Two different forms of change (growth), as we experience them
When do we truly change in life? Is frequently repeated saying “People don’t change” true? Not entirely.
One way that we do change is when our energy field is in the same frequency range, thus compatible with the elements of the desired altered state. Is the explanation too technical? Let’s try another one.
Change truly happens, when our body, mind & spirit fully accept the components of that new perception, decision or action, which will drive the change.
This is surely not the only way how change takes place. This one is the pleasant path leading to change. When our mind, body & spirit are aligned, we even demand the change. So, how does change take place in this smooth form?
Practicing and attaining certain qualities & virtues make it possible: Acceptance, empathy, awareness, perspective, courage and similar ones… This type of change is also known as Satori.
Satori: passion of the awakened
Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith, the founder of the Agape International Spiritual Centre in Los Angeles, talks about two different paths leading to change, thus leading to life growth.
Satori is growth by awakening. They are insights that happen suddenly and change you forever. They can happen anywhere – while you’re in nature, listening to music, looking at art, or in a conversation.
Once you’ve had a Satori moment (think of that “ah-ha!” we’ve all felt when something just clicks), the stuff that holds you back is left in the dust. You’ve levelled up and can operate on a whole new plane.
In such an expansive and flow-like state, change takes place naturally.
Change doesn’t always come easy
When do we truly decide to change in life? That moment of decision might happen when you are swimming in the ocean under the moon light in a bliss state. It may also happen in one of those ‘hitting the bottom hard’ situations.
Can you relate to the following analogy, below?
When change needs to take place, it stands in front of your door and rings the bell patiently , but so only for a while. When unanswered, it starts knocking at the door with its fist. If still no response, then it kicks the door, louder and louder…until… I guess you already got the picture. This type of change also may -and most likely will- lead to growth, but in a different way. And surely, through a different process. This one is called ‘Kensho‘.
Souls crave and demand change as a catalyst, and thus desire to grow, without a doubt. They have a different level of consciousness, wisdom and perspective, than we -our temporal consciousness- have. Our higher selves are interested in the gains of changing and growing, NOT in the details, such as how much we will have to suffer to get there.
Do we really believe in “No Pain No Gain?”
Again, Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith has beautifully described this concept of Kensho:
Kensho is growth by pain. Ultimately, it is the universe giving you tough love. Bottom line: you go through some kind of pain or difficulty which you learn different ways to feel, think, and be. It is like a tectonic shift, you can feel it happening, and mapped over time, it’s clear that your world has changed.
In retrospect, you might even view these events as positive forces that pushed you to challenge beliefs and systems that were holding you back in ways you hadn’t realized. Dr. Beckwith suggests that Kensho is our souls’ way of calling on us to grow.
Neither of these concepts are innately ‘good’ or ‘bad’. They simply represent two different ways as things unfold, in our souls’ quest of reaching its goal: Change & Growth.
It seriously – and perhaps surprisingly – doesn’t matter that much to our souls, how change & growth takes place. How about us, with our 3rd density level of consciousness? It matters a lot to us, and for a good reason.
Anticipated pain: A solid roadblock
Our brains are hard coded with many programs, to make us run away from danger or pain, so that we survive. And only when the dangerous situation passes by, we start chasing all short term pleasures, once again.
Certain parts of our brains focus only on the present moment and ask one question:
“Is there a risk of having pain in this present moment or not?”
That is the burning question for the early developed parts of our brains.
As a result of this evolutionary component , instant gratification is such a fundamental part of our being. We crave it, we desire it, we immediately feel well after receiving it.
Long term achievements are not that interesting for us, human beings, except our analytical minds.
Please put a mark on previous sentence. It will play a key role to demystify the chemistry of change, later.
Who is in charge of deciding for change?
People tend to NOT see certain things in life, such as limiting believes, programs, learned powerlessness, repeating collective patterns etc. They stay unaware of them, if noticing them in and of itself is painful enough. The responsible character for this ‘overlooking or skipping action’ is no other than our all time best friend, the Subconscious Mind.
