“When there are inevitably fear reactions, it is (at least in my case) easy to forget that there is an alternative approach besides indulging in various masking behaviors like hiding (procrastination, distraction) resignation, fixation and so on.

I suppose what I’m really saying is that Narrative Excavation is, in perhaps a fundamental sense, counter-cultural. And while some movements described this way showcase their ‘alternativeness’ with certain symbols, clothing styles or music choices, with this practice it is a fundamental yet incredibly subtle way you approach almost everything. And within this subtly comes the difficulty and the advantage.”

“… In my own soup of being, reluctantly accepting “this is just how I am,” this practice gave me the opportunity to look at my way of swimming in the soup, as well as taste it and change its flavor.

One thing I highly respect about this practice is that it is not bound to any dogma or abstract concepts. This is a place of work, and the work rewards me by opening up possibilities that were otherwise hidden.”

“Breaking stress cycles is one of the most important tools we can develop as individuals. We develop this by paying attention—paying attention to how you respond when you feel you are under an ‘unmanageable’ amount of stress… We tell ourselves that whatever the situation is, whatever is causing the stress, is beyond our control. Through doing that, we develop ways of avoiding it. Typically, these behaviors are not healthy for us: they make us feel worse, they deplete our energy, deplete our focus, and move us further away from a solution… And so, following this to its conclusion is really important. These behaviors, while they might soothe me in the sort term, in the long term create more and more stress. Then I can develop this idea that I just can’t handle stress. But life is going to keep providing me with situations that are stressful. And these situations can actually help us to evolve, to grow, and to develop new skill sets.”

Through the Narrative Excavation practice I have gained insight into a crippling self-assumption that I've been coming from and living by in my life —namely that I am broken and incapable. Developing a skill set of seeing this narrative, its structure and the consequences of coming from it, has freed up some of the energy that I was using to reinforce it to now go after the things that interest me. From this I've developed a sustainable and steady practice of reading and contemplation, which continues to reveal more and more things to become more conscious of. Specifically, the nature of emotions and the distinction between my conceptual world and my experience. Contemplation helps me to parse out these distinctions that were previously smooshed together as just ‘experience.’”

“If you wonder how to dive into a practice like Zen Buddhism, yoga, mindfulness etc. but don't want to subscribe to a dogma or blindly follow a trend, this is the practice for you.

You get to look at this practice from your own lens with the help of well-thought-out questions, rather than being told what to believe.

This practice sits in the center of my heart. Over the last 3 years, I've gone from dipping my toes in for a few minutes a day to being fully immersed, 24/7. I don't know what else to play for if this isn't the game.”