Explore Layers in the Mind and Live Beyond Them

In many traditional and new-age philosophies, the mind seen as being made up of a series of overlapping layers, each with its own purpose. These layers are ultimately constructions of our own mind and, therefore, with the correct approach, they can also be deconstructed when we need to reexamine and adjust our innermost motivations, dreams, fears, sadness, and worries. Knowing yourself is the key to going beyond your surface-level thoughts and unpacking inner layers. It can take time to gain this sort of self-knowledge, so be patient and practice consistently to attain this heightened state of awareness.

Steps

Exploring Your Inner Mind

Getting Into the Proper Mindset

The instructions in this section should help you achieve a peaceful state of mind so that introspection can occur. If you'd like to proceed right to the introspective steps, .

1. Set the scene. Delving into the depths of your mind isn't something you can do while you're downing a coffee on the way to work. This careful introspection requires time and focused attention on your part. Before you get started, find a safe, comfortable, and peaceful location where you are unlikely to be disturbed for a while. If necessary, eliminate any distracting noises or lights.
   • This location can be anywhere you feel at peace — a cozy armchair in your study, a mat on the floor of an unfurnished room, or even outside in the wilderness.
   • Most schools of meditation recommend against attempting this sort of introspection somewhere that you associate with sleep, like a bed, as this can lead to unintended naps.
2. Clear your head of distracting thoughts. Free yourself of any worries or stresses that may be weighing on you. Realize that whatever is distracting you from devoting your full focus to your introspection is just a thought — a thought that, like any other, can be ignored in favor of more important thoughts. Remember: There's no worry that you didn't create for yourself, so there's no worry that you can't set aside.
   • This doesn't necessarily mean pretending whatever problems you have don't exist. Rather, it means acknowledging these problems and resolving your feelings about them so that you can turn your thoughts to other things.
3. Practice meditation. Find a comfortable position, still your body, and close your eyes. Slow your breathing as you take deep, filling breaths. Keep your back straight and upright to prevent yourself from falling asleep — other than this, your exact position isn't important. Allow your thoughts to decouple from the normal, unproductive cycle of stress and worry. If stressful thoughts arise, acknowledge them, realize that they are extensions of your innermost self that can be controlled, and set them aside.
   • Meditation is a topic that been captured by much excellent, inspired writing. For more detailed discussion of meditation techniques, see wikiHow's article on the subject or outside resources like this guide for traditional Buddhist meditation.
4. Turn your focus inward. Allow your thoughts to turn back onto yourself. Detach yourself from your emotions. Realize that your sense of experience, your sensations, and your feelings are all a creation of your inner self. Everything that exists within you and without you is an extension of your mind — your surroundings, for instance, are just images created and interpreted by your inner self. Thus, by exploring the layers of your mind, you can come to a greater understanding of the world in general.
   • You are not attempting to scrutinize or criticize yourself here — any feelings of emotional pain or discomfort should be a sign that you have not yet detached yourself from your emotions.
5. If necessary, try putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. If you can't get the hang of meditation, broaden your horizons. Some people find that they are able to achieve transcendent states of consciousness by participating in activities that they would normally have an aversion to. This benefit can be long-lasting — in the most extreme cases, semi-permanent personality changes can make it easier to achieve introspection in the long term. As long as these activities are safe, you may want to try one in place of meditation. A few examples are below:
   • Performing strenuous exercise
   • Going on a wilderness journey
   • Speaking or performing in public
   • Talking about a secret memory or feeling with someone else
   • Writing about inner emotions in a diary
   • Skydiving or bungee jumping

Identifying Your Mental Layers

The instructions in this section are intended as general guidelines for introspection. Understand that no two minds are alike and that not all of theses steps may apply to you.

