Presence Process 2 : Being with discomfort

The invitation placed before us by The Presence Process is to learn through first hand experience not to fear and resist the inevitable discomfort that arises from emotional processing by behaving like “the world is ending.”  Instead, we are invited to embrace the discomfort of emotional processing as a sign that we are having an authentic impact on the cause of our discomfort.  The invitation is to willingly ride our inner dragon and to discover from personal experience that our inner dragon is only tamed when we chose to ride it.

Anyone who attempts to convince us that we can accomplish authentic, lasting adjustment to the quality of our experience without encountering what the mental body perceives as discomfort is to be viewed dubiously.   Our willingness to consciously engage our imprinted discomfort is the alchemy that fuels transformation.  This doesn’t mean we need to suffer unnecessarily.  It means that when we seek to activate authentic movement in the quality of our experience we are required to face wather is unfolding within us.  When our inner condition is uncomfortable, facing the discomfort is what authenticity is, not pretending it away.

This work is about….becoming authentic, growing up emotionally, and reclaiming integrity.  It’s about grasping life intimately, with both hands, and raising ourselves up fron being “the emotionally dead.”  The mental body finds a million excuses to quit this process.

The mental body is the voice that whispers ‘better the devil you know”, ushering us away from authentic change.  Though it initially encourages us to when we ask for change, its bluffing.  It pretends to be on our side so we don’t perceive it’s ploy. It pretends because the mental body not only prefers familiarity but is addicted to it.  (when we start to feel different) The mental body tells us that this strange feeling is ‘wrong’… by listening to these stories, we turn against that which is changing our experience, returning to what is familiar and safe.  Nothing is accomplished.  (As the mental body grows stronger).. we become disheartened.

Michael Brown

The Presence 

Fear, anger, despair, sadness, powerlessness I will not longer resist you instead I will open my heart and welcome you in and watch you transform in the light of presence.