Here you find a path dedicated to freedom from the oppression, repression and conditioning enforced by the psychosomatic structure called Inner Judge, Inner Critic, Superego, the Barking Dog…different names that point to that presence that constantly judges and evaluates every aspect of the inner and outer reality of the individual and punishes with guilt, shame, unworthiness and belittlement.
In Many spiritual traditions and psychological approaches this presence is considered one of the most significant obstacles on the path of self-realization.
The activity of judgement is so intrinsic to our functioning that we give it for granted even as it causes great pain, misunderstandings and conflicts. This is mainly because self-judgement is essentially compulsive and subconscious.
Recognizing the importance of this theme, Avikal and the Integral Being Institute have developed since 1997 a deep and innovative vision of the Inner Judge and its role as the defender of the status-quo of personality.
We have created a series of courses, as well as a training, that deal in an experiential way with the transformation of our relationship with the Superego; transformation which is absolutely necessary if we want to live the fullness of life and know ourselves in our authenticity and uniqueness.
As long as the Inner Judge controls in conscious or unconscious ways our life we cannot experience true love, freedom and beauty.
The Inner Judge (also called Superego) is that specific part of our psyche that through judgments, prejudices, evaluations, expectations, standards and consequences, runs our daily life.
How much time do we spend evaluating our performance, our appearance, our capacities or feeling guilty, ashamed or insecure?
Every time we move towards freedom and we challenge the rigid boundaries of personality, the inner judge will attack us cause its function is to protect and maintain the status quo and oppose vitality, change and transformation.
The most important step to fully be yourself and actualize your potential is then to learn to defend against the attacks of the judge by developing focused alertness and skilful means.
This workshop is about:
UNDERSTANDING: why the Superego is there, how it came to be, what its functions are.
LEARNING: how to defend ourselves from the attacks of the Superego and break the inner pattern of conflict and the cycle of attack-reaction.
COMING IN TOUCH: with deeper places inside where we can experience ourselves in a relaxed way and reconnect with our Essential Will and Essential Strength.
To be able to grow, feel good, and experience your uniqueness, you need a clear understanding of your self-image, which is a construct based on the accumulated past experiences of yourself and the world around you.
One of the basic functions of the Inner Judge is to hold and protect a particular self-image through habits, judgements and mechanisms of defence and survival. Our self-image exists as a collection of psychological, emotional, and physical boundaries which define who is “me” and who is the “other”. Very much like the walls of a castle, they protect and contain what is “inside” and separate from what is “outside”.
Our perception of reality, both inner and outer, is therefore conditioned by these walls, these images (self and world), and by the inner judge, and they prevent us from experiencing the real nature of the mind (OR – and they prevent us from experiencing reality as it is, without the mind colouring it in some way). We can become aware of the objects that appear in consciousness, but we do not know what consciousness is. The immediate result is that we define our identity through the experiences we have, but WHO IS THE EXPERIENCER? Who is the SUBJECT aware of all the objects, events, perceptions, feelings, thoughts, sensations? Who?
Existence is an explosion of potential and possibility, of creativity and desire.
A childish relationship with our inner judge makes us uncertain, insecure, afraid to make mistakes. Internal dependence on the unconscious judgment structure inherited from our parents and society forces us to look at ourselves and the world in a distorted way.
The principle of scarcity, based on limitation, competition and conflict, is at the core of the psychic structure called Superego together with the deep and unconscious conviction of the impossibility of satisfaction. And when pleasure and satisfaction happen by chance, we repeat ourselves that they “CAN ONLY BE TEMPORARY” and “CANNOT LAST”.
The conviction that life is scarce: of love, wealth, joy, sexuality, intimacy and passion and that we have to effort, fight, toil or settle, creates a network of tensions in the body and a hood of grayness and disappointment that envelops us by filtering the experience of the moment and reading it with the eyes veiled with the past.
Turning to what has been, we lose contact with EROS, the spark of the new that continually presents itself.
Even temporary satisfactions and conquests manage to expose the roots of this entrenched belief that abundance is not possible. Or that we don’t deserve it.
By becoming aware of this hood and its effects, and of the fundamental falsehood of its premises, we free our joy of life and the concrete ability to manifest abundance and prosperity in our lives.
A radical change of perspective and a profound reconnection with the qualities of Being.
The training is centred on deepening the study and understanding of the mechanisms and functioning of the superego and the relationship between superego and ego. We’ll also focus on the different automatic defences and the conscious defences, and the practice of presence.
The training provides:
1. tools for personal and professional transformation
2. learning of specific techniques to support oneself and one’s clients
3. understanding the fundamental difficulties that a facilitator can encounter in relation to clients as well as resources to meet them. Ethical and behavioural tools.
The training abilitates you to give individual sessions on themes related to the presence and activity of the inner judge and offer a one day event.
Great for holistic operators and counsellors, teachers and therapists, if you are already working with people or are in training. It is also a fundamental tool for whoever wants to deepen his understanding of the inner and outer dinamics of activity of the superego.
The Basic Training is in three modules:
Suggested reading:
“Freedom to be yourself. Mastering the Inner jJudge” by Avikal Costantino
