<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2YtYxO_0w9Pn4Rq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2YtYxO_0w9Pn4Rq00" width="1528" height="800" >Key points<ul><li>The observer self is the part of you that notices; you can think of the it as awareness.</li><li>Observer self is like the sky that holds all of your experience.</li><li>The sky is constant and unchanging and is not harmed by the weather. It has room for your experience. </li></ul>The observer self, self-as-context, is a core component of acceptance and commitment therapy. It is the part of you that notices, and you can think of the observer self as awareness. Consider that you have two parts of your mind. One part that thinks (generates thoughts, images, memories), and one part that notices, or is aware of your experience in any moment.The observer self is like an arena, or the sky, that holds all the parts of your experience. Your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and memories are the weather that passes through the sky. The sky is constant and unchanging and is not harmed by the weather. Weather changes constantly and no matter what type of weather—no matter your thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations—the sky has room for it and can hold it.The observer self observes your experiences, it does not judge them. It is a perspective from which you can mentally step back and notice your experience. From this perspective, it is easier to see your whole experience, not just certain aspects of your experience that are easy to dwell on. For example, it is natural to dwell on unpleasant pieces of experience. Worries, uncomfortable physical sensations like pain, or memories that bring up feelings of embarrassment.You may over-identify with parts of your experience and feel defined by them. Perhaps you define yourself as anxious or having chronic pain and it feels like this one part of your experience consumes your sense of self. Being aware of the observer self can help you recognize that you are a complex and multi-faceted person and are more than your pain, your anxiety, or whatever you may be struggling with.The observer self can help you get mental distance from unhelpful thoughts and make values-based choices based on a more complete sense of self, not based on what one small part of your experience may be telling you to do. For example, anxiety may tell you to not go out and meet up with friends. However, you value your relationships and not spending time with friends feels isolating and unsatisfying in the long run even if you temporarily reduce your anxiety.Practicing observing (noticing or watching) your experience helps you build in-the-moment awareness of your full experience and any unhelpful thoughts or behaviors that may be trying to take control.One way you can practice the observer self is with a noticing exercise. You can initially do this by practicing noticing your breath. Pause and then follow/repeat the five steps below.<ol><li>Notice your breath</li><li>There is your breath, and there’s the part of you noticing your breath</li><li>If you can notice your breath, you can’t be your breath</li><li>Your breath is a part of you, and there is so much more to you than your breath</li><li>Your breath changes and the part of you noticing your breath does not change</li><li>You can substitute “your breath” in the steps above for other parts of your experience such as “your anxiety” or “your chronic pain.” </li></ol><ol><li>The more you practice observing your experience and not judging it, the easier it becomes to unhook yourself when you get hooked (or overly focused) on certain aspects of your experience. And the more you practice unhooking yourself, the more you can recognize your whole experience and take your experience with you, unpleasant pieces included, and engage in values-based and meaningful behaviors.</li></ol></div></body>

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The Observer Self: Tapping Into Awareness

The observer self is the part of you that notices; you can think of the it as awareness. Observer self is like the sky that holds all of your experience. The sky is constant and unchanging and is not harmed by the weather. It has room for your experience. The...

The Observer Self: Tapping Into Awareness

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