail to
recognise the essential dignity, autonomy and uniqueness of each and every
individual and the tremendous power that lies within the individual.
These words of Robert Carkhuff starkly outline the choice facing us. (Robert R
Carkhuff (2001) `The Art of Helping in the 21st
Century)'
We are born with the potential to grow - no more, no less! Those of us who learn
to actualise this potential will know lives of untold fullness and excitement. We
will develop growth responses that will enable us to go anywhere and to do
anything. Those of us who do not learn to actualise this potential will know lives
of waste and tragedy. The Choice is OURS!
This leads us on to the fourth and final truth and choice outlined in this short note.

Truth 4:- The Source of Happiness and Joy
There is an ancient Indian saying concerning the nature of what it is to be alive. It is
this. '’The river of life runs between the banks of pain and joy'. The measure of
what it is to be human lies in how we steer our life between these banks.
One common and basic error is to fail to discern the essential difference between
happiness and joy. This failure can lead to a greater error, which leads to one
choosing pleasure rather than joy. Joy has a deeper source than happiness and an
even deeper one than mere pleasure.
Very often when we say ` we are happy' it has an element of pleasure and thus that of
`an external locus of evaluation’. That is, it comes from people and things and
situations external to us. Whereas, when we experience joy, we can see that this is a
happiness that comes from within and thus has an ‘Internal locus of evaluation’ and an
internal source.
Being fully aware of this distinction can help us to realise that nobody else can 'MAKE
YOU' happy or unhappy. It is OUR choice. So our task is to learn discernment and to
make life-giving choices. We also need to learn not to choose the path of pleasure but
to choose the path of joy.
A root cause of the plethora of addictions that confront modern society is this seeking
of the pleasure principle. Arguably, this failure by modern society to distinguish
between pleasure and true happiness i.e. joy, has led to what Frankl called ‘ The
Neurotic Triad’ . This is a triad of neurosis that have begun to seriously effect the
Western World and are also making inroads into Eastern and Third World cultures.
This triad of neurosis are aggression, addiction and depression . The latter of
these is almost a modern pandemic. The World Health Organisation predict that
depression will be the single biggest ‘disease’ in the Western World by 2020.
Interestingly, many cultures and languages do not have a word for depression, which
in the West is mainly addressed using a medical model. Buddhism offers an
alternative description, it refers to , what the West calls ‘depression’ as ‘ a loss of
heart’

Some Final Reflections and Conclusions -
These reflections are offered in a spirit of genuine sharing. They may, or may not,
seem to be either challenging or perhaps unfamiliar or puzzling or maybe even
interesting. Most of us have been brought up in a very materialistic and western
society. This is a society that has elevated academic learning to an almost ‘godlike'
status. The 'age or reasoning or the 'age of enlightenment’ is often presented as not
only the pinnacle of man’s intellectual achievements but also as being opposed to
what Eastern philosophy and ancient universal wisdom propounds.
Our culture has placed 'filters' between us and much of the ideas of our past and
those from the East. However, we might benefit from being open to some of these
ideas and concepts which have been tried and tested over millennia.
These notes have outlined four truths with four choices. They have stressed the effect
that the ‘filters of culture’ can have on our choices and how these ‘filters’ can distort
our true perception and awareness. Sometimes in order to realise a 'truth' we benefit
from transcending it, from rising above it and thus perceiving it in a different way. The
ancient and universal wisdom traditions suggest ways of transcending these truths.
They record and have passed on learning that suggests how we can begin to discern
and to make life-giving choices. These 4 Truths will provide an underlying and on-
going theme throughout the year of PD and we will return to them regularly.
These personal reflections are just that. They provide some ideas and insights that
could be helpful. However, as stated previously, the path of growing self-awareness is
a constant journey. The Buddhist idea that each step requires ‘three turnings of the
wheel’ is a timely reminder of this. Each turning is required to take us through each of
the three steps or stages – from a recognition of the ‘truth’ followed by the
requirement for self-encouragement to face the challenge and finally the realisation of
the ‘truth’ in our own life.
Six major themes that can provide a trans-personal guide or path and focus for PD
Groups were outlined. One of these is a powerful and well tested path. It is the
practice of remaining in the present moment. This is variously referred to in the written
texts of the Traditions as; The Practice of either -• Awareness (Hinduism) or
Mindfulness (Buddhism) or the Present Moment ( Christian Mystical Tradition)l
Another very powerful practice is that of Meditation. Even if you do not practice this for
spiritual benefits, research has shown its tremendous benefits for the body - psyche.
Central to both Meditation and Mindfulness is another of our themes, the key practice
of breath awareness, which is the gateway to pranayama or control of breathing.

