Non-dualism: A new perspective on your problem

Non-duality, or non-dualism, is a particular perspective you can adopt toward your problems. In the West, we often think in terms of opposites. Something is good or bad; you have your body and your mind. Something is mine or yours. But that’s far from how the rest of the world views certain situations.

It does not mean that duality does not exist, but that you realize that the dividing line is not fixed. It is gray instead of black and white. Something is what it is, without you having a clear judgment about it.

Non-dualism meaning

In non-dualism, you tend to assume that not everything is good or bad—it simply is. You also focus more on unity than on differences. For example, you are neither good nor bad; you are both. And you are 1.

These are also important in many Eastern schools of thought, such as Buddhism, in which you actually try to be more one with your environment.

Non dualism and of which you are aware

Because you (probably) grew up in a Western society, you are aware of dualistic characteristics. You probably have judgments about many things whether they are good or bad, for example.

You can also distinguish between different objects and situations. But that distinction, then, can sometimes be a problem. This can be seen, for example, in people's health.

In the West, for many people, there is still the idea that your body and mind are two different things that need not have anything to do with each other. However, more and more scientific evidence shows that there is a clear connection between the functioning of the body and the mind and vice versa.

So it is more convenient to see your body and mind as 1 if you look at them non dualistically.

Non dualistic mental states

In general, you are aware of yourself and your surroundings, but there are certain mental states in which this is somewhat less the case. Many people achieve these types of states with tools.

But it can also be done very well without a tool.

For example, when you’re in the flow —whether you’re enjoying your work, going for a run, doing crafts, or reading—you aren’t really aware of yourself or your surroundings. It’s more that you become absorbed in your surroundings and in what you’re doing.

You and the activity and possibly the object you are working on are 1.

Some people also call this getting in the "zone."

After experiencing a moment in the flow state, many people also feel more confident and more like a single, unified person rather than someone with a variety of personality traits.

For some people it is difficult to get into the flow, this is more difficult when:

1. You suffer from schizophrenia.
2. Being too self-aware.
3. Very concerned with yourself (and how you come across to others).
4. If you need to do something that is interfering with achieving your goals.

Things that contribute to a flow state are:

1. Having clear goals.
2. Engage in an activity.
3. Having fun (in the activity).
4. Being attentive to what is happening (like while watching a movie you are totally absorbed in)[1].

Reach a state of flow, and once you recognize it, you’ll understand the concept of non-dualism—how it can feel when you view something from a non-dualistic perspective. You’re not preoccupied with judgment; you’re simply enjoying the moment (which, incidentally, is also a form of judgment). In any case, it’s a positive state.

You see, writing a non-dualistic blog is also already quite difficult 😉.

Non dualism and therapy

Sometimes things in your life may not go the way you wanted, or you may blame the people in your life for how things turned out.

As a child, you naturally blame parents, teachers and classmates when something doesn't go well. This may even continue well into your (young) adult life.

But ultimately, the solution often lies within yourself. Blaming someone for things that haven't gone well in your life doesn't solve anything, and often only creates more negative feelings. Resentment, for example, can linger if you blame someone for an accident.

And sometimes you might even blame yourself for things that have happened to you, or for things you didn’t do right, and that only leads to feelings of shame. This, in turn, can hinder your personal growth.

In cases like this, understanding non-dualism is often already therapeutic. Many psychotherapists with experience in mindfulness also have a nondualistic worldview and distinguish between:

1. Actual reality.
2. Relative reality.

This view also affects how they communicate, and therefore you can sometimes get paradoxical answers[2].

What’s important for seeing actual reality is letting go of your ego. Because that ego has an opinion about everything, and it ultimately creates relative reality. However, if that doesn’t make you happy, then seeing the world in a non-dualistic way—that is, seeing actual reality—is something that will make you happier.

For many people, then, an important therapeutic step is to let go of the ego[3].

Non-dualism in anxiety and depression

People suffering from anxiety and depressive symptoms who were given insights into non-dualism - and encouraged to look at problems with a more non-dualistic outlook - for four weeks, 1 hour a week, experienced reduced symptoms as a result.

They felt after the treatment:

1. Mentally Better.
2. Emotionally Better.
3. Physically Better.
4. Spiritually Better.
5. Better sense of oneness.
6. More clarity.
7. More creativity.
8. More confidence.
9. More feelings of control.

In the process, they had less anxiety. They also needed less medication and suffered less stigma.

For people in general, a non-dualistic mindset can also cause them to be less selfish, generally have a better mood and be in better control of their own emotions[4].

It also helps against stress[5].

Non-dualism and hypnotherapy

So a non-dualistic view of certain issues can work very well to eliminate certain mental problems and make you feel better in general.

You may think that the hypnotic state, or hypnotherapy also gives a non-dualistic state. But although hypnosis and the non-dualistic state have a lot of similarities, this is not quite it.

After all, in hypnotherapy there are 2 people involved. The client and the therapist.

The client may or may not accept a therapist’s suggestions for solving problems. The client may also receive suggestions involving specific tasks. Consider, for example, the suggestion to have a conversation with one’s inner child, or to give a specific form to a fear.

However, the suggestions can help them gain a nondual worldview or mindset.

After all, it's also about accepting that life is just what it is[6]. Getting a non-dualistic mindset and worldview can be tricky, though. People can naturally get this if they suffer from existential fears or insecurity, for example. For example, if you are very much stuck with the question "why am I living?" that is often a step taken to get a non-dualistic worldview.

A hypnotist can help people by using regression, for example, to find out if you have ever reached a nondual state and to take that memory.

Processing problems can also allow you to look at your life and daily experiences non-dualistically.

Thereby, encouraging you to be your true authentic self also inclines you to be able to look at the world more non-dually(source 6).

So hypnotherapy is actually the tool you need to retrieve memories, work through personal issues and be more yourself so you can enjoy actual reality instead of dualistic reality.

Learn Hypnosis

If, like me, you want to help people see that the problem is not a problem at all (because non-dualism is, too), then knowledge of hypnosis is good for helping people with this.

Come to the free online master class for an introduction.

Or register for one of our events and trainings. You can take the training in class in Assendelft or live online. You then participate in the classroom lesson via an Internet connection. Ideal if you cannot make it to the location, or if you do not live in the Netherlands and want to get started with this knowledge.

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