В контакте с Жизнью

The Whole

Almost all of us never think about how we came into this world, although this knowledge is very useful in terms of understanding our nature. The study of embryology can help with this fact.

Each person is a combination of two parts – male and female. Male sperm and female ovum. At the moment of fertilization of the egg, two sets of chromosomes merge. Under a microscope (https://youtu.be/3NoQktOIwsE) and within the biodynamic processes or psychological techniques of regression, we can see the process of “ignition” – the formation of a new life. And at this moment we are one cell with two sets of chromosomes, resulting from the fusion of the mother’s egg and the man’s sperm cell. And at this moment it is one whole.

And this whole has all the resources and everything necessary for life to continue and develop. In the first week, the embryo is not just a fertilized egg, but already a whole human being, in the form of a sphere, in which there is still no cell differentiation, division into poles or left-right. In the first days after fertilization, this “egg” receives everything it needs by diffusion through the walls. And cell division occurs within the whole – the whole does not disappear anywhere.

This unique sense of integrity, the feeling that everything is “right,” everything is “in abundance,” “everything is ok,” the feeling of one’s potential waiting to be manifested in this world – this is what happens to us at the very beginning, and what then sometimes lost or forgotten. Subsequent division is directed by “built-in” biological forces (according to embryology – metabolic fields), which lead to differentiation of cells (different types of cells appear), which subsequently perform a function to ensure the life of each specific living creature, as in this video https://youtu.be/kE40Qr2jfo4 after the first cell division through a directed process, a salamander appears, or each of us. I love this video, it shows how one whole becomes a new full-fledged living and independently acting organism. When you look – feel it – the integrity from which the salamander was born has not gone anywhere – it has remained a part of the organizing force that supports it at all stages – from conception to death.

As part of biodynamic or psychological sessions – I and those who share a similar picture of the world, we first of all focus on this knowledge, sensing and feeling of the wholeness of the client who is in front of us. The memory of this wholeness does not disappear. I like the movie “Frozen Heart – 2”, where the whole story built around this phenomenon – “the water remembers”. I also found this phenomenon mentioned in my son’s study book on biology. This is not fantastic anymore but scientific fact.

Real, felt knowledge about our own wholeness and integrity and the “all-okay-ness” of our clients helps us to see it in sessions, focus on it and “mirror” it back to the client. And this greatly distinguishes biodynamics and the SIM approach from many other methods, which are often built around the concept of trauma or problem.

Duality and polarity

If you’ll learn the embryo development, you’ll know that even with a first division of a cell – there are two poles appear, the first division and duality happens within boundaries of one cell.

Duality is at the core of this world. Already during the creation of the world, duality is created. Day and night, warm and hot, light and dark, left and right, top and bottom – they are all present. And the main thing in this is that one does not exist without the other. There is no one pole without the other. And it is still a whole.

From duality polarity may appear. From school physics we know that between two poles of magnet – there is a space and magnetic field, and this field creates a magnetic tension. From one pole the other one is not reachable or in other words, the state, and conditions of one pole are not accessible on another. As an example, in someone’s phycological field – there could be two poles: matter (and all the material values) and spirit (and all the values from spiritual practices) and a person can neglect one aspect of life being on the other. From duality perspective – both are present, but polarization of these states may start to exclude one from another and a “tension field” will appear. Why do we need polarity? This is a philosophical question as the whole topic of duality and polarity. And if we follow the logic of physics, tension creates conditions for motion, movement – this is a form of divided energy. I like this explanation. Polarity is created out of whole to provide future motion and development, in that way to become a whole again, in the end.

The phenomenon of duality and polarization is universal for this material universe. I’d recommend taking a look at Walter Russell‘s work, such as The Universal One, which clearly explains this principle.

As a summary – there is no one pole without another, both poles exist in one whole system.

This refers to conditions as to processes. And the last is the most important for us. From the principle of wholeness and inability of existence of only one pole, we can make an important statement: Each problem has the “embedded” solution. And this is what really used and practiced in biodynamics and SIM – under each traumatic experience – there is resource and health hidden. DO (doctor of osteopathy) Rollin Becker expressed this in the words: “The client’s treatment plan is inherited in the disturbance.”

In biodynamics, this principle is used directly. The therapist creates conditions where the client’s system (body) can see the “problem” itself and how to solve it. Resolving a problem at the level of the body means restoring the “vitality” necessary for an organ, part of the body, or the whole body. This vitality can be manifested in greater motility (mobility), a greater level of energy, connectedness, improved innervation, blood flow, lymphatic drainage, intercellular metabolism, etc.

Similarly in psychology, within the SIM approach, the therapist, through the process of directing attention, allows the client’s consciousness to see both the “problem” and what forms it and in what conditions it was created, and what conclusions, decisions were made at the moment of formation. And then the “brain” – “consciousness” – “big calculator” – sees the problem within a whole, more expanded context and level of perception, and the solution is found by itself. Resolving a problem at the level of the psyche is resolving a conflict, it’s just that our consciousness is ready to leave more unnecessary conclusions, emotional states, decisions, etc. and does it. The conflict leaves, but what appears in its place?

