Subject:
Integrative & Dialectical Thinking
Self-Discovery, Self-Acceptance, and Self-Mastery
are necessary to grow in psycho-affective maturity
and to become a more authentic gift to others.
-Pope Francis, paraphrase (May 2024 Intentions)
“May we see ourselves clearly
with the eyes of understanding and love.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh, paraphrase (in Contemplative Prayer, Merton)
Dialectics:
Integration happens in the…
and in the…
1) The combining of (one thing) with another to form a whole.
2) The bringing (of people or groups) into equal membership and participation of a social group or institution.
Self
…when multiple aspects of oneself come together to form a wholistic system, where each part supports and honors the others. This includes:
Alignment of Head (thoughts), Heart (feelings), and Body (actions).
Alignment of External world (public life) and Internal world (private life).
Alignment of personal Identity (self-perception) and social Belonging (others-perception).
Alignment of Work, Skill, and Passion.
Alignment of Nomological (physical), Narrative (purpose), and Normative (goodness) properties of the self.
World
…when individuals, societies, and natural ecosystems are in harmony, each supporting each other, such that each “part” has mutually beneficial participation in the global communion. This includes:
Alignment of Individual, Societal, and Global good.
Alignment of Freedom (individual expression) and Duty (giving to collective).
Alignment of countries and parties towards each other’s good.
Alignment of the rich and poor, the powerful and week.
Alignment of the natural world and human world.
Integration:
Integration happens in the…
and in the…
1) The combining of (one thing) with another to form a whole.
2) The bringing (of people or groups) into equal membership and participation of a social group or institution.
Self
…when multiple aspects of oneself come together to form a wholistic system, where each part supports and honors the others. This includes:
Alignment of Head (thoughts), Heart (feelings), and Body (actions).
Alignment of External world (public life) and Internal world (private life).
Alignment of personal Identity (self-perception) and social Belonging (others-perception).
Alignment of Work, Skill, and Passion.
Alignment of Nomological (physical), Narrative (purpose), and Normative (goodness) properties of the self.
World
…when individuals, societies, and natural ecosystems are in harmony, each supporting each other, such that each “part” has mutually beneficial participation in the global communion. This includes:
Alignment of Individual, Societal, and Global good.
Alignment of Freedom (individual expression) and Duty (giving to collective).
Alignment of countries and parties towards each other’s good.
Alignment of the rich and poor, the powerful and week.
Alignment of the natural world and human world.
Why Integration?
One aspect of self-understanding is in the head — in our thinking. We need terminology, categorization, and models to better understand ourselves. Good models can help us to accept who we are, while also showing us ways in which we can grow!
Head:
Another aspect of self-understanding is in the heart — in our emotions. We must have the desire — a source of motivation — to do self-reflection and shadow work, which will be quite uncomfortable! Our hearts must find encouragement and comfort in this journey.
Heart:
A third aspect of self-understanding is in the body — in our actions. We must develop practices and habits which condition our head and heart towards new ways of seeing ourself. And a deep understanding of oneself will not just be intellectual, but embodied — present to one’s heart and body in the moment.
Body:
This page is a hub of resources on this site (and other places), organized into Models meant to engage the Head and Practices meant to engage the Body. The Heart must be engaged by your relationships, finding people who encourage or inspire you to know yourself and become a more self-aware person!
Models:
Almost all of the things on this website can be used as tools for self-understanding! But in particular, the Enneagram content and Spiral content are designed for self-understanding.
Other models/frameworks I’ve found particularly helpful are:
Some other helpful (smaller) models include the life shapes🡥 of the:
Kairos Circle
🡥(Learning Circle)
Models/theories work in consort with Practices/instantiations which help us to live into and become what the models attempt to communicate in a systematized . So consider all these models as tools to facilitate growth — not propositions to be validated.
Head:
Body:
Practices:
Practices for cultivating self-understanding include…
1) Reflection
Practices like journaling, writing a summary of every year/season of one’s life, a daily Ignatian Examine🡥, and other practices of methodically/intentionally remembering one’s past. These reflection practices help with memory and facilitate a sense of purpose through narrative construction. The very act of choosing what to remember is a way to orient ourselves towards our higher values.
2) Awareness practices like concentrative meditation (focus), mindfulness meditation (awareness of self and environment), body-scans, centering prayer, focusing on one’s breath, breath prayers, affirmations/mantras, a daily bible verse or quote, and setting up triggers in one’s life to remember particular things throughout the day. These awareness practices give “perspectival knowing” — new perspectives through which we see ourselves and the world.
3) Insight practices such a contemplative meditation (considering and connecting ideas), story-telling, and visualization (like the Ignatian prayer/contemplation of scripture). Insight can come from all kinds of practices, and is always enhanced by a variety of practices — for insight is found in the shifting between different perspectives/awarenesses — in the re-framing, the scaling up and scaling down, the zooming-in and the zooming out.
Many times a pre-requisite for benefiting from these practices is what I call…
0) Grounding practices (which stabilize oneself to avoid triggers, spiraling, and distractions) such as box-breathing, 54321 technique, walking, tactile implements (like prayer beads), and crafting a safe/comfortable environment (a friendly or natural place, a nice beverage, fitting music, lighting incense/candle, a warm blanket, etc.).
All of these categories blend into each other! Each practice may become something which helps for any of these categories, even if some practices are more specifically oriented towards one end or another.
I am creating a list of many spiritual practices, all of which can help with self-understanding in different ways — the list will continue to grow:
It is important to find your own collection of practices for grounding, reflection, awareness, and insight!