1. Focus on the self that you project externally. The first, surface layer of the mind is the layer that you use to present yourself to others (especially people you don't know well.) This layer is often used to build a complicated façade that hides your true thoughts and feelings behind a "proper," "acceptable" state of being. Let yourself explore thoughts of who you are to other people. To begin to get a grip on your mental layers, you must recognize these surface-level characteristics before you can search for their source.
   • You may want to use these basic thoughts to get you started:
   • "My name is ..."
   • "I live at ..."
   • "I work at ..."
   • "I like this, I don't like that ..."
   • "I do this, I don't do that ..."
   • "I like these people, but not these people ..."
   • ... and so on.
   • The memories, experiences, and personal values you find during this step and the others in this section can be valuable. You may want to consider writing down any major insights you have during these exercises, especially, once you venture deep into your consciousness. A digital recorder can be handy if you don't want to break your concentration to write.
2. Examine your Routines and Habits and rituals. Thinking about the things you do regularly can offer unexpected insights when viewed through an introspective frame of consciousness. Allow your thoughts to turn the regular events that punctuate your daily life. Think to yourself, "how do these things make me feel? Why do I do them? The goal here is to start to see how much of your sense of self is caught up in these repetitive behaviors.
   • Here are a few example thoughts. Notice that these are surprisingly mundane. If you are like most people, much of your mind may be dedicated to things that don't ultimately have much importance.
   • "When I get up?"
   • "Where I buy my groceries?"
   • "What do I usually eat throughout the day?"
   • "Which interests do I pursue at precise times during the day?"
   • "Which people I prefer spending time with?"
3. Search for your thoughts of the past and future. How did you get where you are today? Where are you going? Truthfully answering these questions can be eye-opening. Experiences, people, goals, dreams, and fears aren't usually things that affect us for one single moment — rather, they extend from the present into the past and future, shaping who we are over time. Thus, understanding the "was" and "will be" of yourself can help you get a better picture of who you "are."
   • Here are some questions to focus on:
   • "What have I done for work in the past? What do I eventually want to do?"
   • "Who have I loved? Who will I love in the future?"
   • "What have I done with my time in the past? How do I want to spend the time I have left?"
   • "How have I felt about who I was? How do I want to feel about myself in the future?"
4. Dig for your true hopes and desires. Now that you've broken down the important aspects of the self discussed above, you have a chance to contemplate your true, inner self. Start by finding the parts of yourself that you don't show to others. These may be opinions that you're embarrassed about, things you've done that you don't want others to know, feelings you don't know how to express, and much more — anything that isn't part of the "self" you present in your day-to-day life.
   • For example, you may want to ponder these sorts of questions:
   • "How do I really feel about the things I spend most of my day doing?"
   • "How confident am I really in my plan for the future?"
   • "What memory or feeling do I spend a lot of time thinking about that no one else knows?"
   • "Are there things that I secretly want but don't have?"
   • "Do I wish that I could feel a certain way?"
   • "Are there things that I secretly feel about the people close to me?"
5. Consider your perception of the world. The way you truly view the world — your worldview — is one of the most profound layers of your self. In some ways, your worldview is the single most important piece of your personality since it affects the way you interact with almost everything: from people, to animals, to nature, to, of course, yourself.
   • To determine your worldview, use broad questions about humanity and the world at large, like, for instance:
   • "Do I think people are basically good, or basically bad?"
   • "Do I believe it is possible for people to surpass their flaws?"
   • "Do I believe in a higher power?"
   • "Do I believe there is a point to life?"
   • "Do I have hope for the future?"
6. Consider your perception of yourself. Finally, allow your thoughts to turn inward until you discover what you truly think of yourself. This layer of the mind is one of the deepest — it's not often that we spend time thinking about how we feel about ourselves, but these deep thoughts can affect our cognitive patterns and the quality of our lives more than almost anything else.
   • Don't be afraid to unearth truths that may profoundly affect you — digging this deep into the layers of your mind is usually a very enlightening experience, though it can be fraught with emotion. You will emerge from your introspection with a greater understanding of yourself.
   • Here are just a few things you may want to consider. As you answer these questions, keep your answers to your earlier questions in mind.
   • "Do I criticize myself too much? Praise myself too much?"
   • "Are there parts of myself that I like or dislike when I see them in other people?"
   • "Do I want certain things that I see in other people?"
   • "Do I want to be the person who I am?"

