Our Definition Of Consciousness

Embracing Our Selves: The Voice Dialogue Manual
by Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone

(Page 6 of 9)

The first point to consider is that consciousness is a process, not a static entity. There are three distinct levels or processes that make up the basic process of consciousness. The three levels are : The Awareness Process; the Experiential Process; the Process of the Aware Ego.

Awareness is a point of reference that allows one to view with objectivity whatever is happening, inside or outside of oneself. We see Awareness as similar to the Witness State of meditation or the experience of pure insight as in psychotherapy. There is no judgment and there is no attachment as to how one should be in the world. There is just the act of witnessing what actually is in one's world. Awareness is simply a point of reference,a place of pure insight. It is not an action state. This, last, provides one of the fundamental distinctions between Awarenss and the Aware Ego.

The second level of our definition concerns the actual experience of different selves or energy patterns. The experience of anger is different from the awareness of anger. The experience of jealousy is different from the awareness of jealousy. If one experiences anger and has no awareness of it, then one remains locked into this affective state and consciousness cannot evolve. If one has an awareness of anger with no experience of it, then one remains locked at an awareness level and consciousness cannot proceed. This is the reason why so many strong meditators that we see in clinical practice often have no relationship to their passions. They define consciousness as awareness and reject the act of experiencing the emotions. By the same token, we often see individuals who have worked with a therapist or teacher who is identified with the expression of emotions as the fundamental transformational path, and these people remain locked into the emotional plane, forever reacting emotionally with no ability to witness this experience and to be aware that this is only one aspect of the consciousness process.

The third component of consciousness is the process of the Aware Ego. Historically speaking, the ego has always been defined as the executive function of the psyche, the choice maker. This definition is as good today as it was at the beginning of the century. We have already differentiated between the Operating Ego and the Aware Ego. The Aware Ego, as we have seen, grows little by little as it is able to separate from the Primary Selves and learns to embrace the opposing disowned or less developed system of selves. The Aware Ego then has the task of becoming aware of, and experiencing, the primary self with which it has been identified and the disowned self that has been negated while the primary self wasin charge of the personality.

Paradoxically, the Aware Ego grows as it is able to be able to be separate from and to embrace any pair of opposites.

The process of transformation or personal growth can occur at any of the three levels we have described in our definition of consciousness. Change takes place as Awareness enlarges. Change occurs as we have more experience of life, whether this be through the direct experience of living or through working with the different selves in therapy. Change also occurs as the Aware Ego develops and becomes more able and willing to discover and embrace the multitude of opposing energies that exist in the psyche. Whether or not one uses this terminology, all of us in the psychotherapy profession are working at these different levels with ourselves, our clients and our students.

About the Author

Hal Stone, Ph.D. and Sidra Stone, Ph.D. are the co-creators of Voice Dialogue. They are hopeless romantics and, as clinical psychologists with a combined experience of about 80 years, they are committed to keeping the magic and vitality in relationships. They have co-authored five books. Their latest book, Partnering: A New Kind of Relationship, sums up a lifetime of wisdom. Their books are available at local bookstores or from Amazon.com. www.delos-inc.com