Attached is a series of experiential practices that are designed to focus the PDG on
some of these issues. Further exercises and notes will hopefully assist the PDG to
explore these areas. More importantly, individuals who are interested need to begin to
reflect on and practice aspects of each of these themes. It is a certainty that neither
merely talking nor thinking about these strategies can or will reveal their full truth and
power. We need to practice them. Or alternatively, to quote an ancient Irish Proverb
on the need for action; Talking does not get the turf home' In other words – we
need to begin the journey home – a journey that ultimately leads us back to our true
source and our true self.
Peter Creagh (June 2010)
Appendix: - First set of Complementary Exercises.

FOUR ESSENTIAL TRUTHS – FOUR CHOICES
EXPERIENTIAL EXERCISES
1st COMPLEMENTARY EXERCISE
1. Take part in a very brief presentation on the 4 essential truths/choices
2. Reflect on TRUTH ONE and get in touch with a `common anxiety' you know
you
regularly experience. MAKE SURE it is something you are WILLING to explore
3. Form Pairs and take 12 minutes each to assist each other to `explore' this
anxiety
NOTE:
When acting as the ‘Listener/Helper’ you may find it useful to use IMMEDIACY to
assist your partner to test if this anxiety could be `an edge of awareness' experience.
Personal on-going Reflection
In your OWN time— reflect on this experience and also the 4 Truths and see in what
way they might inform your Journal and/or connect up our Journey during this Year's
PDG sessions
2nd
COMPLEMENTARY EXERCISE
1. Read this note and reflect on one or two areas you would like to explore, areas
that either excites or puzzles or perhaps challenges you.
2. Working in pairs take 15 minutes each way to explore one of your reflections.
3. Briefly discus share in a larger group
Personal on-going Reflection
In your OWN time— reflect on this experience and also the 4 Truths and see in what
way they might inform your Journal and/or connect up our Journey during this Year's
PDG sessions

3rd
COMPLEMENTARY EXERCISE (Used with permission of my mentor )
1. Once in EVERY DAY (or at the very least twice weekly) make conscious, life
giving and mindful chokes. Try this simple choice (making choices from our
awareness of the present.)
a. Say YES to something you would normally say NO to.
e .g. Be patient with somebody you ordinarily would ignore or avoid.
b. Say NO to something you would normally say YES to.
NOTE
Further basic exercises, designed to aid the practice of mindfulness/ awareness will
be `suggested' by your facilitator in future sessions as we go through the themes.
These will involve breath awareness, focusing and learning how to slow down - calm
down, relax, observe and be PRESENT
FINALLY: - Personal on-going Reflection
In your OWN time— reflect on the totality of this experience; the reading, discussion,
exercises, personal reflection etc and on the 4 Truths and choices. Take some time to
see in what way they might inform your Journal and/or connect up our Journey during
this Year's PDG sessions, your placement, other Course Modules and life in general.

Four truths and four choices

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Destaque

Destaque (7)

Semelhante a Four truths and four choices

Semelhante a Four truths and four choices (10)

Mais de Peter Creagh

Mais de Peter Creagh (19)

Último

Último (20)

Four truths and four choices