What is Nonduality? How Is It Relevant For Therapy?
Some might say that all expressions of nonduality are the same. That is, because nondual consciousness goes beyond conceptual comparisons, it would be impossible to differentiate one nondual from another. In fact, that would be oxy-moronic! Others might say that there are different expressions of nonduality, or as Ferrer (2001) describes “shores.” From that view, there are different ways to embody, express, and experience nondual consciousness.
Through my training and experience, I have come to believe that both have relative value as interpretations. Of course, the truth remains that each are interpretations and that nondual consciousness is uninterpretable— it is not an object of thought.
However when it comes to the application of Nonduality in a psychotherapeutic framework, I find the relative-absolute framework as providing the most breadth and depth of engagement. In other words, that we as individuals have individual challenges related to our circumstances (fate, karma, etc.). These circumstances illuminate our patterns of reactivity, or in Buddhist terms attachment and aversion. The patterns of reactivity unfold in relationship, or in an inter-relational field.
Therefore a Nondual approach to psychotherapy includes the relativistic framework that our identification with contracted ways of being impedes us from clear-seeing. The contracted ways of being are not something that shouldn’t be happening, rather they are why we are having this conversation, they are why we are here in the first place. Liberation is the de-animation of contracted states of being through whatever variety of means at increasing levels of depth,
Nondual consciousness does not necessarily require any de-animation or work, however it is also true that such animate contractions narrow our attention to our sense of separateness. They reinforce the identification with I am my narrative of who I am rather than I am the open space through which my karma unfolds and liberates without meddling. Nondual consciousness is the beginning and the end of liberation.
Understanding the Principles of Nonduality
Nonduality is a philosophical and spiritual concept that emphasizes the fundamental non-separation of all existence and how conditioning shapes our perception of separation. It posits that the apparent distinctions between self and other, subject and object, are mere abstractions created by the mind and influenced by individual beliefs. In essence, nonduality suggests that everything in the universe is interconnected and that the perception of separation is a misinterpretation of reality. In nonduality, the goal is to recognize our innate nature as pure awareness or mind-itself. This differs from the conventional understanding of the mind, which relies on repetitive conceptual frameworks to interpret reality. This perspective encourages individuals to look beyond superficial differences and recognize the underlying unity that binds all things. By embracing nonduality, one can experience a profound sense of peace, as the boundaries that typically cause conflict and suffering dissolve. This holistic view has significant implications for personal growth, mental health, and overall well-being.
Integrating Spirituality and Psychology: Jung, Animism and Nonduality
Worldview is a concept used to denote the way our beliefs shape our interpretation and experience of reality. I have the presupposition that the hegemonic modern worldview is systematically and structurally alienating to the individual. Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis spoke to this. However, his method was focused on a narrow interpretative lens. While I believe that lens continues to be relevant, it does not offer much of an alternative worldview and thus it reinforces the modern conception of self.
However from Freud’s conception of the Unconscious, Jung was able to articulate a more holistic vision of psychology. His theory provides a rich alternative to reductive materialism in that it attributes collective and personal intelligence to the Unconscious. The Unconscious now can be seen as an inner space that contains our greatest conflicts as well as our greatest potential for evolution. This is a teleological perspective. The dynamics of Jung’s Unconscious give us a framework to describe the way our life force becomes trapped, stuck, or channeled psychically. Through that framework we are invited to be in dialogue with our personal, familial and the collective Unconscious. By being in this dialogue we are giving room for what is Unconscious to be revealed to our conscious mind. Herein, we have a teleology of the ‘Soul’ which is accessible to modern beings through their own self-observation. Our conflicts become the means for our transformation. It is through such upheaval that we discover how we have turned away from our innate wholeness.
Animism is common amongst indigenous worldviews. Scientific materialism has argued against it as being magical thinking, regressive, or solipsistic. I wholeheartedly disagree with materialism. Simply put, Animism is the view that all reality, including material reality is infused with consciousness. In essence our reality is animate, it is alive, has its own force of consciousness whether we perceive it as living or not. Nothing is truly inert. In Animism our consciousness is not isolated from the consciousness of the world. Rather it is mutually interpenetrating. The principle of reciprocity is a natural outflowing of Animism, wherein we do not see ourselves as separate from the environment, but as mutually or co-arisen with it. Chinese Medicine comes from this perspective.
Nonduality could mean different things in different worldviews, including those listed above. Regardless if we adopt a Jungian, an Animistic, or any other worldview, if we approach Nonduality from the perspective of consumers in a modernistic paradigm we will be disappointed to discover that it doesn’t offer us a silver bullet. Modern consumer and marketing trends lead us to want “tools,” so that we can “live our best lives.” While some of these methods may genuinely offer deep potential for healing, we can not in good faith approach them and expect to be protected from our cosmic vulnerability. We can not expect through any program to accumulate insight that rids us of our suffering or the messiness of our world. As long as we approach these hoping to gain this, we have already lost what we hope to have gained.
It is only through a relationship of reciprocity that we can realize and embody nonduality, which has nothing to do with achievement, loss, or gain.
Nondual Therapy Supports Individuals In:
Experiencing and relating to challenges through altered-states of consciousness
Learning to live from altered-states of consciousness
Differentiating nondual consciousness from other altered states and ordinary states of consciousness
Going beyond our normal identification with who we are—”transpersonal”
Creating opportunities to rest-in the consciousness of total completion
For those interested in specifically Nondual work without a psychotherapeutic element, I can work with you from anywhere in the world. We will focus on presencing Nondual Awareness together.
For those interested in more traditional psychotherapy wherein we can include exploration of the Nondual dimension as an aspect of your larger psychotherapeutic process, I can work with you if you live in California.
Dr. Scott Menasco completed his PhD with an emphasis on the intersection of nondual thought and mental health, in addition to having worked with author and teacher Dr. Peter Fenner for 10 years.
Contact me.
scott@scottmenasco.com
(415) 449-7953