Improving Your Sense of Self

1. Search for causes of your self-image. Acknowledging harsh truths about your self-image should not be the final step of your introspective journey. With careful contemplation, improvement is possible. First, try to determine why you have the self-image that you do. There may or may not be a single primary cause. You may not be able to explain it at all, no matter how hard you try. This is OK. In this case, simply try to acknowledge that you feel the way that you do about yourself for a reason. Once you realize that your self-image has a cause (even one that's hard to define), you can try to improve it.
2. Prioritize the things that are important to you in life. If you are like most people today, a self-image that's less-than perfect may be due to the fact that you place too much importance in things that don't actually have any value or benefit for you. Ideally, removing your attachment to these things will give you a happier life and a better self-image — if you're not constantly chasing these things, you'll remove many of your daily stresses and you'll be able to concentrate more on the most important things of all: yourself and the people close to you.
   • Things that are often highly prized today but which have little effect on your true happiness include money, material goods, social status, and so on.
   • On the other hand, things that are often sacrificed in favor of relatively unimportant distractions include personal time, contemplation, personal projects, friends, and family. In fact, strong family ties have been scientifically proven to bring more happiness than a high income.
   • With this in mind, list that prioritizes the importance of the major things in one person's life might look like this:

     Kids

     Spouse

     Relatives

     Job

     Friends

     Hobby

     Wealth

3. Determine how far will you go to pursue the most important things. Unfortunately, people sometimes betray something high on their list of personal priorities (such as a strong sense of ethics) in order to protect another lower down on the list (such as being able to drive a nice car.) Your goal here is to determine how far you are willing to go to achieve the things at the top of your list, knowing, of course, that this may mean sacrificing the things at the bottom.
   • One good example of this is from literature: In Shakespeare's Othello, the character Othello kills Desdemona, the woman he loved, because he was led to believe by his friend Iago that she was cheating on him. In this case, Othello is unfortunately driven to permanently give up perhaps the most important thing in the world — the person he loves — because he places his personal honor and reputation above it. Placing this much importance in something that doesn't truly make him happy doesn't work out well for Othello: at the end of the play, he kills himself.
4. Find freedom in what you can and cannot change. Once you've determined exactly what you're willing to do to get the things that are at the top of your list, it should be clear what you can and can't reasonably get. Thus, you should ideally no longer have any reason to maintain a negative self image: you now have a plan for getting the most important things in the world to you, so all you need is to simply do it! Having a negative self-image won't help you, so you don't need it.
5. Plan to release your attachment to the unimportant things in life. Realistically, it's often difficult to give up major portions of your life immediately. The important thing in these cases is to acknowledge that you're devoting your energies to the wrong things and make plans to fix this. Make concrete plans to strip away all of the unimportant aspects of your life so you can focus on what's most important with your full attention.
   • For instance, if you have the epiphany that you spend more time worrying about your job than you do spending time with you family (when, in reality, your family is more important to you) you still may not be able to change your job right if your family is dependent on you for income. However, you can start looking for new jobs while maintaining your obligations to your family.

Tips

• There are a number of different philosophies that include concepts similar to those discussed above. For a greater understanding of the self, you may want to research some of the following philosophies on your own:
  • Ananda Marga: A social organization, lifestyle, and philosophy founded in India in 1955.
  • Freudian psychology: The beliefs of early psychologist Sigmund Freud included the division of the mind into three regions or layers called the id, ego, and superego.
  • In addition, many modern metaphysical movements (such as the "Slaves of Conditioning" philosophy) include the idea of a many-layered mind.
• For a broader base of knowledge, it can also be rewarding to study mental philosophies that challenge many-layered mind theories. For example, the famous Christian philosopher Thomas Aquinas believed not in a multi-layered mind but in several interrelated notions of mind, body, and soul at the heart of human cognition.

Things You'll Need

• Journal for documenting your journey

Sources and Citations

See also

• Become an Academic Philosopher
• Express Your Feelings on Philosophy
• Form a Spiritual Philosophy
• Get a Job With a Degree in Philosophy
• Form a Philosophy
• Develop Emotional Intelligence
• Become a Curmudgeon
• Find Yourself
• Become Enlightened
• Live in Harmony with Others

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