Gifted Compassionate Therapy (GCT) by Ernie Vecchio

Gifted Compassionate Therapy New Wisdom on Human Suffering

by Ernie Vecchio Author, Psychologist, and Speaker November 2012

Manifest & Latent Function Robert King Merton (July 4, 1910 – February 23, 2003) was a distinguished American sociologist who spent most of his career teaching at Columbia University. He is most known for concepts such as unintended consequences, reference group, role strain, role model, and selffulfilling prophecy. Gifted Compassionate Therapy borrows Merton’s terms manifest and latent function for a functional analysis of soul, spirit, ego, and heart. These four uniquely human lenses of perception represent a global positioning system (GPS) used to navigate life. Merton considered manifest functions as conscious, deliberate, and having a positive effect on the whole. Such functions are observable consequences and expectations explicitly stated and understood by relevant outcomes. Merton (1967) gives an example that the manifest function of a rain dance is to produce rain, the outcome intended by the people participating in the ritual. Latent functions are unconscious and unintended and have a negative effect. They are the identified observers who reinforce a group’s identity simply by providing an opportunity for them to engage in a common activity. *It will become clear as the new wisdom unfolds that Gifted Compassionate Therapy identifies soul, spirit, and heart as manifest (conscious) functions and ego as a latent (unconscious) function. It is also noted that the unconscious function (ego) is the dominate apparatus used as the ‘default’ compass throughout a lifespan.

Four Manifest Functions Guided Sight Four manifest functions of perception make up the human guidance system. When operating simultaneously and in support of the other, they evoke the physical and spiritual reality of what most people would call enlightenment. By orchestrating an above ‘remote’ ethical view of our lives, this system enables us to precisely intend and follow our heart’s desire. These four functions of perception enable what the new wisdom is calling guided sight. Traditional teachings suggest that you and the beacon are one in the same. What if this metaphor is only half of the equation? You are more than the duality of identity and seeker; you are also guide and observer. Three of these four functions carry with them the awareness of selfdetermination and growth, while the fourth function (ego) resists life in self-defense at every turn. Though spiritual evolution suggests that the goal in enlightenment is to be free of ego, few teachers will tell you that to achieve such freedom means physical death. In other words, as long as we are living in these bodies so too is our ego. There is little teaching of how we must suffer with our egos in this existence—let alone why? This is about to change! The new wisdom declares that the authentic self involves a symbiotic relationship of three manifest functions of perception paired with a latent or unconscious fourth function. Few people have more than two of these working at any given moment. When the ego is fully present all three can guide us towards what is true. Out of the ego’s awareness, these same three functions go offline leaving us partially sighted or visually impaired. Such a predicament means that a ‘default’ compass (the human ego) is then put in charge. This unfortunately is the situation we find ourselves in today. Many of us will never figure out how we got here. The goal in these teachings is to reset this guidance system rather than expend all of our energy trying to control, discipline, distract, or even transcend the ego. The new wisdom suggests that if we can understand the source of our angst, with ‘targeted empathy’ we can suffer the ego awake. When that happens, there is evidence that human beings can evolve. If you’ve had the epiphany of awakening, if you have become aware of your above observer, restored your true compass, have had a cathartic understanding of the source of your angst, then your ‘guidance system’ is online—hindsight, insight, and foresight are one. Apparently, the new wisdom about human suffering is available to you. In fact, you may be a gifted compassionate! If this is true and you want to stay awake, if you want to become further enlightened, if you want to remain in an authentic place of spiritual integrity—let nothing distract this intent. Those who want to evolve consciousness on a collective level must learn how to keep these four manifest functions of perception online—no matter what happens! In such a conviction, each will become a beacon for an enlightened planet.

Soul as Observer Eye Observing the I The soul is the most important manifest function regarding our perception. Soul is what we are at the level of ultimate reality, beyond all the activity of ordinary life. It is our true nature, our innermost being, our deepest truth. In the context of the spiritual quest, *it is our life force or the animated quality of our existence. It represents pure being and potential that emerges or evolves through consciousness. As a collective soul we are all one, but at an individual level there is a specific instance of soul that is you and another instance that is me. In the new wisdom, the soul is our neutral witness or observer and an individual ‘drop’ of God that comes from the source ocean of consciousness itself. In teaching the *new wisdom on human suffering, the individual is ultimately responsible for learning their soul’s intent. Though the end goal of presence is built into this understanding, it becomes a personal aspiration if presence is to manifest or create something in the world. This is entirely dependent upon the individual. However, the soul has another function that *‘runs in the background’ as it pursues presence. As a distinct and specialized organ of perception, it is our personal above observer. It sees remotely what God sees. But, the soul is not judging or evaluating. Rather, it simply witnesses and observes our lives.

Eye Observing the I

This means when an internal obstacle to presence occurs, it will create an outside event to mirror what we need to see to advance its goal of getting here. *If we are using the ego as compass, or the source of our angst is misunderstood, the soul’s orchestration will go unnoticed. In contrast, if the ego has been awakened by *suffering with itself, these inner and outer events will ultimately evoke a profound insight or epiphany. Understanding the soul’s guidance and intent is core to having a spiritual life. Your desire to actualize this intent while utilizing the spirit’s motivation; ultimately restores your heart as compass. This has to be a lifetime promise to the self that cannot be broken. Wanting to be free from suffering is the ego’s memory of pain; it is an *emotion or reenactment of a previous experience. Fear of suffering prevents a *feeling reaction to the immediate moment. The ego will take you away from feeling by fearfully re-enacting them as emotions. Essentially, it is then that we are stuck in the ego’s past. The new wisdom teaches that it is a conscious choice to define suffering as *useful (soul) or useless (ego). We know that useless suffering is victim. Useful suffering is transformation. Without the clear intent of being free from the ego’s emotion of victimization, you will not transform. Your success depends entirely upon your capacity to see the ‘larger’ *ethical picture. In this context, the soul reveals a number of possibilities previously out of your view. Ultimately these choices will seem so many that the angst of the human spirit quiets. There is no longer a sensation of feeling trapped. Little did you know—this was the goal! No more provocation or angst means you are free, here, and present. The soul’s intent has been realized. A free and authentic self means your guidance system (four manifest functions) are now working in tandem. The first organ of perception in the new wisdom on human suffering—the soul’s intent—is no longer a mystery. To maintain this achievement the soul’s presence and motivation need to remain in your awareness. When you begin to contemplate the soul’s intent of presence, you will likely discover upon arrival that there are few people here with you. Your reaction may be: *“Where is everybody?” As you come to terms with this reality, the ultimate challenge of spiritual freedom is to live in this place of love, truth, and freedom—no matter what. The serious contemplation of the questions: *(Why am I here? What is my purpose?) inevitably remind us how equally small and vast we are. As a single individual drop of water (soul) grows exponentially into the ocean (God), so too does our awakened states evolve us into an awakened collective. This first manifest function of soul as observer, is never off, never away, and never out of your reach. The spiritual implications of this are profound. The tenacity of the human spirit assures your angst will not stop until you *‘get it’ and awaken to your potential. You don’t have to wait for something else to save you. You don’t have to be afraid of your emotions. You can feel as your heart was intended—alive! Utilization of the soul as observer offers a vantage point that brings an independence of spirit. Hovering above your life freely and without judgment, this is the freedom you seek. Knowing your soul’s intent is key for spiritual growth and key to the exponential advancement of consciousness in general.

