Realization Process

At Lifted Being, we define embodiment as the continuous experience of living within the whole internal space of our body. Embodiment allows us to experience ourselves as the integration of physical sensation, emotion, and awareness. This is a radical shift away from experiencing our bodies as objects to be wielded and sculpted in service to our minds. Instead, we move towards experiencing our bodies as pure subjectivity, as fully conscious. Through the process of becoming more embodied, we increase our capacity to understand, express, love, feel, relate and act from our whole being.

Dr. Jorge N. Ferrer, chair of of the Department of East-West Psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, states in his article “What Does It Mean to Live a Fully Embodied Spiritual Life?”:

“If we live in a closed and dark house, it is natural that we may feel pushed periodically to leave our home in search of the nourishing warmth and light of the sun. But an embodied spirituality invites us to open the doors and windows of our body so that we can always feel complete, warm, and nurtured at home even if we may want at times to celebrate the splendor of the outside light. The crucial difference is that our excursion will not be motivated by deficit or hunger, but rather by the meta-need to celebrate, co-create with, and revere the ultimate creative Mystery. It is here in our home—earth and body—that we can develop fully as complete human beings without needing to “escape” anywhere to find our essential identity or feel whole.”

“Mindfulness” can mean different things in different contexts. Often, it refers to meditative practices that find their roots in early Buddhism. When we practice the mindfulness body scan, we are using our body, and any sensations within our body, as objects of awareness. Traditionally, such practices aim to deconstruct our sensory experiences — and our sense of self — to transcend suffering. While contemporary mindfulness has less lofty aims, these mindful awareness practices have helped many people reduce stress and anxiety and increase emotional awareness.

In The Realization Process, we are not just becoming aware of our body. Instead, we inhabit our body. And by that, we mean actually living and being fully present within our body. This is a subtle yet important distinction. Rather than feeling our body in a “top-down” experience, we work towards experiencing the whole internal space of our body as undivided consciousness. Finding this deepest level of our being allows us to embrace the whole spectrum of our human experience, including all our emotions and perceptions without dissociating from them. We can loosen our resistance to life.

However, both mindfulness and nondual practices such as The Realization Process are beneficial to our personal development. You may find that you resonate more with one approach than the other at different points in your journey.

The Realization Process can help people release trauma-based patterns from the body using a precise and gentle release technique. Lifted Being facilitates healing ground sessions for individuals on a case-by-case basis. Generally, we only offer healing ground sessions for individuals who meet the following criteria: (1) they have practiced The Realization Process for at least a year, either with Lifted Being or other certified teachers (2) they are looking to resolve small 't' relational trauma only (3) they have an existing relationship with a licensed psychotherapist. If Tom determines that your needs are beyond his scope of work, he will refer you to other practitioners.

You can learn more about healing trauma with The Realization Process in the book Trauma and the Unbound Body by Judith Blackstone.

Nonduality is both an experience and a philosophical-spiritual concept. As a direct experience, nonduality can be recognized as the absence of separation between self and world, the transcendence of dualistic thinking (which categorizes the world into opposites and distinctions), profound peace and freedom from suffering, a shift in one's perception of reality, and the realization of one’s fundamental nature as consciousness. As a philosophical and spiritual concept based on this nondual experience, it asserts the fundamental oneness or unity of all existence. It is a profound and complex idea that has roots in various religious and philosophical traditions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, certain aspects of mystical and contemplative Christian and Islamic thought, as well as Indigenous traditions.

It's important to note that nonduality is not a singular doctrine or belief system but a perspective that transcends specific religious or philosophical boundaries. The understanding and realization of nonduality can vary greatly among individuals and spiritual traditions.

The practices in the Realization Process aim to facilitate the experience of embodied nonduality. Embodied nonduality is a holistic and transformative approach to spirituality that aims to bridge the gap between spiritual insights and everyday life. It's not just about having a nondual experience but we em-body that realization in how we think, feel, and act in a world of diversity through a human body. It is a path that seeks to integrate spiritual awakening with our human existence.