Becoming familiar with the territory of each of the quadrants in Wilber's Integral Theory is not a one off event. I believe that  it requires a form of regular reflective inquiry as a cumulative recognisance exercise aided by quiet reflection, journaling and discussion. In this way we can consciously seek to identify our unconscious values and deeply held beliefs, assumptions and automatic patterns of thinking and acting.

In the table below I suggest questions for a personal ‘quadrant inquiry’.  Which quadrants tend to be your preferred way of perceiving the world? How does this appear in your life? I usually find, almost like a typology, that we have a dominant quadrant that attracts the lion’s share of our attention. There is value in being aware which one comes naturally and in discovering the costs of not giving sufficient attention to the others. In this way, one can gradually gain more mastery of the ways an occurrence in one quadrant impacts the others. In his

Leadership Coaching Tip, Integral Leadership Review – March 2003, Vol. III no 3, Volckmann offers some integrating questions that build on my quadrant inquiry: 

·         What are the implications for your own self-management, your own learning, the relationship between what you say is important and the actions you are taking?

·         What are the implications for your own alignment with the culture of the organization, of the large network it is a part?

·         What are the implications for how your actions integrate with those of others to foster the effectiveness of the system?

·         What are the implications for the evolution of the system, itself? 

 

Quadrant Inquiry Suggestions

UL – individual subjective   ·     Sit, stand or lie. Take a deep breath. Use your favourite relaxation or meditation method to become still. Adopt the perspective of a detached-observer and check inside for sensations, feelings, thoughts, drives and impulses. Just notice them. ·     Energy state tracking: As you go about your daily activities simultaneously notice where your attention goes. Notice your energy state – Is is resourceful or unresourceful, high energy or low energy (Loehr & Schwartz, 2005)? ·     Take an inventory of aspirations and desires. ·     Record your remembered dreams on waking (a useful route to shadow awareness). ·     Practice a daily or weekly review of your predominant motivations and intentions over that period. ·     Do a decade-by-decade life review and note the memories that stand out - the events the shaped your self-image. ·     Contemplate the question ‘Who am I’? Notice your attachments to various identities. ·     What assumptions do I automatically make? How can I check these? ·     What does what I think and believe about others tell me about myself? (Shadow– Wilber (1979))

UR – individual objective   ·     Slowly scan your body to notice the physical sensations at each point. ·     Do some stretches or exercise and notice any change in the sensations. Sense of the ‘field’ around you. Try to become aware of the subtle and causal energy in your body and around you. ·     Familiarise yourself with your physiology and anatomy and pay attention to it. ·     How does your body respond to stress? Notice what your body holds or carries and how it builds or clears. ·     Review your rest, recovery and renewal, and sleep management regimes. ·     How hydrated are you throughout the day? Do you ensure a balance of nutrition and exercise? ·     How do others experience your behaviour, demeanour, body language and responses to situations?  ·     Do you have the necessary practical skills for living well? ·     What objective metrics or feedback can you acquire on body, personality traits, competencies and skills? ·     Have a health check-up and consider using both conventional and complementary professionals.

LL – collective subjective   ·     Consider the values of your culture, your family of origin, your community. ·     What collective beliefs predominate where you live and work? ·     Listen to different broadcasting and media sources and notice the often contradictory implicit views and attitudes they hold. Notice how you identify or disidentify with them. ·     Notice when and how the pronoun ‘we’ is used in groups or in conversations. ·     Where do you feel you can experience belonging and membership? ·     What rituals and symbols are in your life?  Do you celebrate traditions, festivals and communal events? ·     What is your relationship to popular culture? ·     What visions and values to you share with others? ·     What is your sense of sharing in collective responsibility? ·     In what ways are you dependent and interdependent? ·     How do you relate to others in groups?

LR – collective objective   ·     What systems do you interact with? (Legal, national, local, political etc) ·     Consider the chain of processes that provide your food, energy, transport, water, healthcare etc. ·     What is your relationship and involvement in your immediate community, country and globally? ·     How do you live and interact in your ecosystem? ·     What relationship and responsibility do you take in the systems you work with (policies, procedures, laws, regulations etc)? ·     How effective is the way you organise your life, patterns of working and processes for living? ·     What is you carbon footprint? ·     What is the impact of decisions you make and you daily actions on the wider community and planet? ·     What people networks and community links help you in your life’s goals and purpose? ·     How do you manage and relate to you competitors or ‘outsiders’? ·     What’s your relationship with technology?