A Fated Broken Spirit Soul’s Memory of Its Birth The second manifest function of perception teaches that a ‘fated’ broken spirit occurs in the human condition. The accompanying volatile reaction to this break suggests that the human spirit is the soul’s memory of its physical birth. Such a context allows that if we want to decrease (and even stop) our suffering, we must take responsibility for the personal angst that comes with this unavoidable event. Though a portion of this friction is inherent in the human condition, any magnification of volatility that occurs after-thefact is unique to the individual’s personal life experiences. Because the new wisdom on human suffering defines spirit as a feeling re-action to this existence, we can now contextually speak of soul as non-temporal (outside of time) intelligence. In the same vein, the human spirit becomes our temporal (real time) adaptation to our daily lives. Connected to the body (specifically the heart) the angst of the human spirit is constantly targeting the ego. Its intention is to provoke it into action. Underdeveloped and unconscious, this action is typically a moral or black and white decision. Essentially, the ego ‘by default’ is elected as our moral compass. Shaped and guided by our personal and collective culture, our real compass (the human heart) goes offline or is barely trusted as functional. If the ego is moral in its perceptions, then it is the heart that frames our ethical view. The situation we find ourselves in today: angry and not knowing why or afraid of being afraid—is the epidemic of an inadequate or faulty compass. We are only aware of this epidemic when the context of our culture undergoes an extreme event and shocks us out of our egos and into our hearts. It is safe to say, that the heart will typically guide us toward what is true, while the ego will argue over what is right or wrong. In many cases, our ethical compass goes offline because it is violated. Thoughts and emotions compartmentalized by the ego cause us to lose faith in its accuracy. At the extreme, these (e) + motions prevent any awareness of truth. The teaching here is that our true compass is not lost; we simply have grown to doubt its reliability. The new wisdom suggests that *we must understand and guide the provocation of our fated broken spirit. We feel its reaction as early as the onset of language but, it is in our pre-teen years that we measurably see the provocation of ego—behaviorally. Many people wait until midlife before they get the hint that something has been amiss for a long time. The further away our false compass takes us from the authentic self, the more intense the angst to return. Copyright © Ernie L. Vecchio 2012

The imposition or fated break (to an outside observer) would appear as a feeling that becomes an e-motion. By design, the ego provokes us to re-enact (emote) our past so we can recover the ability to react (feel) in the present moment. In essence, *our fated break is the motivation toward consciousness. Without this angst human beings would never move, change, grow, or reconnect with what is true. Spiritual teachers have long known that compassion (self-love) born out of suffering with our circumstances, is a transformative process. Today, suffering for the self as victim has become the source of our culture’s heart dis-ease. We see the result in the news every day. The power of this second manifest function is that it offers us a context for our spiritual angst. It declares that through awareness we can become responsible for the spirit’s incessant and tenacious volatility. The second function boldly suggests that if you want to evolve as a human being, take ethical responsibility for the force that is you—now! Enlightenment in the new wisdom means no longer having to live life at the expense of others—especially your own. You can choose a reciprocal relationship with the world and ultimately the Universe. The mere number of those focused on ego and its narcissistic compensations is why sometimes ‘ignorance is bliss’ seems attractive. But, this is the illusion. An illusion the ego spends great energy to maintain. The soul’s intent is the natural progression toward presence and evolution. The ego needs guidance. We need to realize that the ego has been ‘acting’ as compass for so long, it thinks it is one. It doesn’t need to be controlled or isolated as some teachings suggest, rather it needs integrity—from you! Spiritual integrity is the significant quest of our time. Imagining anything less would mean that all of humanity has been suffering for nothing.

Conviction of the Heart My Heart Has Never Lied to Me The third manifest function of perception reinstates the heart’s intelligence as our true compass. The compelling teaching that accompanies this profound corrective action is a universal and uniquely human spiritual question: ‘My heart has never lied to me. Why should I listen to the ego?’ It is essential that you understand the depth of this question. Ancient in its origin, it is born out of a memory of a fated break from the authentic self. Essentially, the human angst is the reason that we search for answers. It is the reason when we are in unbearable pain that we ask— why? The corrective nature of this question is constantly reminding (provoking) the ego to awaken—so we can remember who we really are. Though the fated break from our authentic self is inevitable and unavoidable, the third distinction declares that our angst is intended to move us from being conscientious (moral) to consciousness (ethical). Today, more than ever before, this is our spiritual challenge. New wisdom suggests that the relationship human beings have with their angst is a choice. Those who embrace the third distinction possess a conviction to their heart—forever. This means that in spite of the personal or collective ego, they choose to develop a close relationship with their own suffering. In the new wisdom, this choice defines these individuals as gifted compassionates. Suffering for their choice they are asleep and unconscious martyrs for others. Suffering with their choice they awaken and become conscious participants in the evolution of themselves and the planet. While the angst of the spirit-ego relationship ‘drives’ these people to understand their lives, it is their heart and soul that ‘pulls’ them through. Gifted compassionates will inherently ask and seek the answer to these questions: “Who am I? What is my true nature? What is my purpose in life?” The third manifest function of perception declares that too truly answer such questions, a conviction of the heart is required. In this context, spiritual integrity means integrating an offline multi-layered guidance system so it can steer us toward an authentic self and evolving consciousness. Current distinctions in the culture for what it means to be human include: we are programmable machines, intelligent computers, conscious beings in a subjective world of feelings and needs, and finally, spiritual beings undertaking a human journey. The new wisdom declares that humans

