Transformation Process And Therapeutic Recommendations

The great workhorse of Self-Preservation 9 is to begin connecting with his emotions, becoming aware of what he feels and his tendency to escape from those feelings. He often spends time covering up what he feels, anesthetizing himself. It's like a funnel—everything goes straight from the mouth to the stomach.

The work of introspection can be materialized by practicing meditation, in any form. With meditation, the body is still, and there are no excuses or distractions. Despite the interference of thoughts, one begins to glimpse who he truly is, beginning to peek into his essence. The void is perceived as a place where emotions can pass through without remaining, since the great panic of Self-Preservation 9 is the intensity of emotion and the belief that nothing ever changes. Thus, emptiness can be conceived as a state of natural and pleasant rest.

“Sitting after sitting, there is only me. My thoughts, my pains, my body, and my emotions, which I live, have reached a higher level of consciousness by not having excuses or

distractions. I wake up, meet myself, and stay with me all day until I go to bed. During all that time, I have the privilege of reaching a higher level of consciousness through zazen, enhanced by the experience I am living.” (Anonymous)

“It never ceases to amaze me: suddenly, I have myself. I am my object of study. I look at myself and try to understand who I am. It's hard; thoughts and my body interrupt and sabotage me all the time. However, the feeling in those brief moments when I get closer to my essence, when I can at least intuit it, is one of well-being and fulfillment. I think it's the first time I’ve really seen myself.” (Jordi)

Walking slowly, with awareness in each step, helps you see how fast you’re walking and connects you with your body in the here and now, in movement, without having to achieve a goal.

Start looking, as you never want to see, both outside and inside. Start seeing things differently, not with the prejudices and old constructions that you use when you put things on autopilot to get somewhere—or nowhere—and realize you don’t know how you got there.

Another function that can sometimes cause pain and is also a bit of a feared scene: The pleasure of contemplating beauty in itself awakens one's own pleasure and the imperative need for enjoyment. It can cause pain to the extent that the Self-Preservation 9 realizes the pleasure they’ve denied, even in the simplest things, especially if at that moment they don't know how to satisfy that need for pleasure, whether shared or not. At the same time, it signifies the discovery of a new itinerary. A new world opens up to perception.

“Contact a dimension in which there is neither space nor time, where everything is freedom and love. That lost paradise... If we find that dimension, and we can live it in the present, we are happy and we don’t need anything. It is the natural dimension of being that manifests itself without images, that simply is. Shamata meditation, not doing.” (Diego)

Another important task is keeping an emotional journal. Beginning to realize what you feel is a significant event for you. It can be done with the frequency that you find appropriate, without forcing too much and without seeing it as another "obligation." Perhaps the guideline here is not to require of yourself what you’ve spent years ignoring.

The work carried out in SAT meetings and its monthly follow-up, with different people who share the same objective of self-work, especially encourages this subtype, because they feel more connected to the feeling of “I am one like the others,” neither better nor worse.

Dream work, whether individually or in a group, goes a long way toward undoing projections. It also offers the possibility that there is another form of knowledge—less earthly and, in any case, transcendental.

“In SAT 1, I had a very intense contact with my own being. It’s as if, in that struggle to know myself better, in my most essential part, in the end, like in battles, the wounds, the pain, the dead remain—parts of me that I have to eliminate. In a war, the end results in pain and death. Then comes reconstruction and the desire for a better future, life, and joy.” (Jordi)

It is obvious that attending individual or group therapy greatly favors contact with denied emotions, especially anger, and with disconnection in general, since the E9 has rarely known what they were feeling or did not want to recognize it, even when it was made evident.

In particular, gestalt therapy connects a lot with the here and now, whereas Self-Preservation 9 has almost always moved into the future, anticipating events. An important question that the therapist often asks at the beginning is: “What is happening to you right now?” This question becomes part of their daily life and is gradually integrated.

Another very important aspect is the sense of non-judgment. The therapist's attitude of non-judgment also changes the way the E9 relates to authority, power, and self-worth.

In group therapy, you can see how the E9 tends to function in confluence, using projection and retroflection. They tend to emerge from the group more often than they wish. The others become mirrors that reflect parts of themselves they do not want to see. At the same time, the others cease to be a threat, as the Self-Preservation 9’s burden of mistrust is considerable. Another important task is working with loyalties and positioning when conflict arises within the group.