The most important thing that follows from the principle of polarity is that within the problem was not only its solution, but also the opposite state. In the case of the body, health was hidden in the body problem. In the case of the psyche, the “negative” state hides an opportunity, a resource that returns back to the conscious management (control) of the client. For example, out of fear or a state of powerlessness, a person can regain a huge amount of strength and stability (each has its own). I will tell you in a little more detail how this works in the psyche later. The main thing here is the principle itself.

The Role of a Center

Continuing the logic of the whole, polarity, we need to take a look at the organizing forces which supporting the whole. In biodynamics, we use the midline principle. And this is more than just a line that appeared on the 3d week of embryo. 

I highly recommend watching this video to see how the first middle line appears: https://youtu.be/U-FRZ_cRH58. The midline is an organizing principle that we can observe in the form of the midline of the embryo, around which the vertebral column subsequently begins to form. Every part of the body, organ, has a middle line, since this is not a “geometric figure”, but what is precisely the organizing principle within the body. The line in this case can have different geometry (not straight), different lengths, up to a point – as a kind of organizing center. In addition to organizing ability, the middle line also contains “function” – i.e., contains “information” what function this or that part of the body or organ should perform.

When working with the body in biodynamics, we often rely on this middle line to help the body find geometric reference points, health reference, and “remember” the function. In Jealous’ school of osteopathy and biodynamics you can find the phenomenon of “false midline”. False midline may be perceived as midline that lies outside of normal place in the mid space of body, it can be perceived as is distorted or having some angle to the normal midline or even felt as outside of body. This can be interpreted as deviation of a person from his(her) essence, being, his true midline – a person lives somebody’s else life, somebody’s else values and this can be felt while working with body.

In the case of psychology, when we talk about the middle line, we can talk about the inner “core” or essence of the personality. Each of us as a person in a healthy state has a certain stability in relation to who we are, who we feel, how we feel. Separated parts of the psyche, such as, for example, defense mechanisms, fears – in fact, take some of the attention, “energy”, resources on themselves – “reducing” the feeling of oneself, one’s own essence, one’s core. People with frequent mood swings, inability to control their emotional state, in fact, transferred some of the control into something that shifts their attention outside, outside of themselves, outside of their own inner sense of themselves. The psychological Self Integrity Method (SIM), from the standpoint of which I am writing this work, allows you to “see” these separated parts and return from them attention, lost resources back to self – and gradually restore the integrity of the core of the personality, or using the terminology of biodynamics – the middle line. Acting from the center of own “I”, a person, in fact, begins to show the “healthy function” of his personality, based on his own interests within his boundaries, with the inclusion of his own motives in contact with the Whole. I think we all intuitively understand what this is about when we talk about the “psychological middle line.” You can hear about a person who has it – “he has a core”. And this does not mean “a metal unbendable rod” – the middle line has the ability to move and deviate and change geometry – but its integrity and function remain unchanged.

Any work with a person by means of biodynamics or psychology, in fact, brings him closer to his “midline” – his essence. It is important to remember this, in “this must be watched” during the session, and even during everyday communication with everyone with whom we are in contact – we always have a personality in front of us, which has its own potential, its own midline, which we can help to live more vividly, more broadly, or as the soul of this person “wants”.

Striving for balance and maintaining the whole

Another phenomenon, observed both in the body and in the psyche, also follows from the principle of wholeness, polarity, midline – the system always strives for balance. Although, it does it within the available capabilities, understandings, resources.

Striving for balance is a function of the whole

Sometimes, the body can “isolate” some of its parts, in order to preserve the integrity of the greater. For example, this happens with a cut, infection – the body tries to limit the area of ​​damage, overtaking more leukocytes there, edema appears, the area becomes denser and less accessible for penetration, interaction with other parts of the body is limited.

Similarly, in the field of the psyche – some destructive or undesirable states can be “displaced” into separate processes or unconscious, in order to separate it from the main process of life, to preserve the whole.

At the same time, we understand that in both cases the whole still spends energy and resources to maintain “separation”. “Separated” is not truly separate.

I like one Vedic parable on this topic (in my own free retelling).

Somehow one sage (Manu) appeared in front the God. He, of course, honored the God, but they had a kind of conflict in the organization of order in a specific part of the universe. Then the God said that He would fulfill any request or wish of Manu, and if he cannot, then Manu will remain with his own. Then Manu asked the God to “exclude” him (Manu) from himself (the God). I love this moment of “understanding”. By definition, the God includes everything and there is nothing that could be outside of Him. So Manu “won” the conflict.

If someone from the Vedic tradition reminds me of this story in more detail, I will be grateful, but the principle is important for us here – whatever happens, the whole remains whole and the system always strives to maintain and balance it. In this case, we, as a microcosm, express the same principle. Each of us is a whole.

This is especially important to know when it comes to therapeutic work. Often, we may not notice the obvious effects of improvement after our work, be it biodynamics or psychology, but we ourselves know that the work was definitely done, resources were freed up, the client left not the one who came to us. At the same time, the client himself can either complain that “nothing” has changed, or that it has become worse.

Based on the knowledge of the whole and the maintenance of balance in whole, we can be sure that the results of our work are not wasted. The released resource is directed by the whole to the solution of pressing issues, looking for a new point of balance between health and psyche, sometimes not noticeable, and sometimes through “deterioration”. This is a process, we understand and support it. As Rollin Becker said: “all corrections are going to take place between now and the next time they come into your office”.