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COURSE

Journey To Introvision: Calm For Conflict, Doubt & Fear

With Norbert Distler

Introvision can be described as a journey within. On this journey a special attitude is taken: acknowledging attentive perception (AAP). This special kind of mindfulness helps one face fears and anxieties without being overwhelmed by them. Introvision helps you find out about limiting expectations and beliefs and, step by step, leads to inner reconciliation and greater calm. The aim of the introvision process is to accept the world or situations as they present themselves with calm and serenity. Introvision has been developed over four decades by Professor Angelika Wagner and her team at the University of Hamburg and its applications in a wide range of areas have been thoroughly researched. During the development, the foundations of cognitive behavioural psychology and client-centred psychology have played an influential role.

Counter fears, limiting beliefs, and inner conflict from a place of serenity, acceptance, and freedom.

15 Days

2.4k students

4.6 stars

16 min / day

English

About this course

Gratitude Meditation

See-Hear-Feel Practice

Mindful Awareness

Meet your Teacher

Norbert Distler

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Munich, Germany

Norbert is a coach, psychologist, facilitator, and yoga lover. He supports people on their journey to face their inner demons and conflicts and in bringing their potential and strengths to the world. Very important and influential for him are Jon Kabat-Zinn, Willigis Jaeger, Alan Wallace, Stephen Gilligan, Gunther Schmidt, and Fritz B. Simon. In his work, he brings in introvision, generative presence, mindfulness, IFS, hypnotherapy, systems theory, and many other things.

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15 Days

2.4k students

4.6 stars

16 min / day

English

Lesson 1

Introduction To Introvision & Acknowledging Attentive Perception (AAP) As A Basis For Calm

This part focuses on a basic capability for introvision: AAP or acknowledging attentive perception. AAP can be applied to different sensory modalities, i.e. hearing, seeing, body perception. This is the basis for further exercises within the framework of introvision. Often, moments of this wide, open perception in everyday life already lead to a little more serenity. This is how we start the journey to introvision.

Lesson 2

The Deepening Of AAP & How To Deal With Distracting Thoughts

In this lesson you learn a technique to put thoughts that are currently moving and distracting you aside for a moment to find peace and focus. Afterwards we will deepen the experience of AAP by practicing this form of perception in different sensory channels at the same time.

Lesson 3

Acknowledging Attentive Perception With Neutral Focus With Different Senses

The combination of AAP and the ability to keep a focus at the same time is the next step in learning introvision. Again, this capability can be applied in different sensory modalities and also to your thoughts. You practice this with a neutral focus: holding a neutral object at the centre of your attention without zooming in on the object, the experience or losing it from your center of perception. This ability helps to maintain a healthy balance and presence in your perception.

Lesson 4

AAP With A Neutral Focus - Part 2

Today we deepen the ability to keep your attention on a neutral focus and, at the same time, remain present and wide open to the current events in your field of perception. Keeping this balance well is probably quite easy with an emotionally neutral focus. But this unit is the preparation to encounter emotional experiences in a good balance between focus and attentive, wide, open awareness. At the same time, you deepen your ability to encounter the world from moment to moment in a present, nonjudgmental, and calm manner.

Lesson 5

AAP With A Focus On A Positive Experience

In order to develop the ability to open one's own perception to a wide mode and at the same time keep a focus, we focus on a positive moment, a positive experience in this unit. In addition to deepening your ability to bifocal wide perception, you will also gain a deeper look on the things and situations that enrich your life and promote your own ability to be grateful.

Lesson 6

A Look At Inner Conflicts (How Tension Arises)

Here you approach your own situations from everyday life where inner conflicts and inner tension rise. It is also about sharpening your own awareness of inner tension in order to examine the triggers later in an Introvision process.

Lesson 7

Perceiving Unpleasant Situations In A Wide Open Mode: AAP In An Unpleasant Situation

Being able to perform AAP in an unpleasant experience is a central aspect that enables emotional relaxation, learning, and healing. Approaching an unpleasant, emotionally tense situation in a gentle and open way is the focus of today's exercise.

