Aware the science and practice of presence by dr daniel j siegel

PRAISE FOR AWARE “Daniel Siegel counts among the most aware people I know—and now he’s shared with us all a brilliant, practical tool for us all to sharpen our awareness.” — Daniel Goleman, author of Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain, and Body “Growing a strong mind in our lives is the scientifically proven pathway for cultivating more well-being, emotional intelligence, and social connection Dan Siegel’s new approach of the Wheel of Awareness offers us a powerful tool to just that— bring more health, resilience, and caring into our lives throughout the lifespan.” — Goldie Hawn, author of A Lotus Grows in the Mud and Ten Mindful Minutes “Aware enables you to successfully search inside yourself to cultivate well-being and a deeper understanding of the mind with an exciting new approach to meditation The Wheel of Awareness provides a comprehensive, science-based way to develop the focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention that research reveals can help bring health and resilience into your life.” — Chade-Meng Tan, New York Times–bestselling author of Joy on Demand and Search Inside Yourself “In Aware, Dan Siegel combines insights from a range of traditional practices into an original method of practicing mindfulness: one that fully integrates mind-and-embodied experience and guides us towards health and happiness for all Grounded in the research-based practice of the Wheel of Awareness, Dr Siegel reveals just how multisensory and holistic awareness practices lead to relationally robust presence, harmony, and peaceful living in diverse communities Read Aware to unlock a new way of being awake to the infinite possibility of being and loving in our lives and communities, embracing our differences and moving joyfully from “Me” to “MWe.” —Rhonda V Magee, professor of law, University of San Francisco “Dr Dan Siegel has an extraordinary gift: to describe patterns and make accessible in a powerful way the insights and practices that are fundamental to well-being and awakening In his book Aware, we are introduced to the power of presence Using science and psychology, he opens for us his Wheel of Awareness, a way of perceiving and working with the mind that is both practical and liberating.” —Joan Halifax, PhD, Abbot, Upaya Zen Center “Dan Siegel brings a fresh look and creative imagination to provide a roadmap of the mind and make mindfulness practices more accessible and applicable in everyday life Aware provides a way to grow our skills in self-awareness, self-monitoring, and self-regulation—enhancing our capacity for joy, flourishing, and peace.” — Ronald Epstein, MD, professor of family medicine, psychiatry, oncology, and medicine, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, author of Attending “We know so much about what’s outside in the cosmos, billions of light- years away, but very little about what’s going on inside our heads right now We know about dark matter but not so much about grey matter, which, I would think, matters most Daniel Siegel finally gives us insight into who we are, how we work, and, most important of all, how to retrain and change our minds For me, almost every line is an ‘aha’ moment At long last, someone nails what it is to have a healthy mind, and if you don’t have one, how to get one.” —Ruby Wax, author of Sane New World “Daniel Siegel is truly one of a kind His ability to blend no-nonsense neuroscience with accessible techniques for training the mind is masterful Anyone wanting to be less distracted and more present in their life will want to read this book.” —Andy Puddicombe, cofounder of Headspace “Dan Siegel, a brilliant and compassionate clinician and master translator of research and complex topics, offers this wise and practical guide on the Wheel of Awareness Inspired by science and decades of clinical and teaching experience, combined with Dan’s unique insights, Aware opens our minds to a transformative mental practice that can serve as a valuable resource to living fully in the ups and downs of everyday life.” — Susan Bauer-Wu, president of the Mind & Life Institute, author of Leaves Falling Gently “This is the first time I have seen the integration of the three core meditation practices (concentration, loving kindness, open awareness) into a scientifically supported theory