#39 Observer-self

     We've all experienced moments of profound peace, silence and clarity - sometimes outdoors in nature, holding a loved one, or even at a time of life-threatening danger.

     Mindfulness training involves awakening to, and learning to spend more time - to rest - make ourselves at home in, this dimension of ourselves - "cultivating a certain kind of intimacy with the core of our being" (Jon Kabat-Zinn) - our observer-self.

     “Mindfulness is a key element … to establish a sense of self that is greater than one’s thoughts, feelings, & other private events. By practicing mindfulness … (we) learn to develop an ‘observer-self’ perspective, in which (we) can examine previously avoided thoughts & feelings in a nonreactive & nonjudgmental way. Adopting this observer perspective facilitates cognitive defusion, in which (we) learn to notice thoughts without necessarily acting on them, being controlled by them, or believing them.” 

     Dahl J, Lundgren T. “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in the Treatment of Chronic Pain.” in Baer RA ed. “Mindfulness-based treatment approaches: Clinician's guide to evidence base and applications.” Elsevier Academic Press, San Diego, CA. 2006. 

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