Читать книгу Temporal Psychology and Psychotherapy. The Human Being in Time and Beyond - - Страница 11

Summary

This chapter immerses the reader in the world of the psyche’s inner rhythms – in how the person experiences the present, how the past resounds in the present, and how the future shapes the direction of life. We introduce the notion of an inner (introverted) temporal handwriting and examine three dimensions of time in the psyche: present, past and future. Special attention is given to altered states of consciousness (ASCs), through which the psyche can temporarily step beyond its usual rhythmic conditioning, and to the practical implications of this for therapy.

Key Concepts

– Temporal handwriting – an individual, characteristic way of experiencing time; an integration of biorhythms, cultural rhythms and personal modes of narrating one’s life. Components: biorhythms / external rhythms (lunar, seasonal, social) / narrative organisation (how a person tells their own story). Manifestations: speech tempo, attention to the «here,» frequency of retraumatisation, tendency toward premonitions. Practical assessment: questionnaires, time-stamped diaries, observational markers (speech tempo, degree of contact), actigraphy.

– Present (temporal «here-and-now») – the convergence point of experience, the field where subpersonalities meet and choices are made.

– Past – a storage of experience, memory, ancestral and cultural traces that resonate in the present.

– Future – projections, intentions, projects and unconscious outlines of expectation.

– Altered states of consciousness (ASCs) – modes of experiencing in which linear time weakens; a source of experiences of timelessness and eternity.

– Atemporality / time-void – different shades of experience in which ordinary chronology loses its primacy: from emptiness and apathy to peak insight.

Aims of the Chapter

– To formulate and justify the idea of inner dimensions of time – present, past and future – as distinct levels of experience and regulation.

– To show how temporal handwriting integrates these dimensions and how it is shaped by biorhythms, culture and personal history.

– To consider ASCs as a mechanism of temporary freeing from usual temporal conditioning and as a therapeutic resource, provided there is preparation and integration.

– To provide practical guidelines for assessing and working with inner rhythms in clinical practice.

Introduction – the Next Step

In Chapter 1 we became acquainted with the concept of temporal handwriting – a stable way of living in time. In Chapter 2 we expanded the picture by adding the external layer: the synchronisation of the person with cosmic (solar—geomagnetic), natural (daily, seasonal) and socio-historical rhythms. Now our path leads inward: to how the psyche itself constitutes time – how it experiences the present, stores the past and lives through the future.

The inner world is where the introverted temporal handwriting is especially vivid. For an introvert, biorhythms and inner cycles are not just physiology but the fabric of meaning: sleep rhythms, mood arrhythmias, cycles of memories and premonitions form the rhythmic handwriting of inner life. Even for an extravert, inner rhythms are always present and interacting with external ones; the difference lies in the direction of sensitivity.

The question of the boundary between predetermination and freedom in time is central for temporal psychology. Where is the line between what «is given to us» (biorhythms, ancestral scripts, cultural codes) and what we can change – through practice, through attention, through work with symbol? This boundary is marked precisely at the points where the psyche transitions into other modes – altered states of consciousness. In ASCs, human experience goes beyond linear sequence: past, present and future cease to be separate coordinates, and another kind of fabric of meaning arises.

Three Dimensions of Inner Time: Present, Past, Future

1. The Present – the Field of Assembly

The present is not the simple instant of the clock but a field in which sensory data, emotions, images and intentions come together. It is the point where subpersonalities meet and decisions are made. The quality of the present depends on the tempo of perception: a sharp, «short» present gives rise to anxiety and impulsivity; a stretched present allows depth of experience and reflection.

In therapy it is practically important to distinguish when the client is genuinely present in the now, and when their «here» is filled with echoes of the past or projections of the future. Work with anchors of presence, with breathing and sensory techniques is the key to training the present.

2. The Past – the Resonance Chamber of the Psyche

The past is not only biographical facts but also their subtle ecology: cultural scripts, family stories, epigenetic traces. Within the psyche, the past sounds like resonance, colouring current perceptions and motivational signals. Trauma makes this resonance painful: the past «intrudes» into the present, and experience loses the ability to be reframed in a broader narrative.

The therapeutic task is to help the client reconstruct the past not as a sentence but as a fabric of meaning: to untangle loops of repetition, allow memory to change the valence of events, and reduce the intensity of regressive reactions. By working with the past we change the form of the present.

3. The Future – Project and Expectation

The future is present in the psyche as projections, plans, «fictional finalisms» and unconscious premonitions. It sets the vector of motivation: expectation of hope or threat, projection of success or fear. For many psychotherapeutic approaches (Adler, Frankl), the future is a decisive organising factor of personality.