while also linking self-inquiry to our need for community From Tibetan text to quantum theory, Dan takes our understanding of the mind to the next level.” —Jeffrey C Walker, retired vice chairman, JPMorgan Chase & Co “With warmth and humanity, Dr Siegel gives us a brilliant summary of the new sciences of the mind that is fascinating, sometimes jaw-dropping, and always wonderfully useful This is a remarkable integration of cutting-edge neuroscience, profound contemplative insights, and down-to-earth experiential practices A tour de force from a master of this field.” — Rick Hanson, PhD, author of Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness ALSO BY DANIEL J SIEGEL, MD The Developing Mind Parenting from the Inside Out (with Mary Hartzell) The Mindful Brain Mindsight The Mindful Therapist Pocket Guide to Interpersonal Neurobiology The Whole-Brain Child (with Tina Payne Bryson) Brainstorm No-Drama Discipline (with Tina Payne Bryson) Mind The Yes Brain (with Tina Payne Bryson) An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC 375 Hudson Street New York, New York 10014 Copyright © 2018 by Mind Your Brain, Inc Illustrations by Madeleine Welch Siegel Copyright © 2018 by Mind Your Brain, Inc Penguin supports copyright Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin to continue to publish books for every reader TarcherPerigee with colophon is a registered trademark of Penguin Random House LLC LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Names: Siegel, Daniel J., author Title: Aware : the science and practice of presence : the groundbreaking meditation practice / Dr Daniel Siegel, M.D Description: New York : TarcherPerigee, 2018 | Includes bibliographical references and index | Identifiers: LCCN 2018016987 (print) | LCCN 2018027672 (ebook) | ISBN 9780143111788 | ISBN 9781101993040 (hardback) Subjects: LCSH: Self-actualization (Psychology) | Mindfulness (Psychology) | Meditation | BISAC: SELF-HELP / Personal Growth / General | BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Meditation Classification: LCC BF637.S4 (ebook) | LCC BF637.S4 S54 2018 (print) | DDC 158.1/2—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018016987 p cm Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering professional advice or services to the individual reader The ideas, procedures, and suggestions contained in this book are not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician All matters regarding your health require medical supervision Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising from any information or suggestion in this book Version_1 CONTENTS Praise for Aware Also by Daniel J Siegel, MD Title Page Copyright Epigraph Dedication PART I: THE WHEEL OF AWARENESS: IDEA AND PRACTICE AN INVITATION Cultivating Well-Being by Developing Attention, Awareness, and Intention A Practical Tool A Travel Guide to the Mind STORIES OF USING THE WHEEL OF AWARENESS: HARNESSING THE POWER OF PRESENCE Billy and His Return to the Hub Jonathan’s Respite from His Emotional Roller Coaster Mona and the Sanctuary of the Hub Teresa, Trauma, and Healing with the Integration of the Wheel Zachary: Finding Meaning, Connection, and Relief from Pain PREPARING YOUR MIND FOR THE WHEEL OF AWARENESS: FOCUSED ATTENTION Building the Regulatory Aspect of the Mind Some Starting Tips A Mindsight Lens Breath Awareness to Stabilize Attention What Is the Mind? Three Pillars of Mind Training Focal and Non-Focal Attention Monitoring Attention and Awareness THE BASIC WHEEL OF AWARENESS Maps, Metaphors, and Mechanisms The Basic and the Full Wheel of Awareness A Map of the Basic Wheel of Awareness Practicing the Basic Wheel of Awareness Reflecting on Mind: Your Experience of the Basic Wheel KIND INTENTION Weaving Kindness, Empathy, and Compassion into Your Life Integration, Spirituality, Health Our Inner and Inter Selves Building Compassion with Statements of Intention Reflecting on Kind and Compassionate Intention Deepening the Wheel Practice OPEN AWARENESS Exploring the Hub Reflecting on Knowing Energy Around the Wheel Consolidated Wheel Practice PART II: THE WHEEL OF AWARENESS AND MECHANISMS OF MIND MIND AND THE ENERGY FLOW OF THE BODY Minding Your Brain Your Head Brain in a Hand Model The Default Mode Network How to Integrate the DMN Loosening the Grip of a Separate Self Clinging Versus Attachment The Fourth Segment of the Rim