are all of the above and more but only when the soul, spirit, ego, and heart are leading the way. These four manifest functions of guidance far exceed our brain and egoic programming. It is hard to imagine the centuries we have spent with two-thirds of this guidance system at the mercy of a self-righteous ego. The spiritual challenge of our time is to remove this false compass while still recognizing it as an essential adaptive part of the overall system. The third manifest function is difficult to live because it requires conviction. People tend to relate to their suffering in one of three ways: dismembered - they long to remember, connected - they long to relate, convinced – they long to self-express. Conviction requires a tenacity to pursue the truth; truth as a place not as information. The dismembered are the largest group of the three and typically the least conscious. The connected know something larger is at work and long to relate to it. The convinced are the gifted compassionates and they seek a context to manifest or express in the world. The third function is the most disciplined spiritual practice because it tells us that if we want to remove the ego as compass, we must be willing to fight for the heart’s rightful station in our lives—no matter what. Most forms of spiritual practice are ultimately about ‘letting go’ and cultivating awareness. Conviction of the heart requires truth and holding onto that truth. *The ego knows it is not our true compass but, it doesn’t know that you know. Rather than allowing it to manipulate you, you can manipulate it. The biggest trick the ego plays is that it is real. The human heart is a physical organ of perception that does much, much more than pump blood. We know now that it entrains, vibrates, and emanates significantly more voltage than the brain. It is real! The ego resides in the side of the brain that registers cause and effect (left hemisphere). It is a thought, an idea, and worse, a distorted imagination. We no longer have to identify with the ego because the new wisdom introduces us to the other three players—soul, spirit, and heart. In truth, all four must work in tandem to achieve presence. Imagine, understanding your angst means you no longer have to be afraid of it. More importantly, you no longer have to accumulate any more suffering. The reason to practice the third manifest function is not to destroy the ego’s defenses but to awaken it to the truth of no defense needed. Awakened to this reality, integrity has been restored and the ego can breathe a sigh of relief. At the collective level, the culture can experience a significant release of anxiety. Conviction of the heart means that the ego recognizes its rightful place as part of the whole. Fear of fear itself is the plague of our time. The ego has ruled for centuries because of this distortion. We need to restore our capacity to distinguish between real and imagined fear. Such restoration is only possible if we integrate our universal gift of evolving consciousness—awake. Copyright © Ernie L. Vecchio 2012

Ego as Companion Life’s Adaptive Function The fourth manifest function of perception asserts ego as companion and removes it as compass. Because every moment of every day is spent traveling in the company of this quality, we grow to assume it knows ‘the way’ or how to be. In truth, our ego is life’s adaptive function. Most of us know it as personality traits or habits often used to describe in detail our strengths and weaknesses. Spiritual seekers realize that the ego is simply who we think ourselves to be, not who we truly are. The compelling teaching associated with ego as companion reminds us that this adaptive quality is only one-fourth of a much larger guidance system. Though its illusionary nature is becoming widely known within the culture, it continues to delude, frustrate, and in the extreme harm our lives. Manipulation by this default guide has come at great expense to our real compass—the heart. The fourth perception declares that we must take responsibility for the ego’s misguided notions and fully restore our navigation system. Ego as companion allows us to establish a healthy relationship with our spiritual (feeling) nature. We learn to distinguish that feeling is spirit (before the fated break), that re-acts to the immediate moment. It is present-tense and connected to the heart. When we are conscious, the heart and spirit work together to achieve authenticity and integrity. Unconscious, (e)motions fuel our thoughts, create re-enactments (after the fated break) of previously conditioned experiences. It is past-tense and resides in the left hemisphere (cause and effect) side of the brain. The fourth function dictates that we feel more and emote less. In doing so, the heart can be restored to its intended function as compass. The new wisdom teaches that these two instruments of perception (ego and heart) have a very different view of human suffering. Those who choose the ego as lens concern themselves with understanding their relationship with God and believe their suffering (or not) is a direct result of this relationship. Those who choose the heart as lens concern themselves with the pursuit and understanding of suffering. They value their pain as a path to knowing God and connect with their own divinity. These individuals develop a universal understanding of the human condition and accept that we are an evolving species. Though the ego’s lens still dominates the culture there is a spiritual shift occurring.

The fourth function instructs that the human ego has been elected ‘by default’ as our moral compass. Programmed to believe there is a right or wrong way to be, our true compass is reduced to a faint memory. Finding this unacceptable, the human spirit understandably amplifies the volume and intensity of our angst. Depending on the experiences that shape our programming, two re-enactments dominate in the culture. Those who were made to feel guilty for being inept or incompetent, use this angst for self-blame and self-punishment. There internal message is – I made a mistake. Those who were made to feel ashamed for who they are use this angst to diminish any accumulation of self-worth. Their internal message is – I am a mistake. Guilt will bruise the ego while shame is a profound and deep wound to the soul. A guilt wounded ego is divided against the self and blames or punishes—constantly. The cultural compensation for guilt is religiosity. A shame wounded ego feels their existence is a mistake. Typically, they feel like an outsider and are divided against the culture. Today, more than ever, we live in a shame-based culture. The fourth function reveals that our compensation of narcissism has become the new epidemic. Much of the violence plaguing our culture today is coming from this misguided, fragile, insecure, and overblown orientation. Though the fourth manifest function perceives ego as companion, it also declares the ego’s needed evolution. This is confusing because few (if any) spiritual teachings advocate this. The new wisdom declares—it is impossible to be free of ego and still be in these bodies. Death, as far as we know, is the only way we can be fully void of ego. Meanwhile, what are we to do? The ego has had centuries to manipulate us and it will likely have centuries more. The new wisdom suggests that human evolution must include the evolution of ego. In an awakened state, the ego works in tandem with all that we are. It is only a problem if it remains unconscious. There will be no real advancement of consciousness or enlightenment without it. Psychology indicates that ego is formed between birth and six. Malleable, it becomes a hard structure between six and twelve; and subtle changes occur throughout the life span. The new wisdom teaches that the ego will undergo a profound transformation when it evolves from a conscientious, moral, two-dimensional beginning, to an awakened state of consciousness. Key to its shift in awareness is the understanding of the nature of human suffering—in particular—its suffering. Before we can be one with all that is, we must become one within ourselves. Human suffering is not an illusion. Just as a plant will reach toward the sun for its life, human beings remember their birth and skin to skin connection with the creator. This real precognitive memory is the source of our longing. Spiritual teachers speak of ego as a veil that creates the illusion of separation. They suggest that the separation is between the ego and the authentic self. The fourth manifest function asks this question: *What if the real separation is between our true navigational potential and the ego?

This is powerful and profound. Most of us live our entire lives following a broken and false compass, never questioning its direction or intent. But if you are willing to restore your guidance system to its full capacity, you will discover the true nature of your authentic self. To the soul, spirit, ego, and heart there is no veil. It is you behind the curtain—all the time. It’s okay that you haven’t always known where you are going. Like most of us, you learned to fake it and survive. The fourth manifest function knows that once you embrace the perfection of your own navigational gifts, your single identification and allegiance to your adaptive function (ego) will shift dramatically to the whole. No more fears, neuroses, or irrational compulsions—you will see what God sees a free spirited, driven, and compassionate creation that is you.

