The Wholeness Process

A new method of awakening and resolving problems, developed by Connirae Andreas

Step 1: Finding a beginning.

Pick an Issue: For the first time through, pick something of medium to mild
intensity. Think of something that your spouse or boss or partner or a friend does that
doesnt really hurt anyone or cause harm, but it pushes your buttons a little.
A. Imagine it is happening now, and notice how you feel in response.
[Ex: I feel annoyed.]
B. Become aware of the location of your response.
[Ex: in my chest]
C. Notice the basic size and shape.
[Ex: its sort of round and the size of an orange.]
D. Now notice the sensation quality.
[Now we let go of any labels we may have for this experience (such as
sadness or even tension), and just become aware of the sensation itself.
This might be a sense of heaviness, pressure, vibration, fizziness or bubbling.
It might be warm or cool, etc. It may be something you cant put into words,
and thats fine. Just notice the sensation thats there.]
[Ex: its fuzzy and a bit prickly.]
E. You can recognize, I am aware of this [fuzzy prickly] sensation, so Awareness
is present.

Step 2. What is Awareness?

Now take a moment to experience Awareness. You are aware of the sensation
youve just been noticing, so awareness is there, and awareness is also throughout your
body and all around. If a sound happened on one side of you, you would hear it
automatically without effort. If a sound happened on the other side, youd also be aware
of it without effort. And even if your eyes are closed, you can notice a sense of space all
around you. Awareness is the capacity to notice, that is throughout your body, and all
around. And there isnt really any edge to it or an end to it.
And you can notice it all, simultaneously, right now.

Step 3: Finding the I

A. Lets return to this statement, I am aware of this [fill in quality] sensation in
[fill in the location]. Now lets explore, Where is the I, who is aware of this
sensation? Where is this I located?
(Just notice the location that comes to mind. It might be somewhere in your head,
body, or outside of your head or body somewhere.)

B. What is the size and shape of this I?

C. Notice the sensation quality of this I.

(It might be foggy, clear, dense, or empty, heavy, light, vibrating, still, etc. If no
words quite describe it, this is fine. You can just notice the sensation itself.)

2007-2013 Connirae Andreas handout for the Coming to Wholeness 2-day video training 1
http://TheWholenessProcess.com
Step 4. Check if I is ready to integrate with Awareness:
Check, Does the sensation of this I welcome the invitation to open and relax as
the fullness of Awareness?
(It doesnt matter whether you get a yes or no response to this question. The
answer will just tell you what to do next.)

A. If Yes:
Notice what happens, when the I is invited to open and relax as the fullness
of Awareness.
Pause to gently sense into the I, and to allow this opening and relaxing to
happen in its own way. You are not really doing anythingjust sensing how it occurs on
its own.

If you are experiencing a relaxing, melting, or dissolving, just stay with it until
things settle. Enjoy the sense of relaxation or peace, or flow for as long as you like. Then
go to Step 5.

B. If No: This means you need to find another I.*

Finding the next I: You are also aware of this I, right? The one [in X
location, thats Y sensation]. (Pause for them to experience this.) So you could say I
am aware of this [sensation of I already identified].... So where is the I who is aware
of this [sensation of previous I]? Another way to ask this question is, Where is the
perceiving of [the previous I] happening from?
Now cycle back to Step 3B and continue.

*Note: Occasionally there is a response that needs to be included: We may be

so frustrated, irritated, confused, or impatient with the issue were working with, or with
the process, that this response needs to take priority in the work. If this is happening, call
a coach to help you find the response and include it in the process.

Step 5: Integrating Awareness and the Beginning Sensation

[Below are several different wordings, for different ways of experiencing the
integration. Gently feel into what allows the integration to happen most naturally.
Explore one wording, and if it works easily, you dont need the others.]
Now notice what happens when the fullness of Awareness is invited to
experience itself in and as the sensation [in the chest area in this example], also.
Or
Notice what happens when the fullness of Awareness, all of consciousness,
is invited to flow in and as the sensation [in the chest area].
Or
Notice what happens when the sensation in [in the chest area] is invited to open
and relax as Awareness.
Or it may feel like the Awareness thats already present [in the chest area],
wakes up to itself.

2007-2013 Connirae Andreas handout for the Coming to Wholeness 2-day video training 2
http://TheWholenessProcess.com
 Now there is just an experiencing of whatever happens. If/when there is a
relaxation or melting, you can enjoy this experience as long as you like.

Notes:
*Once the I is merged with awareness, the integration with the sensation of the original
feeling or thought is usually welcomed and natural. However, in the event it feels
difficult or unwanted, then call a coach to assist you.
**You dont need to force it if it didnt happen on its own. This process is all about
gentleness and relaxing of force, not adding force. Any forcing would be counter-
productiveand its not needed.

