The Power of Now
Posted on October 31, 2007
I recently attended a two day talk here in New York City, given by Eckart Tolle, the author of The Power of Now, a best-selling self-help book, and a number of related books and tapes. For those who are not aware, Mr. Tolle’s major thesis goes something like this: Most of us live most of our lives in preoccupation with the future or the past, leaving the present moment very short shrift. As a result of this, we miss out on the enjoyment of life which comes from just being present to the wonders of the world around us, and instead tend to fret about things which either might happen, or may have happened to us in the past. His framework posits an “observing entity”, which is separate and ultimately superior to the “mind”, which is the “thinking entity” which he identifies as the “ego”, which most of us identify as ourselves. Since the ego’s thinking is compulsive, and constantly takes us away from the present, the work is to progressively dis-identify ourselves from our “mind”, and align ourselves with “being” or the observing entity, which allows us to maintain present moment awareness.
His viewpoint has many similarities with the Buddhist and Taoist traditions, which both offer a “here and now” approach to life, although echoes of this point also exist in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions as well, and for that matter in many other religious traditions and psychological frameworks.
I recommend his work for those continuing their own paths of self-discovery, although perhaps his approach is not as immediately appealing or intuitive for others as it is was for me. I am also considering how to incorporate his insight into my own work with patients, and how to integrate this with other psychotherapeutic frameworks.
‘Tags’Psychotherapy’Therapy’» Filed Under News
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Welcome!
I am presenting here my personal thoughts and opinions on various mental health topics. I'm not presenting research, just giving some impressions based on my own reflections and clinical experience.
If you have an opinion about something I present, I hope you'll share it in a comment. I'll do my best to give you a thoughtful response.
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