Mindful Voice Integration
The foundation of the process is:
- You are perfect and yet there is room for improvement. Our true nature is kind and loving. Everyone has the capacity to realise this and embody it.
- The self is not a thing but a process ever changing and ultimately an illusion.
- Knowing and being comfortable with not knowing and knowing.
- We are all students, no one is an expert. We are in this life process together and it’s constantly unfolding.
- There is no need to fix anything, it is enough to just be allowing, expressing and getting to know.
- We all have the world in a mini format within, including all extremes like hatred and greed as well as self sacrificing generosity. It is when we don’t own these aspects of ourselves that things become or stay unhealthy.
- Through increased recognition of our inner voices we start to see thought as just thought rather than a truth.
- Each person has their own experience and that experience is correct as long as they are in voice.
Mindful Voice Integration is based on Genpo Roshi’s Big Mind. Big Mind is based in Zen Buddhism, Gestalt Therapy and Voice Dialogue. The additional components in MVI are the body focus and compassion. In MVI we know the survival voices or the survival aspect of voices as ultimately having noble intent.
“The secret of Buddhism is to remove all ideas, all concepts, in order for the truth to have a chance to penetrate, to reveal itself.” Thich Nhat Hanh
“Your task is not to seek for love but to find and eliminate every barrier that you have built internally against it.” Rumi
MVI is a method of loosening the sense of self by getting to know aspects of the self and the various variations of the aspects.
The process gives a strong sense of how contextual and fluid the self is.
The process of MVI is held with the principles of mindfulness; allowing, non-judging, presence, curiosity and kindness. We imbue the exploration of getting to know the employees by these elements. It is also important to familiarise yourself with how the voices feel in the body, what sensations they generate, where they sit, etc. This helps you recognise them if and when they come visiting again.
Advantages of exploring MVI
- Not only do we have voices within us that have been disowned, but we also have voices that have never been owned, aspects within that have never been awakened.
- We can awaken a voice by simply asking to speak to it. Once invited we are actually able to come from that place and experience what it’s like to be that voice/mind.
- MVI is a meditative practice training both focus and awareness. We also have the opportunity to hold the shutter of the lens open for as long as we want.
- The moment the voice is acknowledged and confirmed we are no longer identified with the self. From this place we can observe and have insight about the self.
- Often as we get to the most mature and integrated version of a voice we have an experience of Satori or instant bliss or transcendence/enlightenment.