Step 6: Check in Original Context:

Being this way (with the Is and the feeling integrated with Awareness), notice what is it
like now when you imagine being in a situation where the person is doing whatever you
were working with. What is it like being this way?

If the person feels more at ease, or more neutral or resourceful, then this phase is
complete. Future-pace in two additional situations in the past, and several in the future.
If any reactivity remains, call a coach.
* * * * * *
Background and History of the Process:
This process is based on the teaching of Ramana Maharshi, who many consider to
be among the greatest sages of the 20th century. Ramanas main teaching was to have
people ask the question Who am I? until they experience enlightenment. This was
understood to be an advanced teaching, because most people didnt find that anything
happened when they went around asking themselves this question.
When I read Ramanas work, I thought What would happen if instead we ask,
Where is the I located? This seemed a more useful question. It directs our attention to
our actual experience, and everyone can ask this and get an answer immediately, in
experience.
Then, the question became, How do we go from finding the I (which is
contracted), to experiencing ourselves as the vast whole again? (Ramanas intention
with his question was to help people experience that they are actually a vast Self, not a
separate self.) For this I instinctively used the Awareness/Dissolving meditation
(1996, This is on my Healing Meditations audio set, and was an outgrowth from
exploring the Aligning Perceptual Positions work). This resulted in an immediate
dissolving of the I. This is a subject-process integration. The next step was to add
integration with the object (i.e. the feeling, etc. being worked with) for which again I
used the basic Awareness/Dissolving meditation method.
I have been using the process myself since 2007 (or perhaps a bit earlier), and
within a year or two began guiding others as well. The wording has been refined as I have
tested it with more people. The process embodies principles from many streams of both
psychotherapy (especially gestalt & Ericksonian) and spirituality (esp. Buddhism, Sufi,
Hindu, non-dual, etc.), in a practical way, as well as draws from my own experience.
To access the other forms of the Wholeness Process (meditative form,
Integrating the Inner Authority, etc.) see www.TheWholenessProcess.com
2007-2013 Connirae Andreas handout for the Coming to Wholeness 2-day video training 3
http://TheWholenessProcess.com
What The Wholeness Process Does:
This process dissolves the inner separations weve built up over years of living
but dont even realize are there. To maintain negative emotions or thoughts requires
internal separation. Once the inner separation is melted away, the negative emotions cant
maintain themselves.

What Do You Experience?

Most people find that one of three things happens when they do this process.
1. There may be a sense of dissolving or melting.
2. The original feeling/sensation sometimes becomes more full and alive and
flows through or blossoms through the body/system. (I use these words because
people frequently have spontaneous imagery of something flowing, such as water or lava,
and occasionally of something blooming.) When this happens with a so-called negative
emotion such as anger, usually as the intensity increases, it is already experienced as
something else. It might be aliveness now rather than something possible to put into an
emotional category. It may even become something like joy.
3. Sometimes the initial feeling/experience dissolves or flows through, and then
another feeling comes in after it. For example, the first experience that was called hurt
might dissipate, and then an experience of anger might flow through next, followed by
just empty space. When a second emotion emerges, this can just be allowed, along with a
gentle invitation that Awareness can be experienced in and through this second
experience, also. When we do the process with this second emotion also in this way, it
generally flows through also. (Note that often the second emotion is a polarity to the
first. Such as anger sadness, or hurt anger)

Including and Allowing

This work is based on including and allowing everything in our experience. It
results in the deepest sense of freedom and wellbeing, because we arent trying to make
anything in our experience different from how it is. It is a huge relief not to have to
control anything, or to try to make ourselves different or better than exactly what is
occurring in each moment. And when we experience each thread of our experience as
the awareness, the rigidities in our personality structure naturally dissolve, the judgments
(negative and positive) naturally dissolve, and what remains is just presence. The
natural wisdom that we are does become more available, life does become more
satisfying and fulfilling, yet not through trying to make it so, or by getting rid of what we
dont think matches satisfying and fulfilling. The natural fulfillment comes through
including everything.

Pointers:
1. If there is any feeling of effort, or trying to make something happen, then
notice this efforting and do the process with this.
2. Any time something doesnt naturally and easily transform, its time to
either check for another I, or check for a response TO what youre working with.
3. Once this process is familiar, it is possible to do while living life. You can
just pause for a moment, and let it unfold, bringing you to this sense of dissolved
spacious presence.

2007-2013 Connirae Andreas handout for the Coming to Wholeness 2-day video training 4
http://TheWholenessProcess.com