who runs your ITP?

Integral Transformative Practice was developed by a community of individuals who were involved primarily in spiritual practice but were concerned that the traditional approaches could lead to partial or unbalanced development. This was brought into high relief by a number of realized or enlightened teachers whose conduct with respect to money, power and sex appeared to be less than exemplary. It became apparent that an individual develops through a number of different “lines” or faculties (cognitive, affective, moral, motivational, contemplative etc) and that these lines evolve relatively independently. Hence a person can be a highly evolved meditator but morally relatively immature.

ITP was conceived as an attempt to avoid the dangers of such “gaps” in a person's development. It was also hoped to leverage advantage through “cross training”, whereby work on different lines is mutually complimentary. The result was a package of practices which addressed the principal developmental lines. It could be seen as an intelligent approach to combine the best of Eastern contemplative and subtle energy practices with Western psychology and physical training. It has been referred to as “covering all the bases” or more graphically  “throwing the kitchen sink at the problem” (actually the latter by Ken!).

Questions which come to mind are: who has time for this? How could this practice possibly be integrated into an active daily life?

-ITP advocates covering all the bases yet Integral trainers typically have reached their level of mastery through adherence to one or two principal practices.

-ITP is designed to develop all the relevant faculties of the practitioner and yet it is planned and directed exclusively through cognition.

-ITP doesn't accommodate traditional spiritual practices such as renunciation (of our ideas and opinions).

-Other concerns are that it could stimulate narcissism and self importance. It could also justify the student in abandoning any practice which becomes uncomfortable just when there is an opportunity to makes some real advances.

Whilst ITP has some important insights with regard to balancing our practice and the values of combining complimentary practices, as currently presented - a multi package to “cover all bases”, it raises serious objections.

I believe that may practitioners, consciously or otherwise, actually use a wide variety of techniques and stimuli to take them beyond the pre-established “kitchen sink” program. An approach which honours the natural unfolding of Spirit and that integrates practice with all other spheres of life. This may include:

• inner guidance, intuition
• physical or medical requirements
• drives, instincts
• external demands / stimuli, synchronicity of events
• personal coaching, pier group support

How do you run your ITP?

Re: who runs your ITP?

No takers?

Let me put it like this - what makes your practice flow?

Re: who runs your ITP?

That's complex to talk about.

I still find the techniques I took from the Gurdjieff material to be some of the most effective, and definitely among the top tools in my kit. Self-observation, self-remembering in particular.

The methods I call orientation and relaxation are so deeply built into my mental and physiological structures now that they happen nearly continuously.

A lot of the things I happen to be working on these days revolve around general semantics technology.

And recently I've been re-exploring some of the deep old content of my personality and character structures using combination technologies.

Re: who runs your ITP?

Bill

That is helpful - it is the complexity that I am interested in getting into.

The methods I call orientation and relaxation are so deeply built into my mental and physiological structures now that they happen nearly continuously.

Perhaps there is no sense in talking about “flow” or “not-doing” until practice is embedded in our mental and psychological structures. It makes it hard to talk about unless we have some kind of bench mark of where we were before the practice became embedded.

I am interested in when and how practices come into our life; how external influences or synchronicity come to bear on our development. An example might be the general semantics you mentioned. I saw mention of that on another post so started to investigate it and it led me into some new approaches regarding language.

I am also interested in how practice combines or interfaces with “tasks” and “duties” (if you still have them!).

Re: who runs your ITP?

Well, James, I still haven't fully grasped the large picture of what you want to construct with this line of thinking - tho I'm finding it quite interesting - so because it's a complex topic I'm not sure I'm going to give you my answers in the form you are looking for. But will attempt…

>until practice is embedded in our mental and psychological structures.

My central metaphor for practice, for a long time, has been “training”. The difference between a practicioner and an interested lay person is that the practicioner “trains”, much like an athlete, an artist, or a highly skilled professional trains constantly and usually daily in order to build into their body and nervous system and mind the skills and structures and strength to do certain things.

And I know I'm kind of a hardass and arrogant about that - sorry about that - I just think 'training' is REALLY important, and it makes all the difference in the world.

>It makes it hard to talk about unless we have some kind of bench mark of where we were before the practice became embedded.

You never really lose the original ego structures - so you do kinda carry your benchmarks along with you.

>I am interested in when and how practices come into our life; how external influences or synchronicity come to bear on our development.

I think of this as the ways in which one 'harnesses' the magical and religious minds (and brains) - and gets them to work for you, integrating their functions into the larger fully current selfhood that one is building.

The magical and religious minds and brains process signals and stimuli in different ways from the word-using modern verbal-manual mind - and they can send you signals in the form of synchronicity observations that are sometimes helpful, and sometimes not.

>am also interested in how practice combines or interfaces with “tasks” and “duties” (if you still have them!).

An interesting question - but I'm not sure I understood your intent. I would say the concept of training is relevant - but I suspect you may mean something teleological - about ends and final goals? And what I think of as the “obligations of 'enlightenment'”?

Re: who runs your ITP?

I still haven't fully grasped the large picture of what you want to construct with this line of thinking

This is partly personal, to do with what is going on in my own practice at the moment and partly theoretical as I am interested in developing some kind of “transformative space” which might be helpful to others.