Consultations and therapies that restore to a person a sense of future (small attainable goals, visualisation, work with projections) can radically transform temporal handwriting: reducing the compulsive pull of the past and expanding the field of choice.

Interaction of the Three Dimensions and the Formation of Temporal Handwriting

Temporal handwriting is not a sum of three independent layers but their complex interrelation: in one person resonance of the past dominates, in another – a sped-up stream of the present, in a third – a strongly projective future. The quality of the handwriting is determined by biorhythms, traumatic experience, cultural belonging, family scripts and practices (religion, art, ritual).

An important observation: a change in any one of the three coordinates (for example, restoring contact with the body in the present) often initiates a redistribution of tensions in the other dimensions. This is precisely why therapy of temporal handwriting is effective: it works with the form of time, not only with its content.

Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs) as a Way of Temporal Release

ASCs are not an «escape» from reality but a shift in the regulation of temporal modes. In ASCs we can observe:

– a suspension of linear chronology (past/future cease to be strictly sequential);

– an intensification of sensory presence (heightened «here-ness»);

– experiences of participation in eternity or, conversely, of painful time-void.

We can distinguish two types of ASCs:

– Involuntary – dreams, acute emotional episodes, epileptic and psychotic states. Their therapeutic potential is limited and requires great caution.

– Voluntary (guided) – meditative practices, autogenic training, controlled psychotherapeutic processes, psychedelic therapy under clinical supervision. These modes allow safer exploration and integration of experiences of atemporality.

ASCs demonstrate that temporal handwriting can not only be understood but also trained – we can develop flexibility of temporal modes, expand the capacity for choice and integration.

Therapeutic Principles for Working with Inner Rhythms

– Stabilisation before deepening. Skills of presence (anchoring, breathing, sleep hygiene) are the foundation. Without them, attempts to induce ASCs are risky.

– Stepwise expansion of experiential depth. Mini-entries, journaling, creative work, gradual integration.

– Symbolisation of experience. Translating experience into words, images, ornaments (masks, drawings) is the path toward stable integration.

– Contextualisation in family and cultural memory. Taking ancestors and cultural scripts into account reduces the risk of existential disorientation.

– Ethical boundaries. Informed consent, supervision, a plan for emergency support.

Conclusion – The Meaning of Working with Temporal Handwriting

Work with inner rhythms is deep therapy of the form of time. By changing the tempo, rhythm and vector of time, we change the very fabric of the psyche – its stability, creativity and capacity for meaning-making. In the following chapters we will move from theory to practice: we will examine in detail techniques of preparation, protocols for safely introducing ASCs and methods for integrating experiences of atemporality.

Literature

Grof, S. – The Holotropic Mind (1993).

A transpersonal model of the psyche describing the integration of extreme and mystical experiences; includes therapeutic protocols for safe work with altered states of consciousness.

Husserl, E. – Phenomenology of the Inner Consciousness of Time (lectures, c. 1905).

A classic exposition of the structure of inner time: retention, protention and the act of «now»; a philosophical foundation for analysing the temporal experience of consciousness.

James, W. – The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902).

Phenomenological descriptions of mystical states and experiences of eternity; a pioneering work in the psychology of spiritual experience.

Carhart-Harris, R. L., et al. – Neural correlates of the psychedelic state (psilocybin) (PNAS, 2012); «The Entropic Brain» (2014).

Modern neuroscientific studies explaining phenomena of ego dissolution, altered time perception and expanded consciousness.

Lutz, A., et al. – «Long-term meditators self-induce high-amplitude gamma synchrony during mental practice» (PNAS, 2004).

Neurophysiological evidence demonstrating the impact of long-term meditative practice on brain rhythms and states of attention.

Newberg, A., & d’Aquili, E. – Why God Won’t Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (2001).

An attempt to integrate the phenomenology of religious experience with neurobiology; explores spiritual experiences as both biological and psychological processes.

Schultz, J. H. – Autogenic Training (1932 and later editions).

A practical method of self-regulation aimed at stabilising states and entering altered states of consciousness in a controlled manner; a foundational psychotechnical approach of the 20th century.

Jung, C. G. – «Synchronicity: An Acausal Connecting Principle» (essay, mid-20th century).

A study of archetypes and the collective unconscious; introduces synchronicity as a form of «atemporal» linkage between psychic and external events.

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Appendix to Chapter 3: Questionnaire «Experiencing Atemporality» and other tools.