Absolutes Gifted Compassionate Therapy

1) Everyone is synchronized initially with heart of the creator and have a heart-based orientation: - (Counselor): feels, reacts, comforts, supports; just as the earth rotates around the sun, humans revolve around the heart; the heart* is our compass. 2) Everyone begins as a hopeful expectation for the future (children are intended to exceed parents). 3) Everyone enters the world of ego and expectations: - (Critic): thinks, judges, analyzes; inverts the truth: humans revolve around the ego; with heart offline the ego* becomes the ‘default’ compass. 4) Everyone has an energetic memory or human spirit* which is the soul’s memory of its physical birth. 5) Everyone adapts and develops an angst related to the ‘fated break’ from heart orientation to ego dominance: - Feeling re-action is present moment guided by heart. - E-motions are re-enactments of past and guided by ego. - Ignoring feelings is source of our spiritual angst. 6) Everyone seeks to find balance between thinking –emoting (Mediator) 7) Everyone has a soul* or an observing nonlocal intelligence that witnesses/orchestrates their lives. 8) Everyone has volatility (rage) associated with the fated break (Bully). *Counselor, Critic, Mediator, and Bully are ways of perceiving the self in the world not egostates. *Soul, Spirit, Ego, and Heart make up our human guidance or positioning system. If we have a Global Positioning System (GPS) for the landscape of our lives, the new wisdom on suffering teaches that we have a Human Positioning System (HPS) for our Innerscape.

Life Positions Gifted Compassionate Therapy

1) Heart is misguided—Ego is compass—spirit provokes—soul offline (initial fate) (default)(critic) 2) Heart is misguided—Ego is misguided—intense provocation—soul offline (victim) (bully) 3) Heart is compass—Ego is misguided—targeted provocation—soul online (present) (mediator) 4) Heart is (inner) compass—Ego is (culture) compass—spirit motivates—soul online (transforming)(counselor) *The root of all emotional and spiritual problems is the volatility (rage) associated with our fated break and the default positioning of ego as compass. 1) I’m wrong – You’re right: (guilt) first life position, inferior and waits for approval; self-blame and self-punishment, divided against self. Rage of bully directed inward. 2) I’m a mistake – You’re a mistake: (shame) does not exist unless recognized as visible by others, self-loathing outsider, divided against the culture. Rage of bully directed outward. 3) I know the way – You are lost: (spiritual) know there are larger truths than the ones they were born into, develop a close relationship to their own suffering. Suffering for the self, tend to sacrifice or martyr themselves for others. Life is a trip of survival and endurance. 4) I’ll feel my way through – You navigate the course: (spiritual/gifted compassionates) learn their larger truth, have a moral to their story, and develop a close relationship to their suffering. Suffering with themselves, they tend to be the culture’s healers, teachers, and helpers. They view suffering as a transformative function and life as a journey. The first position asks: “Why is this happening to me? Who am I to ask?” The second position asks: “How did this happen to me? I must be unworthy.” The third position asks: “Why should I listen to you, my heart has never lied to me?” The fourth position says: “I thought I got here when I was born, in truth I do not get here until I choose to arrive.”

Status of Culture Ego as Compass

*Approximately, 40% of the culture is in the third position ‘spiritual’ but do not have a context to awaken or know how to stay awake. *1% of that 40% is in the fourth position and is knowingly evolving consciousness. *This leaves 60% in the first two life positions (feeling broken and using the ego as compass) of which only a small portion is being served by the mental health profession.

Gifted Compassionate Therapy (GCT) Integrative Theory in Practice Ernie L. Vecchio, Clinical, School, & Rehabilitation Psychologist

Contact: innerscape@depthwork.com

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

Abstract This article introduces gifted compassionate therapy (GCT) as an integrative model for cognitive, behavioral, psychodynamic, humanistic, and transpersonal orientations allowing professional practitioners to meet the client where they are when navigating the human condition. An overview of GCT is provided with emphasis on existing developmental and psychological models and their overlap with GCTs nonlocal intelligence, temporal spiritual awareness, redefined ego function, and heart as compass. This article examines and contrasts several approaches to adversity, internal and external, to suggest that all existing models could be integrated with GCT to better understand suffering as in integral part of human evolution.

Keywords: gifted compassionate, nonlocal intelligence, temporal spiritual awareness, ego, heart

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

Introduction Most would agree that we are born free and with a degree of spontaneity that we often only remember as children. As we become adults, survival takes over and life becomes more difficult. For many, it is an effort to just get through the day. Even those who are happy will tell you that life is a series of adjustments and challenges. Life becomes an endurance test. Goals and dreams are obstructed by invisible and internal battles that leave us afraid, angry, anxious, and depressed. One study (CDC March, 2011) found that - for unidentified reasons - 85% of people with major depression are also suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and 35% of them experience panic disorder symptoms. A Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (October, 2010) indicates that 235,067 adults 9.1 % (in 45 states), met the criteria for current depression, including 4.1% who met the criteria for major depression. In the end, depression and anxiety affects 1 in 10 Americans. Relief comes in the form of various addictions and diversions. The outward expression of this dilemma makes headlines in the newspaper every day. When we are not victimizing ourselves, we are taking it out on others. How does this scenario develop and what can counselors do to help? The following assumptions are not all inclusive but drawn from the fields of human development and psychological theory to form the counselorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foundation for this answer: Cognitive Approaches In brief, cognitive theories propose that emotional disturbance is caused by irrational thinking and if these thoughts can be eliminated or restructured, rationality will restore happiness and promote self-actualization. Transactional Analysis (TA) (Berne, 1996) the theory best known for identifying or naming our internal dialogue suggests that various ego states struggle between themselves in an effort to achieve harmony. In essence, beliefs (parent), feelings (child),

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

and logic (adult) work in tandem to form a balanced inner life. Faulty logic, distorted beliefs, and the reenactment of emotions prevent a successful internal mediation. The challenge of the individual is to identify which ego state dominates their inner life by mediating within and then distributing this power equally throughout the personality. TA is a method of observing human internal transactions objectively without the subjective interference of paired emotions and harmful beliefs. Directive teaching is the core in all cognitive approaches. For example, in Rational Emotive Therapy (Ellis, 2008) the counselor teaches the client that their internalized selfdialogue is illogical and self-defeating. The success of the counselor lies in bringing illogical thinking forcefully to the client’s attention. The RET therapist must show the counselee how irrational thoughts maintains their unhappiness. Rethinking self-talk logically and rationality produces the desired happiness and contentment. In reality therapy, the meaning of reality is learning to think and act responsibly. Empathy and connecting with the client is less emphasized. Cognitive Therapy or CT (Beck, 2003) seeks to identify and change dysfunctional thinking, behavior, and emotional responses. Therapy is collaboration between client and therapist testing beliefs, assumptions, and distorted thinking. Once these thoughts have been challenged, the client’s feelings about their lives and circumstances are more easily subject to change. Behavioral Approaches Behavioral therapies emphasize ‘social learning theory’ where all things exhibited by the client —including acting, thinking, and feeling—are regarded as behaviors (Bandura, 1977). The challenge of the behavioral orientation is to alter behavior patterns (Watson, 1997) and modify the client’s environment. Grounded in learning theory, psychopathology is approached through