© Martin Egan, 2009

 

Review of "How to Deal with Stress", Stephen Palmer and Cary Cooper, Kogan Page, 2007, The Sunday Times Creating Success Series

Stephen Palmer is honorary professor of psychology at City University and Founder Director of the Centre for Stress Management and Cary Cooper is professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University and President of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. Their combined perspectives on dealing with stress make for a robust approach.

The authors start with this practical definition: "stress occurs when pressure exceeds your perceived ability to cope." They then set out to help you to ‘conquer your stress, change the way you work and restore your work-life balance'. A tall order you may say from a self-help book. Compared to some of the self-help books available this one is based on solid science and sound psychological principles. Therefore, I believe that if the exercises and techniques they suggest were followed strictly, readers would notice direct improvement in their stress levels. There are over 34 activities throughout the book each designed to make the reader more aware and more in charge of their well-being. In this way Palmer and Cooper introduce the reader to easy-to-use ‘evidence-based' techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and useful stress self-evaluation exercises, worksheets and approaches to modifying stress-inducing behaviour. As someone who practices CBT in an integrative and holistic way, I can testify to its effectiveness and suitability for use in conjunction with complementary medicine.

The book is particularly relent to stress in relation to the workplace and includes two encouraging examples from the Health and Safety Executive of how staff who are under severe stress can be supported.

We are told about the difference between pressure and stress and how one person's pressure is another person's stress and of the connection between stress, anxiety and burnout. The costs of stress are quite shocking and provide compelling statistics to encourage employers of the need to address workplace stress. Taking the £10 billion estimated cost of absenteeism by the Confederation of British Industry, the authors highlight how research has linked many of the causes of absenteeism to stress. The variety of ailments listed will be familiar to complementary practitioners: heart attack/strokes, high blood pressure, ulcers, diabetes, angina, cancer, rheumatoid arthritis and psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression. More specifically, we are informed that the International Labour Organisation Report found that the annual financial cost of stress to the UK is £5.3 billion. I would argue that these statistics emphasize the contribution that CAM from a valid professional standard can play in being part of the solution.

What I like most about the approach taken by Palmer and Cooper is how they take a relatively comprehensive approach that takes in the individual and the organisation; they help the reader examine the link between beliefs and stress (the approach of CBT) and to change their thinking. One example they address, which is more common than we realise, is how procrastination and perfectionism can increase stress. Topics covered include nutrition, physical health, self-esteem, anger, time management and using imagery and relaxation (Palmer's Multimodal Relaxation Method is especially helpful). Pointing out the contributions of the organisation, they introduce a model in Chapter 7 that includes the organisational factors of stress. They also offer managers an insight into how the organisation can help employees.

The book ends with a stress audit and instructions on how to develop your personal action plan. Throughout the book there is an emphasis on action which I understand is necessary even if paradoxically this action orientation could be a little stressful initially.

On the down side the section addressing physical health only includes the briefest anecdotes from research for example a cursory mention of plant sterols and how ‘dark chocolate helps to lower cholesterol levels'.  My only other criticism of the book is that it has not highlighted the role of spirituality or religious practice in reducing or managing stress. In my review of the ‘Spiritual Narratives Conference' ICM Journal Summer issue) I quote numerous examples of the benefits of spiritual practice in maintaining health and well being. In fact Prof. Palmer may find it interesting to note that his use of the five senses in his Multimodal Relaxation Method using Benson's Relaxation Response, positive imagery of each participant's choice, breathing exercise, and mental relaxation is reminiscent of St Ignatius' application of the senses in Ignatian prayer. Given the increasing research evidence for the integration of ‘mindfulness' practices with CBT, I also expected to find an emphasis on mindfulness in addressing stress. My own approach to stress uses an Integral approach which includes the methods described by Palmer and Cooper and more http://www.newdirectionconsulting.co.uk/pages/stress-management.php . It is my hope that books dealing with stress for a serious perspective as the authors so here will find valid justification to include a reference to CAM as I argue in my article on ‘Building Transdisciplinary Bridges, ICM Journal, Spring Issue)

In encouragement of transdisciplinary bridge-building, I recommend this book to all complementary practitioners, including counsellors and psychotherapists as part of their own education and as a resource for their clients where appropriate.

Martin Egan, www.newdirectionconsulting.co.uk ,  martin@insightcoach.eu

Today I introduced a group of counsellors and therapists at BACP North London to Big Mind Big Heart as a practice that can develop their 'muscle' to sense the 'numinous' as a means to promote healing and transformation. see summary of workshop below.

