When we are able to see that there is something in us or in our life that does not fit 100% to our needs, we can choose two options: leave things as they are or develop strategies so that what we are not satisfied with improve and transform.
If you choose the second option, that of taking action and carrying out measures that help you improve and evolve, that means that you are choosing carry out a conscious transformation
I want to change and I don’t know where to start: conscious transformation
Conscious transformation simply refers to the decision to deliberately want to change something, and It is directly related to your personal growth
Sometimes we say we want to change something but we don’t know where to start. For this, Mindfulness psychology proposes four fundamental principles that will help you walk the path of change and personal growth. These principles for transformation are: Recognition, Acceptance, Investigation and Non-identification. Together they form the acronym RAIN, something that can help you remember them.
Below I briefly explain each of the principles of the conscious transformation of mindfulness (RAIN). These can be taken as steps to carry out a change process.
1: Recognition
Recognition is the step that goes from denial of our reality to acceptance of what is happening
Denial refers to the lack of an internal declaration that something is really happening. If we deny and do not recognize, then we will never be able to make a change, because our denial will be undermining our freedom to choose whether we want that for ourselves or not.
It is important to understand that Not by denying something we suffer less from its consequences I can deny that I have a problem with food but I am not going to stop suffering from it by relating to it in that way. That is why this first step is so important, because if we deny things we will never be able to take care of them.
Recognition opens us to observing ourselves and our world in a conscious and liberating way, taking us from ignorance and illusion to freedom.
When we find ourselves stuck in life we need to start by having a predisposition to observe and ask ourselves: What is happening? That’s why, we need to start by admitting our truth
Example: a frequent drinker who denies the cost of his unhealthy lifestyle for his health opens the way to recognizing that this recurring habit of drinking is something that causes him discomfort.
2. Acceptance
The second step is acceptance. The acceptation It is a complex concept to explain since it is often related to resignation Quickly and so as not to make mistakes, I explain the differences in their way of expressing themselves: resignation is expressed as “Ok, that’s how it is, I can’t do anything” and acceptance, however, as “Ok, that’s how it is, what can I do?” do with it.”
After recognizing our reality and opening ourselves to observing it, we need to do the deep work of acceptance. The acceptation It is the openness to be able to include whatever is in front of us in our lives from the acute understanding that things are now as they are, without judging them.
The step of acceptance requires practice, time and perseverance and a lot of courage but it allows the rawest problems to become susceptible to work. Work on Mindfulness may be the key to this step.
We can summarize this principle as that of embrace our reality whatever it is in the here and now
Example: I have already recognized that I have a problem with alcohol, now I accept it, I do not run away from it or reject it even if this hurts me.
3: Research
The step of investigation follows recognition and acceptance and is the step of inquiry. In this step the questions of How? Where? Because? How? etc… It is the step of observation of our reality par excellence
We have recognized and accepted our dilemmas, now we need a broader inquiry into all the senses and areas in which these are present and what they are involved in.
To carry out this process sometimes we need guidance, because we can get lost in the process. It is what allows us to understand why and/or simply see how that something we want to change is present in our lives at all levels.
The research we carry out It must be done in the body, mind and emotions It will also be necessary to explore the patterns that constitute the experience, that is, the learning adjacent to it.
Some of the questions within this principle are: How do I feel this in my body, how do I notice it and where? I think? What do I feel? Is this experience constant or inconstant over time? When does it arise in time?
4: No identification
This step is essential to carry out a transformation. YesIt means stopping talking about this experience as “I” or “me.” That is, we stop identifying with all the labels related to the experience, becoming independent of it. We go from “my disorder” or “my problem” to simply “problem.” This step is the culminating step for the transformation.
In this step we can understand the impermanence of things, seeing them with a greater perspective and perceiving how they constantly change. We detach ourselves from our idea of what “I am” and allow ourselves to construct a more fluid “I am.”
When we understand this principle in depth, we become free to let go of the entire problem and begin to approach it from a state that can be described with this question: Am I really this?
Example: from the identification “I am a failure” to, I may have sometimes behaved like a failure, but this is not always the case. I do not identify with the label of failure and I allow myself to let go of it since I do not want it for myself.
At this point in the process is when We understand that our conscious being can accommodate millions of changing experiences and then we begin to choose which ones we want to build ourselves with.
These principles can serve as a guide on your path of growth and conscious transformation. It is not always easy to walk this path alone so take your time and if you need it, ask for help.
To end…
Did you know these principles? I hope you learned something new today and that this article will be helpful to you when you consciously decide to change something. And if at any time you need professional psychological help, contact us.