and the Relational Mind Growing an Integrated Brain with Mind Training INTEGRATION IN THE BRAIN AND THE SPOKE OF FOCAL ATTENTION How and Where Does Awareness Arise? Awareness and the Integration of Information Attention, Consciousness, and the Social Brain The Hub of Knowing and Possible Mechanisms of the Brain Beneath Pure Awareness THE NATURE OF ENERGY, THE ENERGY OF MIND Science, Energy, and Experience The Energy of Nature Energy as Probability A 3-P Diagram of Energy Flow Mapping the Mind as Peaks, Plateaus, and a Plane of Possibility AWARENESS, THE HUB, AND A PLANE OF POSSIBILITY Awareness and the Plane of Possibility Brain Correlates of Pure Consciousness FILTERS OF CONSCIOUSNESS Filters of Consciousness and the Organization of Experience How Top-Down and Bottom-Up Shape Our Sense of Reality Plateaus, “Self,” and the Default Mode Network One Personal Set of Filters Pure Awareness and the Filters of Consciousness The Oscillatory Sweep of Attention: A 3-P Loop, a Spoke of the Wheel Sweep Ratios, States of Mind AWE AND JOY A Table of Correlations Among Mental Experience, Metaphor, and Mechanism PART III: STORIES OF TRANSFORMATION IN APPLYING THE WHEEL: HARNESSING THE HUB AND LIVING FROM THE PLANE OF POSSIBILITY Offering the Wheel as an Idea to Children: Billy and the Freedom of the Hub, the Spaciousness of the Plane Teaching the Wheel to Adolescents: Jonathan and Calming the Roller Coaster of Plateaus and Peaks The Wheel for Parents and Other Care Providers: Mona and the Freedom from Recurrent Plateaus and Peaks of Chaos and Rigidity The Wheel in Healing Trauma: Teresa and the Transformation of Traumatic Filters of Consciousness The Wheel, Professional Life, and an Awakened Mind: Zachary and Accessing the Plane PART IV: THE POWER OF PRESENCE Challenges and Opportunities of Living with Presence and Being Aware Freedom: Transforming into Possibility Presence Beyond Methods Mindful Awareness and Integration Linking from the Plane Laughing, Living, and Dying from the Plane Leading and Loving from the Plane ACKNOWLEDGMENTS SELECTED REFERENCES AND READING INDEX ABOUT THE AUTHOR A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension Oliver Wendell Holmes * Jagdish Hattiangadi, “The Emergence of Minds in Space and Time,” in The Mind As a Scientific Object, C E Erneling and D M Johnson, eds (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 86 * Hasenkamp and White, eds., The Monastery and the Microscope, 54–55 * Carinne Piekema, “Six Degrees to the Emergence of Reality,” Fqxi.org, January 1, 2015, https://fqxi.org/community/articles/display/197 * Hasenkamp and White, eds., The Monastery and the Microscope, 35 * Goleman and Davidson, Altered Traits, 232 * William James, Varieties of Religious Experience (Boston: Harvard University Press original, 1895; CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013), 388 * Selen Atasoy, Gustavo Deco, Morten L Kringelback, and Joel Pearson, “Harmonic Brain Modes: A Unifying Framework for Linking Space and Time in Brain Dynamics,” The Neuroscientist, September 1, 2017, 1–17, doi: 10.1177/1073858417728032 * Karl Friston, “The Free-Energy Principle: A Unified Brain Theory?” Nature Reviews Neuroscience 11, no 2, 2010, 127–38 * M Mitchell Waldrop, Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1992), 12 * Atasoy, et al., “Harmonic Brain Modes,” * Atasoy, et al., “Harmonic Brain Modes,” 14 * Hasenkamp and White, eds., The Monastery and the Microscope, 67 * Diane Ackerman, I Praise My Destroyer (New York: Vintage, 1998), * Naomi Shihab Nye, On Kindness, in Words Under the Words: Selected Poems (Portland, Oregon: Far Corner Books, 1995) What’s next on your reading list? Discover your next great read! Get personalized book picks and up-to-date news about this author Sign up now ... Attention and Awareness THE BASIC WHEEL OF AWARENESS Maps, Metaphors, and Mechanisms The Basic and the Full Wheel of Awareness A Map of the Basic Wheel of Awareness Practicing the Basic Wheel of Awareness... by differentiating elements of the rim as the knowns of consciousness from one another and from the knowing of the hub, and then systematically linking these to each other with the movement of. .. monitored and then modified? Energy and information flow Where is this? Within the body, and between the body and other people and the world around, the planet The Wheel of Awareness as idea and practice