Becoming an Integral Player in my own Life

„The patterns of all emotional systems are the same, whether they be family systems, work systems, or social systems, the only difference being one of intensity.“

Murray Bowen

In collaboration with the Identity Development Institute

Whenever I try to explain the significance of inner work, I revert back to Franz Ruppert‘s thesis in Who am I in a traumatized society: our lack of connection with our own emotions and life experiences (our own emotional system) contributes to family, work, and social systems that are disconnected, oppressive or even violent.

One of the premises of that type of work (regardless of the method used) is that we‘re doing it for ourselves - for our own wellbeing, balance, and thriving in this world.

However, since each of us is so interconnected (far beyond our cognitive understanding) and embedded into various relationships, it‘s inevitable that the shift in our own self-perception and understanding has ripple effects on the systems within which we operate.

Like many of you, I struggle with what life throws at me these days. As powerless and confused as I often feel in the face of Covid-19 and accompanying government measures, I also realize that I‘m presented with a unique opportunity to become more aware and responsible in my own life.

The more I trust the richness and intelligence of the various emotions and experiences that I hold in my psyche, my nervous system, and my body, the more my true self and my true wants reveal themselves - which may collide with the roles, expectations, and duties I‘ve previously fulfilled in my relationships.

Inner work is not for the faint-hearted. And yet the growth that happens is self-determined, gentle, and in my pace, allowing me to stay as safe and be as bold as I want to at the same time.

In this context, a like-minded community is invaluable. Being able to share my doubts, despair, and sudden clarity with others that cherish self-encounter, I know that I‘m on track to more integrity and fulfillment - and I feel less inclined to give into doubt and despair.

My own inner work, using meditation, ID and somatic experiencing alike, has helped me tremendously in moving from a place of being stuck, rigid, and confused to increasingly becoming an integral player in the flux and shifts of my personal, professional, and social life.

From which I start to take delight and responsibility for „my“ emotional systems, as cyclical and interconnected as they are - and slowly become alive.