Presence
Ram Dass teaches that most suffering comes from thinking about this instead of staying present.
What is the past and future?
“I am not my thoughts. I am the ______ that notices thoughts.”
“What is awareness?”
Ram Dass teaches that pain is inevitable, but this is optional.
“What is suffering?”
Most conflict comes from seeing people through this.
What are projections?
Who is the teacher this cycle is based on?
“Who is Ram Dass?”
This is the stable part of us that notices thoughts, emotions, and sensations.
What is awareness?
This practice creates distance between impulse and action.
“What is witness consciousness?”
“Grist for the mill” means turning difficult experiences into this.
What is growth/transformation/wisdom?
Loving awareness means seeing people as they actually are instead of as we ______ them to be.
“What is need/want?”
This DBT skill is directly connected to witness consciousness.
What is Observe?
Addiction is described as a strategy to do this.
What is escape/numb/avoid the present moment?
In addiction, people become completely identified or “fused” with this.
“What are thoughts/emotions/urges?”
Suffering is resistance to this.
What is pain?
In addiction, relationships often become transactional and ______.
“What is defensive?”
Should've, would've, could've thinking creates this.
What is suffering.
Thoughts and emotions are constantly changing, but this remains the same.
What is awareness/consciousness?
Finish the statement: “I am having a thought that I want to use, but I am not ______.”
“What is the thought?”
What happens when someone meets pain with curiosity instead of resistance?
The experience can become a source of growth, wisdom, or healing.
This practice involves recognizing another person’s humanity underneath their defenses and behavior.
“What is loving awareness?”
Learning to respond instead of react
Building awareness
Staying present
Developing compassion
Creating space between urges and action
Healing relationships
Tolerating discomfort without escape
Explain the different between awareness and content.
Awareness is the observer.
Content is the thoughts, emotions, and experiences being observed.
Describe how the witness position can help someone during a craving.
It creates space between the craving and the choice to use.
Explain the difference between pain and suffering.
Pain is the actual difficult experience itself, while suffering is the resistance, judgment, or story we add to the pain.
Loving awareness means you can care about someone while still saying no and refusing _____________.
“What is harmful behavior?”
Freedom is found in the space between these two things.
“What are impulse and action?”
“What are experience and reaction?”