Psychological and Numinous Dimensions of Transformation with an Introduction to Voice Dialogue to Promote a Shift in Awareness. Martin Egan PhD MBACP (Accred.)

Participants were introduced to why Rudolf Otto invented the term 'Numinous' in his 1923 book 'The Idea of the Holy' as a means to separate 'the holy' from any moral or rational loading that had become associated with it. Describing how the notion of the numinous could be understood, Otto wrote: "There is only one way to help another to an understanding of it. He must be guided and led on by consideration and discussion of the matter through the ways of his own mind, until he reach the point at which the ‘numinous' in him perforce begins to stir, to start into life and into consciousness. We can co-operate in this process by bringing before his notice all that can be found in other regions of the mind, already known and familiar, to resemble, or again to afford some special contrast to, the particular experience we wish to elucidate. Then we must add: ‘This X of ours is not precisely this experience, but akin to this one and the opposite of that
other. ..... In other words our X cannot, strictly speaking, be taught, it can only be evoked, awakened in the mind; as everything that comes ‘of the spirit' must be awakened." (Otto, 1923, p7)

In the workshop I invited participants to consider their own understanding of the numinous and that of their clients. I proposed that Otto's description above captured something of what may occur during counselling or therapy. I argued  that to awaken our sense and awareness of the numinous in our own experience, and that of our clients, we needed to 'exercise and tone the muscle' that identifies and recognises these moments and the potential for them. We need to know what practises or activities can tone this 'muscle' in each of us. To this end I suggested, Otto Scharmer's model of listening to the "I in Source" through Open Mind, Open Heart and Open Will as a way of listening into the 'future and potential wanting to emerge' as shown in Scharmer's Theory U (Theory U: Leading from the Future as it Emerges, 2007).

I went on to demonstrate how a combination of the voice dialogue technique of Hal and Sidra Stone (Embracing Ourselves - the voice dialogue manual, 1989) and Zen Master Dennis Gempo Merzel's 'Big Mind Big Heart' processes (Big Mind Big Heart - finding your way, 2007) could be used to awaken our perception of the numinous and its potential to promote a shift in awareness. I argued that all counselling and therapy trainings are in need of real training in this area if counsellors and therapists are to fully honour the numinous as it arises in their consulting rooms and in their own and their clients lives. Further, I testified to the evidence in my own clinical work that clients became adept at practising 'Big Mind Big Heart' as a self healing process in their lives.

Martin Egan 28th October 2007
www.newdirectionconsulting.co.uk
martin@insightcoach.eu

I was chatting with a friend last week and said that I thought it is easier to express second-tier awareness for the other than it is to live in it for ourselves. I wonder if there is a progression in the development of consciousness up the spiral (Spiral Dynamics) that modulates from extroverted to introverted expression. In my personal experience I find it easier to hold an integral perspective for others than in myself.

All thoughts welcome.

Martin
New Direction Consulting
http://www.newdirectionconsulting.co.uk/

I believe that mentoring in the workplace or in any area of life is a worthwhile activity for both the mentor and recipient. Yesterday I presented to a group of HR professionals and introduced them (albeit in 20 min) to Ken Wilber's quadrants, a selection of  6 useful 'lines' (cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, moral, physical and spiritual/meaning) together with examples of  low, medium and high development in each case.

Half the group seemed to light up with interest but rushed away nonetheless and the other half looked completely bored! Do any of you get similar glazed looks even when packaging the work in practical and benefit focused way?

I welcome your suggestions and thoughts.

Martin

Hi all,

I'm passing this on because I believe that it is a valid contribution
to the promotion of Integral ...

At the weekend, I was at a conference with the World Community for
Christian Meditation.

Not surprisingly, it was akin to all of Fr Thomas Keating's work
although celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Death of Fr John Main
who re-discovered Meditation from the desert Fathers and did much to
revive it in the Christian Community. A task that seems as times to have
been very against the tide..

Their current president Fr Lawrence Freeman touched me deeply and gave
the clearest teaching on the Trinity that I've ever heard.

In summary :

Father is the Ground of Being, Son is the manifestation of the Father as
a psychosexual human being. As Jesus said no one can see the Father
except through me. The Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and
the Son and the Son came to release that Spirit to all of us.

The WCCM have a series of special interest websites - this one is for
meditation and young people. http://www.thespiritualsolution.com/


You can listen to a helpful and encouraging talk from Fr Lawrence under
Media and Talks menu.

Whether Christian or otherwise I think what he says may be energising
for us all.

Integral (Trinitarian) Blessings to you all.

Martin