Lesson 8

Catch You Distracting

We have many “conflict avoidance strategies"(CAS) that protect us in everyday life. However, they also prevent us from dissolving our inner conflicts and approaching the possibilities of reality in a relaxed manner. There is a whole variety of such strategies which have a lightning-fast effect in everyday life and intervene in our perception and evaluation processes. Today's exercise is about becoming more aware of your own conflict avoidance strategies and "catching" you with a light smile when you distract yourself in everyday life.

Lesson 9

Exploring Your Own Imperatives & Expectations: Getting To The Bottom Of Your Thinking Knots

Each of us has many assumptions from the past about how the world should be: how I, the others, the world should be, or what should not happen under any circumstances. These expectations, which must be fulfilled in any case or must not happen under any circumstances, are called imperatives in introvision. Usually, increased tension is connected with the fact that imperatives are hurt. Reality in its possibilities often reveals itself differently than we would like it to. This unit is about coming to terms with your own imperatives and fixed assumptions and identifying them. This is often connected linguistically with phrases such as "I must, the others must, or it must under no circumstances". Once you have identified them, the acknowledging attentive look at what has been left out - although it is initially unpleasant - promotes inner serenity. This is done by using the small phrase "It may be that" instead of "it must".

Lesson 10

Approaching The Core With Kindness: Focusing On Your Own Imperatives

This is where the puzzle pieces of introvision come together. The aim of this exercise is not a full introvision process, but an idea of it. From acknowledging attitude choose a sentence that begins with "I must" or "It must not happen under any circumstances that". Now, reformulate the sentence, so that it reads "It may be that (what is to be avoided) occurs". Look in an acknowledging attentive way on this statement for 20 to 30 seconds. What thoughts and emotions appear? What new imperatives are emerging? Here, the loving balance between focus on inner reactions and present perceptions is especially important. The hidden possibilities of reality become more accessible again. Over the course of time the access to so-called core imperatives becomes easier and serenity can grow.

Lesson 11

Understanding Introvision: Background Information From Research

Introvision has a 40-year history of research that is closely linked to the work of Professor Angelika Wagner and her team at the University of Hamburg. The scope of research ranges from "thinking knots", fears, fostering of openness, high-performance sports, reactive depression, burnout prevention, dealing with difficult life situations to physical aspects such as pain and tinnitus. In this unit, the exercise is about directing the inner spotlight on personal wishes for change and healing and with an open attitude of inner curiosity.

Lesson 12

Introvision In Practice: Expanding The Possibilities Of Reality

Approaching the possibilities of reality is an important basis for serenity and happiness. Interestingly, it is often not only the negative things we fear that are emotionally difficult. Often, ambivalent emotions also appear when we look at the positive sides and focus on the possibility that our wishes will be fulfilled. In this unity you explore both sides of a wish or a goal that has been blocked so far.

Lesson 13

Introvision As Support For Decision-Making Processes & Creative Questions

You can also use introvision and its associated skills to address creative questions, decision- making situations, or developmental issues. Introvision helps you use your intuition to get and develop new impulses for these issues. Applying introvision to a question that is currently moving you is at the heart of today's unit.

Lesson 14

Retrospect About The Course & Outlook For The Future

In unit 14 you will use introvision to reflect on the experiences and insights of this course and then, in a kind of "generative space", you will take a broad look into the future and the habits with which you want to enrich your life.

Lesson 15

Introvision, AAP & The Cultivation Of Gratitude

At the end of this course you will experience how introvision and AAP can be combined with experiencing and nurturing gratitude. According to the research of Positive Psychology, the capacity for gratitude has a very strong predictive power for personal wellbeing. And there are the small, as well as the big moments of gratitude that can be deepened when applying AAP to our experiences. In a creative process, we will look at the past 12 months from a wide perspective under the glasses of gratitude.