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

techniques that reinforce desired behavior and eliminate those less desirable. Drawing on motivational theory (Hull, 1974) these therapies are empirical (data-driven) (Skinner, 1969), contextual (focused on the environment), functional (interested in effect or consequence), probabilistic (statistically predictable) (Skinner, 1969), monistic (rejects mind–body dualism), and relational (analyzing bidirectional interactions). Psychodynamic Approaches Psychodynamic therapies focus on revealing the unconscious content of a client's psyche/soul to alleviate psychic tension. The principles of psychodynamics were initially identified in thermodynamics (Wilhelm, 2009), suggesting that all living organisms are energy systems and are governed as such by energy conservation. Freud (1995) adopted this construct of “dynamic” physiology to aid in his conceptualization of the human psyche. The core hypothesis in psychodynamic approaches is that some form of maladaptive functioning is always operating in the background (like a computer program) in an individual’s life. Unconscious, these programs develop early in life and eventually form the ‘angst’ felt in day to day life. The challenge of the therapist is to bring these unconscious conflicts into awareness, helping the client acknowledge the existence and source of the conflict. Major techniques used by psychodynamic therapists include free association, recognizing resistance and transference, working through painful memories and difficult issues, catharsis, and building a strong therapeutic alliance. Affective or Humanistic Approaches Humanistic psychology (Schneider, 2001) is a psychological perspective which rose to prominence in the mid-20th century, drawing on the work of early pioneers like Carl Rogers (1951) and the philosophies of existentialism and phenomenology (Schneider, 2008). It adopts a

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

holistic approach to human existence (Shaffer, 1978) through investigations of meaning, values, freedom, tragedy, personal responsibility, human potential, spirituality, and self-actualization (Schneider, 2010). It believes that people are inherently good. Affective approaches in counseling give attention to what the individual is experiencing in a given moment and is considered client-centered. It places much of the responsibility for problem solving on the client. Affective counselors teach that when the individual’s image of themselves, as well as accompanying behaviors, are consistent with their 'picture' of themself, they generally experience feelings of adequacy, security, and worth (Rogers, 1951). If on the other hand, they act in a manner different from the way the person defines themselves, the person experiences what is known as "threat" and feels insecure, inadequate, or worthless. Under pressure and with no other alternative, the individual may defend themselves against this threat with what psychology commonly labels ‘defense mechanisms’ (Rogers, 1951). Roger’s theory places emphasis on ‘congruence' with the real and ideal self and addresses incongruence between awareness and experience. Rogerian therapists are trained with the perspective that 'reality' is perception. Understanding the client’s ‘internal frame of reference’ is taught as an empathic skill of counseling. Transpersonal Approaches The central concept in transpersonal approaches (Capriles, 2000) is ego-transcendence, or a sense of identity that is deeper, broader, and more unified within the whole. Individuals who embrace this approach are seeking personal meaning, life purpose, altruism, compassion, forgiveness, and a richer spirituality (Sardello, 2008). Some transpersonal modalities may include: meditation and mindfulness, guided visualization, heart-centered hypnotherapy, breath therapy, subtle energy work, soul retrieval, and healing the inner child. In each of these

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

modalities, the direction the healing takes is determined by the client and the therapist follows the client’s lead. Transpersonal psychology (Capriles, 2006) is concerned with the study of humanity's highest potential, and with the recognition, understanding, and realization of unitive, spiritual, and transcendent states of consciousness. Three schools of thought (i.e. psychoanalysis, behaviorism and humanistic psychology) deny the transcended part of soul. The transpersonal approach integrates the whole spectrum of human development, from pre-personality to trans-personality, and is considered by its followers as the most integrated psychology. Core Principles and Characteristics of GCT 1. An emphasis on intrapsychic and unconscious conflict as an undeveloped ego and necessary for its evolution 2. View ego defenses as the perpetuation of victim thinking and the mindset that life is ultimately an endurance test. 3. Believes psychopathology as ‘shadow’ is best viewed as companion than enemy or evil, as it is born out of a failed attempt to defend the self in childhood. It will shift if accepted. 4. View interpersonal relations as an outward reflection of organized and intelligent internal experiences. 5. A conviction that life issues are best resolved, understood, and lived through the lens of the soul (nonlocal intelligence), the motivational angst of subjective feelings (human spirit), and the intuitive and compassionate guidance of the human heart (compass). 6. Provide individuals a ‘picture’ of their innerscape for the purpose of teaching a contextual and ethical view of the self.

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

7. Use of projective techniques, dream analysis, childhood stories, emotional-spiritual IQ, adversity and coping methods, conflict style, framing of life story, and ego measures as major methods for revealing the individual’s ‘philosophy of life.’ 8. Teaches that insight alone is not enough to reach health and wholeness; the evolution of such vision advances with awareness: hindsight (20/20) shifts to insight (x-ray vision) to foresight (future) to ultimately above observer: seeing what the soul sees. 9. A conviction to help the individual discover the ‘gifted compassionate’ within rather than the transpersonal ‘god within’ as the latter seems unattainable or challenges the person’s religious beliefs. Discussion Gifted Compassionate Therapy and Cognition GCT or Gifted Compassionate Therapy (Vecchio, 2012) defines the ego as cognitively who we think ourselves to be. It is the description of 'I' or 'Me' we use in everyday life. As a cognitive structure, the ego’s organ of perception is the brain. Ego becomes how we express ourselves to others or how we perceive ourselves to be. Only able to see the world twodimensionally, this duality forms the ego as a moral or conscientious compass, programming it to believe that there is a right or wrong version of itself (Vecchio, 2002). Egos that believe they are a mistake (shame-driven) will be destined to feel low self-worth. Egos that believe they are more inept or less competent than others (guilt-driven) will be destined to undergo self-inflicted blame and punishment. Such perceptions are relative to early developmental experiences and significantly impacted later by the culture. While brain research confirms that both sides of the brain are involved in nearly every human activity, we know now that the left side of the brain is the seat of language and processes information in a logical and sequential order. The right side is

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more visual and processes information intuitively, holistically, and randomly. GCT places emphasis on consciousness as a graduating step beyond being conscientious. GCT views the human heart as an ethical vs. moral compass and utilizes the right side of the brain. GCT reintroduces the inner dialogue of the human experience as four, rather than three, inner voices: counselor, critic, mediator, and bully (Vecchio, 2012). Disharmony or irrational emotionality is not resolved solely with logic or left brain methods but also includes an observable and orchestrating nonlocal (soul) and local (human spirit) intelligence (Vecchio, 2008) that ultimately gives validity to the ethical guidance (heart) of intuition. Harmony is restored when the individual functions as ‘whole-brained’ thus allowing nonlocal intelligence to assist the individual: to see what they need to see. A right brain function, the individual’s nonlocal intelligence communicates visually via symbols, images, context, and metaphor. Awareness is experienced as a shift from being conscientious to consciousness. The sensation achieved is best described as a feeling of presence. Because the compass for temporal or real time reactive feelings is the human heart, the accurate choice for harmony becomes an ethical one. As in all counseling and psychological theory, there is a specific language and context that the individual needs to learn. Similar to any cognitive model, GCT is a directive (vs. nondirective) approach. For example in Rational Emotive Therapy (RET) the counselor makes the client understand that there ‘inner script’ is illogical and self-defeating (Ellis & Abrams (2008). The success of the counselor lies in their capacity to ‘force’ illogical thinking into the client’s awareness. Rethinking and maintenance of a logical rationality fosters happiness and contentment. Taking responsibility for one’s inner and outer reality is strongly emphasized. Unlike GCT, RET lacks compassion for the individual’s subjective material. Left brain dialogue

