Welcome to Doctor Reuter Medical Centers, where we embrace a holistic approach to well-being. Today, we’re diving into the world of non-duality—a way of thinking that goes beyond the usual ‘me’ versus ‘the world’ mindset. It shows us a unified consciousness where everything is connected. Join us as we explore how psychology and spirituality combine to make our lives richer and more fulfilling.
“It is important to find a way to integrate psychology into our spirituality and our spirituality into our psychological life. Psychology is about our individuality, and our spiritual life is about the Oneness with everything. Not having them in an integrated vision might lead to significant inner conflicts, while both are there to serve each other for a complete life.” – Dr. Yves Decarie, Psy.D./Ph.D.
Well-being.
The dimension of well-being can be considered from different angles. At Doctor Reuter Medical Centers, we aim to approach it holistically.
In psychology, I use the scientific and humanistic approaches, considering both as part of the reality of the human experience. These days, the dimension of non-duality is being explored more and more, either in psychology with the Mindfulness angle or through different traditions around the world, such as Buddhism, Yoga, Sufism, Kabbalah, or the mystical Christian tradition.
The deepening of the Reality of non-duality can be explored through the mind, emotions, thoughts, and occasionally through the body. Non-duality is realizing reality as ‘everything is one.’ Some of the qualities of awareness lived through that realization are peace, silence, eternity, infinity, and a non-localized consciousness or unbounded consciousness.
Addressing topics related to psychology is sometimes necessary on our non-dual path because some challenges, misunderstandings, or blockages on those levels may sometimes slow down or distort our vision of what it is.
It is important to find a way to integrate psychology into our spirituality and our spirituality into our psychological life. Psychology is about our individuality, and our spiritual life is about the Oneness with everything. Not having them in an integrated vision might lead to significant inner conflicts, while both are there to serve each other for a complete life.
“The deepening of the Reality of non-duality can be explored through the mind, emotions, thoughts, and occasionally through the body. Non-duality is realizing reality as ‘everything is one.’” – Dr. Yves Decarie, Psy.D/Ph.D.
The need to question oneself about psychology and spirituality can be expressed as follows:
Psychological approach
1 + 1 = 2
As we navigate our place in the world, we often perceive ourselves as distinct individuals separated from the rest of the world around us while maintaining a connection to it. “We feel bound to an identity, the notion of ‘me.’ That localized identity is meeting everything else that is not ‘me’ (people, events, experiences). We are then looking for a way to live a life through that duality of ‘me’ vs ‘non-me’ that will bring us happiness. When we succeed in achieving a good bond, there is a level of satisfaction and joy that may be lost at any time in our lives. We experience suffering When we don’t establish a good bond. There is no permanent sense of fulfillment, no infinity. But in that formula, where is my infinity ∞, my spiritual life in this? It is, in fact, missing. That will cause a sense that life is made of ups and downs that we cannot free ourselves from. On a psychological level, it is true.
Spiritual approach
1 + ∞ = ∞
For people on a conscious path of spiritual life, our localized identity, ‘me’, is meeting a non-localized identity, ‘the me’ being immersed into ∞infinity. While having those experiences, something happened to my sense of ‘me.’ Various experiences can happen, and we will address those experiences. The sense of duality is diminishing, and the sense of ‘me’ and ‘non-me’ is also diminishing to disappear eventually. The drop of water is becoming the ocean, not identified as a drop anymore, but as being identified as the ocean. But then, where is my individuality in this, my 1?
My goal is to address the questions about these experiences that some people can go through from a psychological or spiritual perspective, depending on the topic, while exploring the realm of one’s consciousness.
