Integral Awakened Mind Coaching™

AQAL:

State - Upper/Lower Right Quadrants (IT/ITS)

Awakened Mind training did not begin with the Integral perspective in mind, but as it gradually evolved over time we realized that Awakened Mind Coaching was a natural fit with the AQUAL model(Wilber). Integral Awakened Mind Coaching

„ (IAMC) now makes use of the Integral perspective in organizing the over all training. As the reader can see from the above IAMC begins and ends with "Brain State". Integral theory as developed by Wilber recognizes states, structures, lines, and types. All of these aspects are taken into consideration when training the Awakened Mind state.

In Integral theory the states naturally given are waking, dreaming, and non-dreaming. In addition it also introduces two states that are not naturally given but may be developed with training over time; turiya and turiyatitah. Turiya is defined as the fourth state of consciousness, it is a state where awareness is seamless and continuous with waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. Turiyatitah is said to be a non-dual state of awareness. We consider the Awakened Mind state to be a natural state, in fact one that each person would normally manifest, except for the very unnatural demands of today's world.

The main point we wish to make is that for IAMC "state" is the physiological monitoring of the brain waves using the Mind Mirror EEG. IAMC is a non-linear approach, which is purely educational in practice. When we monitor the frequency pattern of the brain it is the signature, "current brain wave state"(CBWS), of the person, and then, through the use of guided meditations we teach the individual how to re-access his/her natural state - the Awakened Mind.

We also recognize that this new state will still reflect the current personality types and developmental structures the person had when beginning training. We generally use Enneatyping as this is easily understood and applied by most people.

AQUAL:

Content/Self - Upper Left Quadrant(I)

The evolution of consciousness is central to Integral theory and the internal/subjective personal experience of consciousness occupies the Upper Left Quadrant in the AQUAL model. In IAMC we view consciousness for didactic purposes as composed of three primary elements; state, content, and awareness. We have already outlined what we mean by measurable "state". Content is what Wilber refers to as structures, lines, and types. It also has the meaning of anything contained in the field of awareness; sensation, feelings, thoughts, etc.

It is said that Alan Watts once quipped that "meditation was the art of staying awake while falling asleep". This points to the importance of awareness in the overall development of consciousness. We use content, that is guided meditations, to produce specific states, alpha, alpha/theta, delta, and finally the Awakened Mind state, in order to train awareness. It is awareness training, noticing the flow of experience, that is the essence of our consciousness training.

We can see that though awareness is the "container" for state and content it also goes through a developmental process of dis-identification with state and content. Even though awareness is "ever present", it is initially totally fused, or identified with, state and content. This is the normal developmental condition of most of humanity. By holding attention on awareness during each shift in state, and each appearance of content, it becomes possible to gradually dis-entangle awareness from both. This is not a spiritual process, though it is often characterized as such, it is purely developmental and no more mysterious than any other developmental process.(Susanne R. Cook-Greuter )

AQUAL:

Shared Content- Lower Left Quadrant(WE)

Usually the Awakened Mind is taught to groups ranging from a half dozen to thirty or more, and there is a reason for this. It is in a group setting that we can share our experiences and begin to see the commonalities in our experience. Often people who meditate in isolation, or without some guidance, will not recognize the significance of their experience or how to re-access the various state they have achieved.

Immediately after a guided meditation participants break into dyads to share their meditation experience. This serves the purpose of bringing as much of the state into awareness as possible. It is similar to awakening from a dream and writing it down, or sharing with a partner, so as not to forget it. It also serves to validate the importance of recall to our own subconscious, without this, awareness is quickly lost.