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is considered healthy if the order and sequence of the memories and emotions are working toward meaning. Working against each other, ego identities rule the personality and prevent the awareness of the higher self. The goal in GCT is to stop serving ego (past-tense) but instead get the ego to serve the whole (present). Gifted Compassionate Therapy and Behavioral Approaches Drawing on motivational theory (Hull, 1974) behavioral therapies are empirical (datadriven), contextual (focused on the environment), functional (interested in effect or consequence), probabilistic (statistically predictable), monistic (rejects mindâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;body dualism), and relational (analyzing bidirectional interactions). GCT teaches that suffering for the self can be measured (pattern driven) as victim thinking which perpetuates a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thinking loopâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fueled by previously (predictable) damaged feelings. Reenactments (behaviors) become (e)motions that create a cycle (effect and consequence) of what the brain identifies as deja vu and the body re-experiences as trauma (accepting the mind-body relationship). The underlying core belief of victim thinking is that compassion is martyring or sacrificing the self. Such thinking represents the duality and moral perspective of an underdeveloped ego, one that is strongly influenced by a moral perspective. In contrast to RET (Ellis & Abrams, 2008), victim suffering is not considered illogical but rather an important aspect of what it means to be human. If the individual is going to shift from being conscientious to conscious, adversity is the outer/inner angst that provokes this event. GCT teaches that suffering for oneself or another is useless suffering if it fails to foster consciousness. Said differently, suffering occurs to transform the personality not to break it down. The success of the GCT counselor lies in their capacity to teach this internal ethic: compassion means to suffer with oneself or another human being. Suffering for is victim, suffering with is

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transformation. Essentially, suffering with oneself is an ethical act of self-love. The individual knows they have obtained self-love when they are humble, grateful, appreciative, and forgiving rather than narcissistic and entitled. Gifted Compassionate Therapy and Affective Models GCT places great emphasis on the individual’s subjective reality and defines ‘normal’ as one’s inner life being congruent with their outer life. GCT teaches this core truth (Vecchio, 2012): the heart will never lie to you, why would you listen to ego? Because the ego is externally controlled, the majority of individuals believe if they can get their outside world where they want it, the inside world will follow. In truth, it is the other way around. GCT teaches the inside-out process via compassionate self-acceptance. Individuals are taught that their outer life mirrors what cannot be seen internally. These correlating events will remain invisible until the ego shifts its awareness. Taught to view both worlds simultaneously, the client values their life experiences as an outer expression of an internal problem. Learning the distinction between feeling and emoting unique to GCT, eliminates focus on ego defenses and instead fosters a connection with the client’s nonlocal (soul) and collective wisdom. Roger’s (1951) internal frame of reference in GCT is considered not what is right or wrong for the self, but what is true or false. GCT (Vecchio, 2012) makes the following distinction between feeling and emoting: (1) feeling is the reaction to the immediate moment, present-tense, and connected to the heart; (2) (e)motions or energy-in-motion are the re-enactments of previously conditioned experiences, past-tense, and connected to the brain. Stored in the left brain, life experiences become a person’s logical and sequential cause and effect memories. When paired or associated with emotions they charge the person’s thinking. Thoughts evaporate (rather than obsess) without the charge of emotion. Negative emotions are paired with negative thoughts, positive emotions are

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paired with positive thoughts, and the brain responds accordingly. The biochemical result enters the bloodstream and ultimately affects the body. Gifted Compassionate Therapy and Psychodynamic Models GCT teaches that the ‘dynamic’ of the human energy system has a ‘built in’ angst that comes from an affective break (broken spirit) experienced by the soul as it enters physical existence. Relegated to the unconscious, this experience is not brought into awareness to alleviate the ‘friction of being human’ but rather to dissipate any ‘mean-spiritedness’ that may be directed at the self or others. The core teaching in GCT is that some form of ‘spiritual’ suffering is running in the background as soon as the soul experiences its physical presence. It is forced out of awareness as the personality enters a survival mode in childhood. The ‘angst’ in day to day adult life is the human spirit’s provocation of the ego to become conscious or remember. In doing so, the ego will become present (as it only knows the past) and remember the soul’s intent—to BE itself (Vecchio, 2008). GCT makes the following distinction between personal and collective consciousness (Jung, 1991): (1) personal consciousness is the cognitive and emotional memorization of an individual’s unique history occurring over a lifetime; (2) collective consciousness is connected to the soul’s intent implying an internal knowing known by all, or a consciousness shared by a plurality of persons bringing legible unity to those experiences (Jung, 1991). The soul’s intent (Vecchio, 2008) is defined as a ‘built in’ passion to simply be what it was intended to be—itself. The ego believes it gets here when it is born. The soul knows the ego cannot be here ‘now’ until it chooses to arrive. GCT uses a variety of techniques used by psychodynamic therapists including free association, recognizing resistance and transference, working through, and building a strong therapeutic alliance. In addition, GCT expands on the difference between

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epiphany and catharsis, emphasizing that insight (sudden cognitive realization) though important, is not the goal. Rather, GCT teaches that we do not get to choose ‘if’ we suffer as human beings, but we can choose ‘how.’ A repaired energy system (human spirit), working in tandem with the body’s intelligence (heart), makes catharsis (the physical transformation of ego) not only possible, but tolerable. Essentially, the individual learns a healthy and ethically functional way to live with their passion (suffering). Gifted Compassionate Therapy and Transpersonal Models GCT defines soul as intelligence that is beyond all the activity of ordinary life. Soul is our true nature, our innermost being, our deepest truth (Hillman, 1997). Soul is the life force that animates our bodies in this physical existence. As pure being and potential it emerges only through consciousness. As a collective soul we are all one, but at an individual level there is a specific instance of soul that is you and another instance that is me. Physics calls this intelligence a neutral witness or observer. Unlike Eric Berne’s (1996) objective observation through cognitive logic, GCT gives reliable station to subjective feelings and their relationship with the higher or transpersonal self. The basic premise of transpersonal theory (Capriles, 2006) is that we possess an eternal, omnipotent, conscious, and intelligent quality that is the real self. Within its realm there is a blueprint of the total person. This quality has been called in contemporary times the God within. Essentially, GCT suggests simply that humans have an intelligence that exists beyond the duality of ego. As our personal above observer it orchestrates life as we need to see it, influences growth, and fosters spiritual integrity and authenticity.

