Ideal Parent Figure Protocol [IPFP]

[SenseOrgan]

HannahOne
I'm terribly brain fogged, so I hope this is making sense!

Mirror neurons. Off course! You make a very good point that our mirror neurons were activated in unhelpful ways. The fascinating example with the arm is hopeful. And it connected an old dot to the IPFP. Thomas Metzinger writes about the rubber hand illusion in one of his books. Long story short in case you're not familiar with it... The brain is tricked into "adopting" a rubber hand as it's own. It takes a bit of visual and tactile trickery, but at some point another person hits the rubber hand with a hammer, upon which the poor research subject pulls back their real hand in terror. We're able to make things our own, quite literally. Another example Metzinger gives is not thinking about driving a car while being perfectly able to drive. We can internalize all the qualities of a car. The car becomes a part of us. He describes the self as a dynamic, representational process.

Your example and Metzinger's suggest to me that the route to absorbing something new as real instead of adopting a belief, is experiential. Nothing new, right? I think the IPFP is interesting because it pays a lot of attention to how it feels to be a child of these wonderful parents, and also to what they are like in relation to us. The entire exercise is experiential and relational, I'd say. I think that being able to go there requires a shift away from identification with the analytical mind, into experience.

As per usual, it doesn't hurt to let go a little. Or a lot. This ties into your wonderful description of your nurturing experiences. Thank you for that! I got a taste of oneness at 38, and it has been the most therapeutic experience in my life. It had everything to do with loosing ego boundaries, and the spell of separation that broke. To me, insecure attachment instills us with a deep sense of separation that's later compounded with beliefs and more experiences. It's not enough to only address the cognitions, even though that is important. The UN trauma potential of oneness is still there for us, and I think the IPFP taps into that in a way we can leverage relatively safely.


Here's an AI summery from The Inner Game of Tennis, which includes a couple more hints.

The Inner Game of Tennis by W. Timothy Gallwey is a seminal work on sports psychology that argues peak performance stems from mastering mental obstacles rather than just physical technique.  The book posits that every activity involves two concurrent games: the outer game, played against an external opponent to achieve a specific goal, and the inner game, played within the player's mind against internal barriers like self-doubt, nervousness, and lapses in concentration.

The core framework identifies two distinct selves: Self 1, the conscious, analytical mind that judges and tries to control, and Self 2, the unconscious, intuitive body that possesses natural capabilities and muscle memory.  Gallwey asserts that performance is hindered when Self 1 overthinks, criticizes, or interferes with Self 2. The key to improvement is quieting Self 1 through non-judgmental awareness and trust, allowing Self 2 to execute actions spontaneously and efficiently.

To achieve this state of relaxed concentration, players are advised to focus on sensory observations (such as watching the seams of the ball) rather than technical instructions or outcomes.  By letting go of the need to force results and embracing implicit learning through observation and trust, individuals can unlock their natural potential.  This approach transforms competition from a source of anxiety into a vehicle for self-realization, where the true victory lies in overcoming internal limitations to perform at one's highest level.

[Marcine]

The key to improvement is quieting Self 1 through non-judgmental awareness and trust, allowing Self 2 to execute actions spontaneously and efficiently.

To achieve this state of relaxed concentration, players are advised to focus on sensory observations (such as watching the seams of the ball) rather than technical instructions or outcomes.  By letting go of the need to force results and embracing implicit learning through observation and trust, individuals can unlock their natural potential.  This approach transforms competition from a source of anxiety into a vehicle for self-realization, where the true victory lies in overcoming internal limitations to perform at one's highest level.

Then, focusing in more on that excerpt: "letting go of the need to force results and embracing implicit learning through observation and trust"...

Well... As you wrote, SO, a couple more hints indeed

Onward we go on the adventure.

[HannahOne]

SenseOrgan, so interesting. I remember you mentioning the false hand experiment.

What spoke to me was the idea of implicit learning through observation and trust.

