Stages of Progress

It is extremely difficult to standardize something like systematic work with one’s own mental processes and to describe in advance how exactly it will develop for a particular person. People differ greatly in experience, level of self-observation, degree of understanding of what is happening, the nature of their problems, and the depth of their attachment to them. Even though, at some level, typical difficulties are similar for many, it is practically impossible to predict an individual trajectory of work. Any averaged forecasts at this point will inevitably be rough.

If you follow the pace described above — roughly 1–2 protocols per day (usually before sleep) plus processing 1–2 of your own topics or problems daily — you can expect that for the first couple of months life will feel quite tense. Internal “material” may come up in a dense stream, with rare pauses that are subjectively experienced as periods of greater clarity. Pendulum states during this period are possible and quite common, although this is not a mandatory scenario. As already mentioned, there are people for whom pendulums are minimal or almost absent, so it is impossible to predict their presence or intensity in advance.

Sometimes, in the course of work, intermediate states may arise, some of which are subjectively experienced as unusual or even pleasant. For example, there may be a sense of strong connectedness with others or a feeling of expanded perception. It is important to understand that such states are not the goal of the work, but side effects and transitional stages. They may be interesting in themselves, but fixating on them and treating them as some kind of achievement is a mistake. During practice, various insights and new interpretations of how the mind works or how a person perceives reality may also appear. These should be treated calmly and without assigning them excessive importance. These are not revelations, but temporary by-products of a system undergoing restructuring. Any such “understandings” should be subjected to further processing: what has no value will fall away, and what withstands examination may turn out to be useful in a more practical sense.

Gradually, usually after about two and a half to three months of regular work, it becomes noticeable that the flow of rising material weakens, gaps begin to appear in it, and the overall state evens out. It becomes easier to maintain a stable state, and the intensity of emotional swings decreases. At the same time, deep, structural problems may still remain and may not yield to quick solutions. At this point, it is important not to panic or draw premature conclusions, but to continue working in the chosen mode.

At a later stage, a state may arise in which many dysfunctional beliefs and rigid constructs begin to lose their stability almost automatically — it is enough to direct attention at them for them to start dissolving. During the same period, there may be a feeling of losing previous reference points, devaluation of old meanings, and a general sense of meaninglessness. This is an unpleasant but quite typical transitional state. It is not a final point and does not mean that something has gone wrong. Like all previous stages, it can be processed and eventually passes, giving way to a more stable and functional state.