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Conclusion Gifted Compassionate Therapy combines several popular psychological and counseling theories toward a unified integrative context. But, more than just another practice model, GCT defines what it means to be human. The value in the synthesis of these ideas is that they (a) provide a comprehensive frame of reference for normal emotional, physical, psychological, and spiritual growth, (b) offer a clear definition of internal qualities (i.e. ego, soul, spirit) that are significantly instrumental in forming identity as humans adapt to the external, (c) redefine psychopathology as an inherent â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;breakâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in human evolution that delays ego consciousness, and finally (d) provides a valid construct for training other helping professionals who wish to merge their existing orientation to include human evolution. Most seasoned helpers would agree that there is a significant difference between the science and practice of their professions. The fundamental difference is that the goal of the scientist is to contribute to the fund of general scientific knowledge. This is achieved as a detached, objective observer cataloging descriptive data. The task of the practitioner is to effect change, not describe it. The change, of course, is the improvement of functioning and well-being of the client. To practitioners, psychological knowledge is not the end but a means to the end. This article offers new knowledge on human suffering and a unified model that supports growth throughout the life span. GCT makes an attempt to find commonality in the human predicament, allowing an objective view of an otherwise subjective experience. There is an identity crisis plaguing the helping professional that is mirrored in the culture, long held ego structures are collapsing. GCT has come to recognize this as long awaited ego consciousness and a hopeful revitalization of evolving new practitioners.

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References Bandura, A. (1977). Social Learning Theory. England Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Beck, A. T., Freeman, A., & Davis, D. D. (2003). Cognitive Therapy of Personality Disorders. Guilford Press. Berne, Eric. (1996). Games People Play: The Basic Handbook of Transactional Analysis. Ballantine Books. Capriles, E. (2000). Beyond Mind: Steps to a Metatranspersonal Psychology. International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 19, 163-184. Capriles, E. (2006). Beyond Mind II: Further Steps to a Metatranspersonal Philosophy and Psychology. The International Journal of Transpersonal Studies, 24, 5-44. Centers for Disease Control, & Prevention. (March 31, 2011). An Estimated 1 in 10 U.S. Adults Report Depression (CDC). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsDepression/ Centers for Disease Control, & Prevention. (October 1, 2010). Current Depression Among Adults - United States 2006 and 2008. In Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) (Issue 59 (38), pp. 1229-1235). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov Ellis, A., & Abrams, M., & Abrams, L. (2008). Theories of Personality: Critical Perspectives. New York: Sage Press. Freud, Sigmund. (1995). The Basic Writings of Sigmund Freud (Psychopathology of Everyday Life, The Interpretation of Dreams, and Three Contributions to the Theory of Sex (A. A. Brill, Trans.). Modern Library. Hillman, James. (1997). The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling (1st Ed.). New York: Grand Central Publishing.

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Hull, Clark L. (1974). A Behavior System: An Introduction to Behavior Theory Concerning the Individual Organism (New Ed.). Greenwood Press. (Original work published 1952) Jung, C. G. (1991). Psyche and Symbol. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Rogers, C. R. (1951). Client-Centered Therapy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. (Original work published 1951) (Shaffer, 1978) (Beck, Freeman, & Davis, 2003) Sardello, Robert. (2008). Silence: The Mystery of Wholeness. North Atlantic Books. Schneider, K. J. (2008). Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy: Guideposts to the Core of Practice. New York: Routledge. Schneider, K. J. ; Bugental. (2001). The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Leading Edges in Theory, Research, and Practice. Sage Publications. Schneider, K. J., & Krug, O. T. (2010). Existential-Humanistic Therapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press. Shaffer, J. B. (1978). Humanistic Psychology. Edgewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Skinner, B. F. (1969). Contingencies of Reinforcement: A Theoretical Analysis. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. Vecchio, E. L. (2002). Big Tail - Small Kite: The Wisdom of Balance. Naples, FL: Whitehall Printing. Vecchio, E. L. (2008). The Soul's Intent: An Interview with the Divine. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse. Vecchio, E. L. (2012). The Astonishing Dream of JOB: The Relationship between Soul, Spirit, Ego & Human Heart. Kindle Direct Publishing. Watson, John B. (1997). Behaviorism. Transaction Publishers.

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Wilhelm, E., & Letcher, T. (Eds.). (2009). Heat Capacities: Liquids, Solutions, and Vapours (1st ed.). Royal Society of Chemistry.

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Appendix A Terminology Above observer: the nonlocal aspect of self (soul) that sees beyond the view-finder of the ego and has as its vantage point everything the ego cannot see; witness. Adaptation: when human beings shift from being to surviving within the environment; without the guidance of collective wisdom or the heart’s intelligence. Awareness: achieved only with presence and emerges after the utilization of collective wisdom (soul) and is maintained by the heart’s intelligence (compass). Bidirectional interactions: understanding that relationships in the outside world are a direct reflection of what is occurring internally; the sole purpose of GCT is to achieve congruence between the two. Catharsis: the physical transformation of ego born out of suffering with itself. Cause and effect thinking: a left-hemisphere or left-brain perspective without the utilization of right brain intuition, metaphor, imagery, and meaning. Collective wisdom: connection to the soul’s intent and implies an internal knowing known by all, or a consciousness shared by a plurality of persons bringing legible unity to those experiences. Compassion: in Latin comes from two words - passion (to suffer) and com (with); spiritually defined as the feeling of self-love or capacity to ‘suffer with’ the self; nonegoic. Congruence: when one’s internal world is balanced with their outer life. Conscientiousness: the perspective that there is a ‘right-wrong’ way to be or a moral existence based solely on the ego’s two-dimensional and unconscious view of itself; largely formed out of emotions such as guilt and shame.

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Consciousness: the perspective that there is a ‘true-self’ based upon context; it is an ethical view because it includes the repair or integration of ego, reconnection to feelings, utilization of heart as compass, and access to the soul’s wisdom; fosters spiritual integrity. Context: the ability to see, understand, and live one’s life outside the view-finder or lens of the ego. Dis-ease: when in an effort to understand, we question, argue, attack, emote, and struggle with ourselves (inside and out) because we know that what we are experiencing is inconsistent with what we know in our hearts to be true. Ego’s core belief: thinks it gets here when it is born when in truth, it cannot be here ‘now’ until it chooses to arrive. Ego Spirituality: concerns itself with understanding one's relationship with God and believes suffering is a direct result of this relationship. Ego states: the inner identities and source of ‘chatter’ representative of the ego’s development: counselor, critic, mediator, and bully. Ego-transcendence: moving beyond the two-dimensional perspective of ego (left brain) to the perspective of witness or observer; the organ of perception is the right brain and includes nonlocal intelligence (soul), the spiritual (feelings vs. emotions), and the heart as compass. Emotional attachments: the biochemical memories of thoughts and events that perpetuate victim thinking. (E)motions: energy-in-motion that can fuel thinking and the re-enactments of previously conditioned experiences; past-tense, and connected to the left brain. Empirical: represents the cause and effect collection of the ego’s experiences stored in the unconscious as truth.

