My mission is to help women and parents elevate their levels of consciousness. I am in AWE of my clients’ courage every time we meet for a session, or in the monthly Women’s Circle.
Why do I say that?
First, let me introduce you to the author who came up with a way of measuring consciousness, or as he called it, The Map of Consciousness.
David R. Hawkins, M.D., Ph.D. was a clinician, scientist, psychiatrist and spiritual teacher; he collected data on thousands of patients over the course of his medical career, and eventually proposed the concept of levels of one’s consciousness based on a scale from 20 to 700 up to 1,000.
The lowest levels on Hawkins’ scale are: Shame (20), Guilt (30), Apathy (50), Grief (75) and Fear (100). In his book, Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinations of Human Behavior, he explains in great detail how “life feels” when a person lives at these levels: miserable, evil, hopeless, tragic and frightening (see illustration, source here)
For a person to go from 20 to 200 , from shame to courage, it requires a superhuman/superhero amount of effort. It is probably the hardest, riskiest and most rewarding leap of faith anyone will ever take in their personal transformation journey. In the author’s own words:
“This is the critical level that distinguishes the positive and negative influences of life. At the level of Courage, an attainment of true power occurs; therefore it is also the level of empowerment. This is the zone of exploration, accomplishment, fortitude and determination. At the lower levels, the world is seen as hopeless, sad, frightening and frustrating; but at the level of Courage, life is seen to be exciting, challenging, and stimulating.
Courage implies the willingness to try new things and deal with the vicissitudes of life. (…) Growth and education become attainable goals. There is the capacity to face fears of character defects and to grow despite them; anxiety also does not cripple endeavors as it would at lower levels of evolution. ( …)
People at this level put back into the world as much as energy as they take; at lower levels, populations as well as individuals drain energy from society without reciprocating. Because accomplishments result in positive feedback, self-reward and esteem become progressively self- reinforcing. ” (Power vs. Force, book, pages 105-106, 2013 edition)
Going back to why I am in AWE of my women clients: because it takes immense FAITH to ask for help when living “on the bottom” of the map, which is in Shame, Guit, Apathy and Fear. Most people alive today don’t have the ability to notice that they even need help, let alone ask for it.
All these to say… when you commit to increase your level of consciousness/awareness, you are a Superhero. It is the hardest work you will ever do, and the most transformational. Don’t give up on yourself, no matter how low on the scale you may be today. Ask for help.
On October 24, Mihaela held a webinar for the NeuroMindfulness Institute Skills Lab, titled: Skills & Qualities for Psychological Safety in Coaching. Feedback from the co-founder of the Institute:
“Deeply grateful today for a live demo session led by Mihaela Plugarasu, M.S. ( NeuroMindfulness Master Practitioner U.S.) using the Compassionate Inquiry approach developed by Dr. Gabor Mate. It was one of the most powerful learning experiences I have ever had that can be encompassed in 60 minutes.“
These Skills Labs are open to the coaches in the NeuroMindfulness Institute community. You can become one too.
Check out the website (click here) and use “wellbeingUSA” code for a 15% discount at checkout.
Sign up for the WOMEN’S CIRCLE on November 9 – click here
