Truths about psychotherapy and RAIN

There are some fundamental truths about the human experience from a psychological and existential perspective, as outlined in this video by The School of Life. These truths are related to the inherent pain of existence, as posited by Buddhist philosophy. Pain is an unavoidable part of life. Suffering, however, is a personal choice that can be controlled to a large extent. Pain is like the first arrow shot at you from a distance. Suffering is the effect of the second arrow, which can be more expected and less painful, or it can break you into psychological pieces due to its power on your present experience.

Internalizing these fundamental truths about existence and psychotherapy can help you gain awareness of yourself. Awareness can lead to learning to deal with challenging circumstances and the inherent underlying pain of life.

Every human is in part neurotic - in some areas of their personality
The origin of most of our neurosis is childhood
Every parental inadequacy tends to give rise to neurosis
There is no such thing as an un-neurotic parent
Trauma leads to repression
Healing comes from self-awareness
It won’t be enough to know the past. We need to feel it

Source: The School of Life

Master Shi Heng YI provides an actionable framework for overcoming hindrances to self-mastery in his Ted Talk. According to Shi Heng YI, there are five core hindrances to “self-mastery”:

Sensual desire (sight/touch/taste/smell/hearing) = Am I addicted?
Ill will / aversion = Am I feeling a negative emotion?
Dullness/heaviness = Am I unmotivated?
Restlessness = Is my mind jumping from thought to thought?
Skeptical doubt = Am I indecisive?

The framework to overcome those hindrances is RAIN:

Recognize which one you're experiencing
Accept that's what you're experiencing
Investigate why you're experiencing it
Non-identify with that experience: 'i am not the body, I am not the mind, I am not my emotion'

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