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Energy system: refers to the feeling re-action of the human spirit; experienced as energy-inmotion (emotion) or the re-enactment of a broken-spirit; necessary angst to provoke the ego from being conscientious to consciousness. Epiphany: sudden cognitive realization brought on by insight. Ethical view: the non-dualistic three-dimensional conscious present-tense perspective that includes an ego awake, the soulâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wisdom, and the hearts compassionate guidance. Evolution of ego: experts indicate that ego is formed between birth and six, malleable, then becomes a hard structure between six and twelve; subtle changes occur throughout the life span; stages: from a conscientious, moral, two-dimensional beginning to an awakened state of consciousness; the catalyst for consciousness is human suffering. Feeling: the reaction to the immediate moment, present-tense, and connected to the heart; out of awareness the human heart and spirit work together to achieve spiritual integrity. Foresight (future): the capacity to envision the future because of the combination of hindsight and insight that is only possible with presence. GCT Core truth: the heart will never lie to you, why would you choose to listen to ego? Gifted compassionate: individuals that have a close relationship with their own suffering, asleep - they suffer for the self as victim; awake - they suffer with the self as catharsis or transformation. Dismembered - they long to remember. Connected - they long to self-express. Convinced - they are determined, tenacious, and long to restore the heart as compass. Guilt: a wound to the ego; the individual feels everything they do is a mistake, stays divided against the self, and blames or punishes the self and others; cultural compensation: religiosity. Heart as compass: if the human ego resides in the left side of the brain, human feelings (not emotions) come from the heart; feel more emote less means to listen to oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart over the

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brain. GCT core knowing: aware of its compassionate gift the heart never lies so why listen to ego. Hindsight (20/20): learning that takes place from external and past experiences of suffering; automatically suggests that such vision is looking back or behind (over one’s shoulder) which alone is a form of blindness to what is in front (present). Human spirit: born out of the soul’s awareness of this physical existence and is the motivational angst (subjective feelings) that develops a conflicting relationship with the ego’s lack of objectivity (inability to see context). Innerscape: the landscape of one’s inner life which not only includes thoughts, feelings, and emotions but also, the inner forces that move them toward integration. Insight (x-ray vision): learning that comes from the sudden realization internally of a life lesson that is felt internally as an epiphany and as a moment of presence. Internal frame of reference: giving station to the orchestration of the soul, the provocation of the human spirit, and the guidance of the heart as compass. Irrational: the conditioned thinking of an ego unaware and disconnected from the soul’s wisdom and the heart’s guidance. Learned behaviors: borrowing from behaviorism, understanding the maladaptive choices, decisions, and behaviors learned for the sole purpose of past-tense survival strategies and learning present day healthier alternatives. Left brain: the seat of language and processes information in a logical and sequential order. Maladaptive functioning as background noise: is the ‘fateful noise’ of the inner chatter between ego states as they experience the provocation of the human spirit pushing the ego into awareness.

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

Mean-spiritedness: the result of early authentic feelings that were relegated as ‘less than’ forming a broken-spirit, the anger of this experience is directed at the self and others. Mediating within: an internal collaboration toward wholeness and integration between the ego, human spirit, soul’s intent, and the heart’s intelligence. Mind–Body-Soul: whole brained cognition, the subjective knowing of the body, and a connection with one’s nonlocal intelligence. Moral view: the dualistic two-dimensional unconscious past-tense perspective of ego that only sees life and self as right or wrong, good or bad, and worthy or not. Motivation of ego: self-defense; for emotions to serve this goal and to disconnect from genuine present feelings. Normal: when one’s inner life is congruent with their outer life, not the opposite. Observation of patterns: is the nonlocal vantage point of the soul or above observer to understand and eliminate self-destructive patterns Personality disorder: being stuck in the division of guilt or shame as victim (suffering for the self) rather than melting the illusion of stuck-ness (suffering with the self) through feelings that are heartfelt and purposeful (transformative compassion). Personal responsibility: making the distinction between what is false versus what is true within one’s unconscious and daily life. Personal unconscious: the cognitive and emotional memorization of an individual’s unique history occurring over a lifetime that is out of awareness. Personality to Trans-personality: refers to shifting from an overly conscientious ego to one that is conscious; which then makes available the soul and spirit of being human.

GIFTED COMPASSIONATE THERAPY (GCT)

Presence: living fully in a mindful place; includes cognition and the body’s intelligence; fostered by the evolution of three forms of vision: hindsight, insight, and foresight; to pre-sense or feel something before a thought. Probability and predictability: borrowing from behaviorism, the expected patterns of behavior and re-enactments typical of an underdeveloped ego. Provocation: the function of the human spirit in relationship to the ego’s lack of awareness; the angst that motivates the ego to remember its highest potential: a spiritual being have human experiences. Psychic tension: the angst between what the ego ‘thinks’ and the soul ‘knows’; the human spirit forms as a ‘reaction’ to the soul’s physical existence in finite time; once the ego is formed the human spirit’s function is to provoke the ego into remembering ‘who’ it was in the beginning. Re-action: the real-time, present moment, heartfelt feeling to an experience. Re-enactment: a past-tense, repetitive, déjà vu, ego memory, paired with the associated biochemical emotion of an experience. Repaired energy system (human spirit): working in tandem with the body’s intelligence (heart), catharsis (the physical transformation of ego) is not only possible, but tolerable. Essentially, the individual learns a healthy and ethical way to live with their passion (suffering). Right brain: more visual and processes information intuitively, holistically, and randomly. Self-love: a humble, grateful, appreciative, healing, and non-egoic self-acceptance that has come out of a deep mercy for life’s challenges and related lessons. Shame: a wound to the soul; the individual feels their existence is a mistake; is typically an outsider, and feels divided against the culture; cultural compensation: narcissism.

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Soul (nonlocal intelligence): life force or animated quality of our existence, that is pure being, potential, witness and observer that emerges and evolves through consciousness. Suffering for: a demonstrated distortion of understanding compassion as self-sacrifice and fostering unconscious victims. Suffering with: an understanding of compassion as a gentle, loving, forgiving, and transformative acceptance of adversity as teacher. Spiritual integrity and authenticity: honoring the soul’s intent to BE who one was intended rather than conditioned to become; integrity means to take responsibility and repair the ‘built in’ angst of a broken spirit so the ‘something that is real’ of the soul can emerge. The soul’s intent: is defined as a ‘built in’ passion to simply be what it was intended to be— itself. Thinking loop: left-brain obsessing fueled by previously (predictable) damaged feelings; reenactments (behaviors) become (e)motions that create a cycle (effect and consequence) of what the brain identifies as deja vu and the body re-experiences as trauma. True Spirituality: concerns itself with the pursuit and understanding of suffering and views this knowledge as a direct correlate to knowing God. Unconscious forces: the energy system of an ego asleep Victim thinking: the ego’s perspective born out of not knowing ‘how’ to utilize human adversity; suffering for the self; the underlying core belief of victim thinking is that compassion is martyring or sacrificing the self; such thinking represents the duality and moral perspective of an underdeveloped ego.