"By letting go of the need to force results and embracing implicit learning through observation and trust, individuals can unlock their natural potential.  This approach transforms competition from a source of anxiety into a vehicle for self-realization, where the true victory lies in overcoming internal limitations to perform at one's highest level."

I've mentioned before a beloved therapist whose cadence, body language, facial expressions and tone did more to heal me than any other intervention or protocol.

[dollyvee]

I watched the Dan Brown video a number of years ago and actually liked his tone etc. However, I don't feel like I was able to create that deep seated sense of safety - something seemed off about it to me? Maybe I should revisit it now when I am in a more stable state. Who knows though, maybe the video helped do something in the background that I was unaware of.

Like others, I have found protectors, or a sense of protection, in different places and use imagination to make spaces that are unfamiliar to me "safe" before I sleep as Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche mentioned to do with Dakinis in his dream yoga book. I actually find it relaxing and helpful if I'm agitated before going to sleep.

On the process of visualization, I know that it's a powerful process used in Bon meditation practices where one "becomes" the deity. It's my understanding that this practice works on the three different bodies:

The Three Bön BodiesBönku (Truth/Reality Body - Chöku equivalent):The absolute, formless, and unconditioned state of ultimate reality.The fundamental nature of mind, empty of inherent existence yet possessing the potential for all awareness.

Dzogku (Enjoyment/Bliss Body - Longku equivalent):The luminous, radiant aspect of realization.Characterized by spontaneous clarity and used for communication within pure, non-physical realms among advanced practitioners.

Trulku (Emanation/Manifestation Body - Trulku or Nirmanakaya equivalent):The physical or tangible form that manifests to communicate with ordinary sentient beings.Compassionate projection that takes physical shape within time and space to guide others toward liberation.

I guess it's a way of forming a connection to something outside oneself that is rooted in the ultimate nature of the universe - ie when there is no good/bad, or the way that we may have interpreted the world as a child at the time. Perhaps transcendental is the word. My own practice with this has been with the four elements mediation, which is essentially a form of soul retrieval if you will. I had many interesting dreams after completing these meditations.

[SenseOrgan]

This meditation is related. Deep into the rabbit hole for who is interested.
TW/spirituality, Michael's belly is visible during the stretching at 9.30 min into the video, and the talk at the end ventures into terrain that's beyond good and evil.

Michael Taft guides a meditation on receiving unconditional love, then explores awareness as joyful, creative source. The session opens with seated movement to open the rib cage and spine, followed by a check-in that invites participants to accept their current state without judgment. Michael leads a vipashyana practice of resting in simple presence, disengaging from the thinking mind to notice the breath as gentle wind in an open sky. He then guides a visualization where participants receive unconditional love from a being of their choice, revealing their deepest flaws while feeling that love deepen rather than diminish. This culminates in merging with that being, dissolving separation. The dharma talk challenges the view of awareness as neutral or property-less, arguing instead that its fundamental nature is a joyous, creative love that allows all phenomena to manifest. The Q&A addresses whether this view conflicts with teachings on suffering, how to experience awareness without dualistic seeking, and the role of healing ideas versus toxic self-concepts in awakening.


Michael Taft Nondual Meditation - Feeling Truly Loved

HannahOne & dollyvee
Thank you for sharing. Dollyvee, it's hard to know if what you shared is similar to what I often "check in with" in my practice in some way. It seems to me it is. My hunch is that "becoming" the deity in Michael's take on it, is an experiential pathway to seeing the illusion of separation that inherently creates suffering. A pointer via a loving outside source to what already is us, but what's obscured by identification. I think the IPFP goes as far as possible within the psychological realm, which in my view is limited but nontheless potentially (very) valuable. I'm pleasantly surprised by what others shared in this thread that's somehow related.

Much love

[Marcine]

That's a lovely and powerful guided meditation. I understand exactly why you included it in this thread, SO.

In the Q&A, I particularly appreciated how he talked about language.

Thanks for more nourishing ideas, as always, SO.

[HannahOne]

Gimme all the unconditional love from a being of my choice. SenseOrgan, you find such good resources!