This exercise can be very useful for determining goals and priorities, working through confusion and emotions to make decisions, and dealing with emotional issues and physical symptoms.
As our experience spontaneously arises to awareness, we have a choice about how we deal with it: we can (1) avoid or cling to it, either of which is an attachment to it, or (2) accept it, let it be, and experience it. If we accept our experience and just let it be, it eventually disappears, and we have peace and relaxation, and eventually find that we are aware of something else. However, if we avoid or cling to something, we are giving attention or energy to it, and it becomes more important, significant, persistent, and real to us. (We may push it out of our awareness for awhile, but eventually it will come back, and when it does, it will have even more energy with it.) It seems that we make many--or even all--of our problems and symptoms by this process of attachment to (avoiding or clinging to) our experience.
So the key to change is, paradoxically enough, to fully accept what is happening. Once we do that, the experience will eventually disappear on its own. (This is not to imply that we don't make decisions or act as appropriate.)
The Process
The process consists of a sequence of questions and responses: question, response, question, response, etc. Just as when we write the sequence "question, response, question, response" we leave a space between neighboring words, so also there is a kind of space between the questions and responses in our process.
The space used in this process involves pure awareness--not awareness of something, just awareness. It's like a space between thoughts, or between contents of consciousness (contents are either thoughts, images, emotions, feelings, perceptions, or sensations). It's a resting place where we are not aware of thoughts or feelings--we are just being. It's a kind of clear state of mind that we may have when first arising in the morning (before getting our 'act' together), after strenuous exercise, or when just relaxing quietly without focusing on anything.
You start by asking a question about whatever you want to know or clarify (such as "What is my headache about?"). Then relax and let go of the question by going into the 'space' of pure awareness. In this space you simply relax until some kind of response to your question rises to awareness. Take as your response the first content (thought, emotion, image, feeling, perception, or sensation) that comes. (Thus responses are not just thoughts, although you might get more thoughts than other types of contents, especially when first doing this process.)
Trust the process and accept whatever comes as the response. In fact--feelings of doubt, confusion, distrust, and uncertainty are common responses for questions. Even nothing, or a sense of blankness may be a response. A sensation in your left big toe may be a response. Take whatever comes first, and experience it fully. If an emotion is the response, go 'into' it and feel it until it disappears. If an image arises, stay with it till it changes or loses its energy.
After the response has disappeared, there will once again be the space of pure awareness. Allow another question to come to awareness. This question will most often, but not always, be obviously related to the previous response. For example, the question might ask what the doubt or confusion in the previous response means, or what the sadness in the previous response is about. This question is then dealt with just as the previous question was, and the process is continued, with question, response, question, response, etc., until you have clarified your original issue or your symptom has disappeared. If you're still wondering whether to end the process, you can ask that question also.
Pitfalls
One pitfall is to lose concentration and get lost in thinking or analyzing while doing the process. If you find yourself losing your concentration, the process will not be so effective.
Another pitfall is not staying long enough with your response to a question. This may happen with a response involving an emotionally charged memory. It may also happen whenever there's doubt, confusion, pain, or a blank kind of feeling. It's difficult to go too far 'wrong' here though--if you move on to the next question too quickly, often the same situation or feeling from the previous response will appear as the new response.
Finally, not trusting what comes up as a response is probably the most common pitfall. There is a strong tendency to distrust responses that are not what you wanted to get. Also, the responses may not make sense to you; they may seem "wrong"; however, if they are experienced and followed--and not just evaluated for truth or accuracy--a pattern, order, or resolution may be seen later on. Tape-recording or writing your process down can sometimes help make sense of the sequence of questions and responses after you stop.
Copyright © 1986 Stephen Randall
Note: If you have questions or comments about these exercises
or readings, please send
email to or call Steve Randall at 510-690-0490.
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