A Soul Connection

Soul Expressions: Giving Voice to Aspects of the Soul/Self

The Evolution
This work has evolved over a number of years beginning with my personal work with Integrated Kabbalistic Healing* where in my own healing sessions I realized there were parts of myself that I denied. I denied their very existence either because I did not like those parts and thought they were 'bad' or, in some cases, did not know they really existed within me. It became evident to me that I could basically sit down with these parts, one at a time, and ask them questions to find out more about them as if they were someone else -- as if I was meeting someone new for the first time and wanted to find out more about them. I found this method extremely helpful in finding out more about my Self with curiosity rather than judgement.

Out of the realizations that accompanied my using this method to discover more about mySelf, I began forming small groups of individuals who were interested in discovering more about themselves too. The group meetings became known as A Soul Connection Groupwork. I taught this "talking to parts" method to the groups. They (we) were often astounded at the information discovered as a result of opening ourselves to the possibility of "talking with" these parts. They (we) were literally making space (making room) for more of ourselves. The evolution of this work continued beyond anything I could have ever imagined.

Last year, I was introduced to the Big Mind* process where I was able to see a further expansion -- from talking with the "voices" of the parts of ourselves to an actual shift of consciousness to a place of unity, of Oneness, where there's no longer a subject/object split. I found that in using the Big Mind process, we can make a shift from a rigid, egoic perspective to a more expanded perspective that embraces and includes more of who we really are. This process opens us to realizing and recognizing ourselves beyond the Relative view where we're used to living day-to-day. We get to see ourselves from within the Absolute and the Transcendent views as well as the Relative. We all have the capacity to embrace and include it all and with this capacity comes a profound compassion and respect for ourselves, others, and humanity as a whole.

As I understand it, the Big Mind process grew out of a seed -- Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of Selves* where Voice Dialogue works with the psychological aspects of the individual that develop as a result of the ego development process. In studying Voice Dialogue's methods, I could see where this work heals a subject/object split that's created as we mature from childhood to adulthood. Voice Dialogue teaches us how these parts/voices are created by our own ego as a part of a process to keep us safe when we were vulnerable as children and continues to do its 'safe-keeping' function even after we grow up.

Along this journey from my discovery of Big Mind to Voice Dialogue, I kept asking the question: "What about the body?" I kept thinking that the body and all it's functions and systems must also have a voice or voices to which we can dialogue. My question was answered relatively quickly when I found Body Dialogue*. Body Dialogue came from the same seed, Voice Dialogue, and is a profound way of getting more in touch with our physical body. If there was any doubt left within me, it was dispelled once I experienced Body Dialogue.

From a Kabbalistic perspective, there are different levels of the Soul and these levels come from specific Kabbalistically-viewed worlds/universes. As we become aware of these soul-levels, we can see how one embraces and includes the other. In Soul Expressions . . . we learn how to speak from each soul-level and we learn how to integrate each level along the way so that we arrive at a fully integrated destination.

*Notes:
Integrated Kabbalistic Healing was developed by Jason Shulman, internationally known spiritual teacher and modern kabbalist, and the founder of A Society of Souls.

Big Mind was developed by Zen Master Dennis Genpo Merzel, founder of the international Sangha named Kanzeon from the Boddhissatva of Compassion.

Voice Dialogue and the Psychology of Selves was developed by Drs. Hal and Sidra Stone, providing a psychospiritual approach to consciousness and transformation that include awareness-work with the many selves or subpersonalities that make up the psyche.

Body Dialogue, developed by Judith Tamar Stone, expands and deepens the Voice Dialogue process to a profound mind/body communication level.