“Accepting the Temporary I” Technique: In-Depth Explanation
This is a quick but very effective mental/emotional technique that may be applied in virtually every situation. Its name is the Accepting the Temporary I (ATI). As soon as you learn it, you will immediately recognize its astonishing efficiency.
Essentially, it is the quick version of the technique called Dissolving the Temporary I (DTI). The difference is that in this method we do not expand the Temporary I – we just accept it instead.
The experience that you want to remove, i.e. reintegrate, can be anything:
The ATI has three steps:
But before proceeding with learning the ATI method, you may first get acquainted with the concept of “Temporary I” in this article, where I explained what it is and why is it so important for our practice.
The following text is a detailed description of each of these steps.
1. Direct your attention to the content of your experience. Locate it.
The content of your mind (i.e. that experience) can be located anywhere: within your body, in front of you, besides, above, below, or behind your body… But if it is outside the body, you'll usually notice it in front of you.
So, notice the mind content and feel where it is mainly located (in which part of your body it is positioned or where it is situated outside of your body).
When you master this whole technique, the first step will become very quick-one or two seconds only.
2. Feel your "Temporary I" from which you are experiencing that content.
While you are experiencing the content, try to feel where exactly is your current I-feeling, your Temporary I.
At the beginning of your practice, you may have difficulties in locating your I-feeling. So, if you don’t know how to find the Temporary I, ask yourself: "From which point of view I am perceiving reality at this moment?" or "Where is the center of my being now?" or "Where is my sense of I located right now?"
The Temporary I of the majority of people is usually located in the head, and sometimes in the neck or upper chest. In rare cases, this ephemeral I-sense can be located in other parts of the body, and even beyond.
At this stage, therefore, you should determine the position of your Temporary I as clearly as possible. Just feel that the current center of your being is settled within this small space, a ball, or a point within a particular space.
Sometimes it may be very difficult to determine the precise location of the Temporary I. You may feel that your Temporary I is diffuse and vague. That's OK, too. Just proceed to the next step.
3. Accept your Temporary I.
Now, accept the Temporary I, fully and wholeheartedly. You can learn how to completely accept any experience here.
You may ask, who accepts the Temporary I? Is there another “I” who accepts the Temporary I? No. You will notice that acceptance does not come from any specific point or center. It comes from nowhere or everywhere. In fact, it comes from your True Being, which is Pure Consciousness, which is outside of space and time continuum.
When you fully accept your Temporary I, your ephemeral, fake sense of self that you are feeling at that moment, you will find yourself in the state of Pure Consciousness. Stay for a while in that state.
Application of the Method
So, once again, when you want to dissolve a negative experience you will: 1) Direct your attention to it and pinpoint its location (if possible); 2) Feel your “Temporary I” from which you are experiencing the content; and finally, 3) Completely accept the “Temporary I.”
Apart from applying this technique within the more complex methods of the Reintegration System, you can also do the ATI in countless common situations.
For example, if you become aware that you are overwhelmed with thoughts, you can accept and dissolve the vantage point from which you are experiencing them, and they will disappear. Or, if you find yourself flooded with emotions, note the location of your Temporary I and accept it.
Of course, if these thoughts, emotions or any other mind content or experience on which you were doing the ATI arises again, just repeat the technique until it vanishes. Similarly, if you are in the company of an unfriendly or annoying person, you may quietly accept several times the Temporary I from which you are feeling the annoyance.
I must say that the DTI technique is a bit more effective than this one. On the other hand, ATI is considerably faster, so it is more suitable for various everyday situations.
Each time you do the ATI, you will notice that your unwanted mental or emotional content has vanished. At least for a while, you are free from it. However, as the ATI is only a basic Reintegration technique, it does not deal with the roots of your problems. So, do not be surprised if the content reappears. In that case, just apply the technique again. Do that until you stabilize the state of Pure Consciousness or Presence.
There is no limit to the practical implementation of the ATI, as it requires only seconds of mild, conscious effort to profoundly detach from the unpleasant situation.
You can also do the ATI procedure as a form of meditation, to any thought or emotion that appears in your consciousness. You will very quickly enter the thoughtless state.