“I believe that the combination of the authentic and deep therapeutic process, plus a meditation practice that serves to focus attention and awareness on oneself, and finally an instrument of action such as coaching, are a path of sensation for a Self-Preservation 9 like me.” (Jordi)

Another block of tasks would involve helping them let go, as the E9 is a very content character with clear anal connotations. As Lowen says, there is a tension between two orifices—the oral and the anal—which are in permanent tension. Any task that helps the E9 express themselves, including the rage so often denied, and to let go of everything that is contained and held by unrecognized emotions, will be very healthy.

Anything that involves body work, like dancing, Open River, yoga, tai chi, chi kung, tao yin, Gurdjieff movements, etc., helps bring back awareness of the body, which the E9 seldom takes care of.

Dancing alone or with others, at home or elsewhere, inevitably moves the diaphragm and the sensations and emotions. “Giving yourself permission” to do crazy things or go crazy dancing is something the E9 has never been accustomed to. And that cannot be allowed at another time or in other spaces. The feeling of power over one’s own emotion, so often denied, and the feeling of being able to choose what to do with it—because it belongs to you—is very gratifying. And without judgment or with judgment, with or without a crush, they realize what they feel. The feeling that they no longer have to “control” or “behave” as expected gives them a power over themselves that they had always delegated to others. This is very healing.

“Dance and feel the pleasure that the body experiences when moving freely, letting go of the movement of the body and its lightness. Accept telling yourself the truth, be honest with yourself, tell yourself that ‘the king is naked’ and that you can only be what you are. I perceive a sense of healing by repeating this phrase to myself, I can give up, and I sense that I can transform forgetfulness of passions into detachment, I can finally stop.” (Emilia)

In practices like yoga, tao yin, tai chi, or chi kung, which are typically done in silence, the awareness of one's body and emotions comes from concentration. This individual can feel the pleasure of harmonic movement, with their body in harmony with the environment.

Working with Gurdjieff's movements is extremely useful for increasing self-awareness. It helps them realize that error is part of learning, that everyone makes mistakes, not just them. This understanding emphasizes that mistakes are necessary for awareness. Furthermore, they learn that no member of the group is more valid than another—everyone is essential and valuable in their own right.

"SAT 4, 2010: In this period of my life, I am not filling myself; the action must go into the void, as if I had to purify myself. Maybe I’m afraid to empty myself, I don’t know, but I feel nauseous. I know it’s like throwing up, but it’s also mechanical. I empty myself the same way I fill myself. Now, I must be still and use immobility for something good to come, to spontaneously purify myself and give myself the time I need. In this way, acedia can be transformed into patience. It is useful to be in the discomfort of not normalizing, being in the 'not normal.'" (Anna)

Any activity that involves the voice, such as singing or learning overtone songs, can be very healing. Singing promotes an integral awareness of the entire body because it involves

awareness of breathing, how to expel air, and the creative transformation of emotions in the moment.

Singing in public, for others, is especially healing. It helps this individual become aware of their exhibitionist side and the pleasure they get from showing themselves as an artist—or even just as a person. Music, by itself or as a complement to other activities such as meditation, walking, or dancing, is essential. Rhythm, emotion, pleasure, and whatever else comes are all part of the experience.

"For many years, I had a reproduction of The Scream by Edward Munch hanging on the living room wall. Everything related to opening the fifth chakra, vocal expression, singing, and screaming resonates with me. Listening to my own voice. Hearing myself, truly. Feeling my voice. Singing and playing the guitar at the same time, feeling my own voice—these experiences make me feel alive, that I vibrate, that I exist. It’s very rewarding. I’ve even started singing on the street when no one’s around, at the bus stop or while walking, as if I’m carrying my iPod. There must be some advantage to living in a noisy city." (Pilar)

Art and theatrical performance also help in creatively expressing emotions. On the other hand, they address one of the most feared aspects—showing oneself as they truly are, naked in their own truth.

Finally, a third group of tasks focuses on helping them select activities that are genuinely necessary. Dropping tobacco, which often covers chronic rage and anxiety in E9, can unexpectedly open Pandora's box, revealing things that were previously buried.

Adhering to a diet to lose weight can provide a better image of oneself, a feeling of lightness, and a sense of release from burdens. It fosters an image of "I can." The feeling of beauty in the eyes of others encourages greater self-care—buying new clothes, looking in the mirror more, and becoming more open to intimacy, where they often repress themselves.

"Following a diet gives me, aside from better health, a new perspective of myself and my image in relation to others, which I like very much. It brings a kind of discipline with excessive consumption. At the same time, it feeds my desire to be liked and to feel desired. I feel desirable. I feel like a woman among others, as desirable as they are. I am more willing to have sex." (Pilar)