Being Present

There are virtually inummerable ways to "check out". We all do it. In its more extreme forms, this checking out takes the form of dissociative states or disorders, such as multiple personalities, or losing track of place and time. In its more common forms we can think in terms of ordinary activities like spacing out on TV, over eating, risk taking behaviors, any of the possible addictions or compulsions from drugs and alcohol to running or exercise. In other words, anything can be used as an escape.

And what is it that we need, or want to escape from? Could be anything from the routine and tedium of everyday life to extreme trauma. There is good reason to conclude that the need or desire to leave ordinary reality in some form is hard wired in our brains. It would be impossible, I suspect, to find a culture, current or historical, that did not incorporate an understanding of this need, and provide methods for its satisfaction. So, given the fundamental human experience of "escape", or altering consciousness, what can be said about the importance of "being present"?

While "taking a break" from the stresses of life can be both healthy and productive, making a (bad) habit of it ultimately creates more stresses and multi-layered problems. Cultivating the capacity to be present with one's experience, to "show up", to "be real", to be "in the body", is necessary in order to be able to work effectively with our lives and relationships, and to experience true health and happiness. The term "real time" takes on a significant meaning when it comes to mental health. Of course, cultivating this capacity involves cultivating the ability to be present with, to experience, and to manage or modulate difficult, intense, or distressing feelings.



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