The subconscious mind reads the situation as this:
“Change is terrible, it’s a huge risk, an unacceptable situation in itself, and it can mean to jeopardize my life”.
It almost always prefers to keep the Status-quo, even if keeping everything as it is could be more detrimental for the body, mind & the spirit, in the long term.
One great way to avoid change, is Procrastination! One of our all-time favorites. And so many people have been thinking all this time that they were simply so…lazy. 🙂
Calculating risks, minimizing possible future damage and constantly re-evaluating scenarios, fall under the field of expertise of our analytical minds. That would be the prefrontal cortex. But, what if that smart & high IQ compartment of our brain is not even aware of the true situation?
Yes, it may be so, because the subconscious mind loves to keep stuff hidden! It hides them under many many layers of clutter.
Deep tactics of the subconscious mind…but for which purpose?
There are several tactics for hiding a fact, a memory…or simply any data: We may just forget about them. We may also simply lose them.
One major reason that subconscious mind hides the data, is that it is deeply scared of having anything to do with pain! Recalling an old file; an embarrassing memory, a traumatic situation or even a past life drama etc. could be VERY painful!
An even more convincing reason why people (their subconscious minds) don’t see things (skip them on purpose) as they are, is closely related to our initial question: Seeing things as they are could mean having to make some sort of CHANGE, which could be painful to do.
When do we truly change in life? Change starts to happen, the moment our subconscious mind starts believing that changing won’t be painful!
Change without experiencing pain?
When it comes to the assessment of pain, the subconscious mind believes that almost ANY CHANGE is / will be painful. A little less or a little more, but painful.
This is one of the most fundamental reasons why people don’t live their lives fully aware! This is one big reason why they subconsciously choose to stay unaware of their day-to-day reality.
It may be why they keep themselves stuck in an illusion in their lives. Alternatively they lock themselves up in their self-created mental prison cell, and throw the keys out of the window.
Change or not to change?
Please don’t get me wrong. Even the subconscious mind can decide for change. This ‘choice’ usually happens when not changing and resisting it becomes even more painful, compared to various scenarios of changing.
This type of change will take place fast! Everything related to it will be the ‘new norm’ for some time, until another ‘not changing is more painful‘ situation. A situation, when cost of holding on to Status Quo will simply be too high and unsustainable.
We are more than our subconscious minds
Did you ever realize that you are an infinite being with infinite consciousness, in your true essence? We all deserve to change & grow through Satori. The notion of changing and growing through awakening, receiving powerful insights, having fascinating A-Ha moments, may sound too intellectual to our subconscious minds. What we may choose to do, could be to convince our concerned & fearful friend, in a step by step approach.
Please make it a daily habit to ask this following question to yourself:
“What is absolutely the worst thing that could happen to me, because of this change?”
After receiving each answer, repeat your question: “And what is the worst thing that could happen after that, if so and so happens?”
Please repeat asking this question to yourself until you run out of all the shallow answers (excuses). Sooner or later, the true answer will be revealed.
After this marathon of Q&A, you will perhaps notice that all previously stated reasons as excuses to resist the change, were simply part of the mis-perception of the subconscious: An illusion!
Pure awareness helps us change (grow) smoothly
When do we truly change in life? Changing will become smooth & easy after we repeat this Q&A process enough number of times, and realize what is true and what is an illusion.
After enough repetitions, even the subconscious mind will start getting convinced about the benefits of changing, thus growing. Once it is convinced enough, locking itself up in a mental prison cell and throwing the keys out of the window, will be a thing of the past.
Kıvanç Öroglu
Transformative Coach & Healer
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If one of the stories or instances in the article resonates with you, please share your story with me. I am always inspired with great stories that are genuine and heart centered.
PS:
This article above reflects my experience based on working as a healer with many people. People, who were seeking some answers in their lives, and each of them was on a different spot on their personal journeys. Even today, these situations continue to be my day-to-day experience with these beautiful souls. No specific details are mentioned in the article.
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Images & citation:
Image: The Satir Change Model
The Satir Change Model is a five-stage model (see graph) that describes the effects each stage of the change has on feelings, thinking, performance, and physiology. It was developed by Virginia Satir.