Essentially, it is the quick version of the technique called Dissolving the Temporary I (DTI). The difference is that in this method we do not expand the Temporary I – we just accept it instead.
The experience that you want to remove, i.e. reintegrate, can be anything:
- An external unpleasant event;
- Your discomfort in the company of some people;
- Various emotions, like fear, anxiety, anger, sorrow, etc. (which can be located within or outside your body);
- Pain or another discomfort in the body;
- A thought in your head, and so on.
The ATI has three steps:
- Direct your attention to the content of your experience. Locate it.
- Feel your "Temporary I" from which you are experiencing that content.
- Accept your “Temporary I.”
But before proceeding with learning the ATI method, you may first get acquainted with the concept of “Temporary I” in this article, where I explained what it is and why is it so important for our practice.
The following text is a detailed description of each of these steps.
1. Direct your attention to the content of your experience. Locate it.
The content of your mind (i.e. that experience) can be located anywhere: within your body, in front of you, besides, above, below, or behind your body… But if it is outside the body, you'll usually notice it in front of you.
So, notice the mind content and feel where it is mainly located (in which part of your body it is positioned or where it is situated outside of your body).
When you master this whole technique, the first step will become very quick-one or two seconds only.
2. Feel your "Temporary I" from which you are experiencing that content.
While you are experiencing the content, try to feel where exactly is your current I-feeling, your Temporary I.
At the beginning of your practice, you may have difficulties in locating your I-feeling. So, if you don’t know how to find the Temporary I, ask yourself: "From which point of view I am perceiving reality at this moment?" or "Where is the center of my being now?" or "Where is my sense of I located right now?"
The Temporary I of the majority of people is usually located in the head, and sometimes in the neck or upper chest. In rare cases, this ephemeral I-sense can be located in other parts of the body, and even beyond.
At this stage, therefore, you should determine the position of your Temporary I as clearly as possible. Just feel that the current center of your being is settled within this small space, a ball, or a point within a particular space.
Sometimes it may be very difficult to determine the precise location of the Temporary I. You may feel that your Temporary I is diffuse and vague. That's OK, too. Just proceed to the next step.
3. Accept your Temporary I.
Now, accept the Temporary I, fully and wholeheartedly. You can learn how to completely accept any experience here.
You may ask, who accepts the Temporary I? Is there another “I” who accepts the Temporary I? No. You will notice that acceptance does not come from any specific point or center. It comes from nowhere or everywhere. In fact, it comes from your True Being, which is Pure Consciousness, which is outside of space and time continuum.
When you fully accept your Temporary I, your ephemeral, fake sense of self that you are feeling at that moment, you will find yourself in the state of Pure Consciousness. Stay for a while in that state.
Application of the Method
So, once again, when you want to dissolve a negative experience you will: 1) Direct your attention to it and pinpoint its location (if possible); 2) Feel your “Temporary I” from which you are experiencing the content; and finally, 3) Completely accept the “Temporary I.”
Apart from applying this technique within the more complex methods of the Reintegration System, you can also do the ATI in countless common situations.
For example, if you become aware that you are overwhelmed with thoughts, you can accept and dissolve the vantage point from which you are experiencing them, and they will disappear. Or, if you find yourself flooded with emotions, note the location of your Temporary I and accept it.
Of course, if these thoughts, emotions or any other mind content or experience on which you were doing the ATI arises again, just repeat the technique until it vanishes. Similarly, if you are in the company of an unfriendly or annoying person, you may quietly accept several times the Temporary I from which you are feeling the annoyance.
I must say that the DTI technique is a bit more effective than this one. On the other hand, ATI is considerably faster, so it is more suitable for various everyday situations.
Each time you do the ATI, you will notice that your unwanted mental or emotional content has vanished. At least for a while, you are free from it. However, as the ATI is only a basic Reintegration technique, it does not deal with the roots of your problems. So, do not be surprised if the content reappears. In that case, just apply the technique again. Do that until you stabilize the state of Pure Consciousness or Presence.
There is no limit to the practical implementation of the ATI, as it requires only seconds of mild, conscious effort to profoundly detach from the unpleasant situation.
You can also do the ATI procedure as a form of meditation, to any thought or emotion that appears in your consciousness. You will very quickly enter the thoughtless state.