There are a number of things I am trying to reconcile. This brings me to your point about training. I have been attached to a Zen monastery for quite a long time so I am familiar with the training model. It suits me and I have done a fair amount of training in other areas too. Perhaps the other hallmark of this kind of practice is the element of faith. This is captured by the Zen metaphor that we are like blind men groping our way along an icy precipice. It is not a rational path. I have recently become interested, however, in the ITP approach of cross-training and generally applying some intelligence to the process of practice - tracking methods and evaluation come to mind. 

I have a rough evolutionary spectrum of training in mind stretching from the beginner's following of a program by rote to the sage's life of not-doing. I am interested in how you move from A to B.

The magical and religious minds and brains process signals and stimuli in different ways from the word-using modern verbal-manual mind

- your wrote this with regard to synchronicity. That is certainly a new and interesting idea to me. I suppose that these structures are involved with all the various forms of visionary work such as reflection on dreams, journey work and perhaps even entheogens? I have been interested and involved in shamanic work for some years and it is a useful resource for me for artwork and solving practical problems.

am also interested in how practice combines or interfaces with “tasks” and “duties” (if you still have them!).

Here I'm afraid I was talking about something more mundane - in fact, anything you could consider mundane or apart from your practice - but I think you answered my question anyway! I don't have a very teleological view of practice. I am interested that you should view the “obligations of enlightenment” as distinct from practice and enlightenment itself.

Re: who runs your ITP?

Hi James

Great topic!

“Integral Life Practice”/ILP means approximately the same thing, and is the term people tend to use more frequently.  Originally Wilber & co. were using “Integral Transformative Practice”/ITP, but there was a trademark issue or something so they decided to use a different term. 

There was a thread a while back called ”What do you do for ILP?” in which I commented:

My initial, quick answer…is that discipline is not my strong point, certainly not in the sense of meticulously planning what practices I do each day, what I do twice a week, etc. in the sense of a rigorous, scheduled ILP practice.  When I've tried to do that usually after a while the whole house of cards collapses, followed by a period of chaos, then I might try to bring some disciplined practices into play again.

What has worked better for me is to hold the idea of an ILP in mind and heart, and to proceed by sensing where I need to put more energy and work at a particular time - e.g. if I realize my diet has been going to hell, I need to put more effort into that; or I may realize that I haven't been socializing enough, haven't been working with or serving my relationships and community enough.  Etc. 

As for mediation specifically, I agree that it is important, but I've also heard Ken say that if people aren't meditation, they should try spending literally ONE MINUTE per day, every day, meditating; and I've heard him talk about meditation as being more than the practice of staring at a wall or counting breaths.  In response to a woman who “confessed” to him that she didn't meditate, he said among other things that to set aside a period of time to listen to music with your full awareness would be a form of meditation.  Currently Liz, my stepson and I are studying Aikido, which has been called “moving zen” and certainly contains elements of meditation, at least as we've been taught it. 

So the situation may be more complex, subtle and nuanced than first meets the “I”…

Recently I finished writing the back-of-book index for a forthcoming book from Shambhala Publications called Integral Life Practice: a 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity and Spiritual Awakening, by Ken Wilber, Terry Patton, Adam Leonard, and Marco Morelli.  It was just the book that I was hoping would be written on the subject - a practical, inspiring and comprehensive overview of the topic.  I was lucky to have the opportunity to study the text in detail - not to mention months before any of you get to read it, nyah nyah - and feel privileged to have had the opportunity to write the index for it.

Re: who runs your ITP?

In a discussion recently, a 'one minute actualizer' practice was mentioned.

Taking time, several times a day, to sit and notice all that arises.  I have started to try this out at work daily.  Can't say I stay with it for a full minute each time, but meetings have become a bit more interesting  ; )

Always good to revist the ILP/ITP process and see where it needs a tune up.

Thanks for starting the thread!

Re: who runs your ITP?

ITP seems to me to be a program for continued development once the “integral” wave has arrived in one's life. Up until then, it seems only important to pull out the stops and cover the pot holes. Being an uberman just isn't realistic nor what, I think, is the point of development. Would you want to put the autistic musical genius through the ITP?
The education system should be taking all of this into account. A professor once told me that high school was supposed to teach you how to learn and that college was to teach you how to think. That, in theory, would take care of the upper left. Teach people to reconcile and then eat well and get exercise and we wouldn't need the damn ITP.
I agree. I think if this AQAL map is really mapping developmental patterns then we should just be tuning awareness to a resonnace with that process. It should take care of itself. Then again, natural for an american means that milk comes from a bottle and not from a cow. Maybe it is just a product of the center of gravity. Selling integral through orange is thin ice though…even if you want to call it wizadry. Guess it depends on the price and disclosure of true process and results and not just slogans and hype beit true or not.  Just the phrase “Big Mind” already makes me feel small-minded. I'm looking into it a bit much but I hope it at least makes the point.
~Courtland

Re: who runs your ITP?

Arthur: So the situation may be more complex, subtle and nuanced than first meets the “I”…

I think that that is a good way of putting it - perhaps it is even a good way to sum up ILP itself. Thanks also for the book link - wish I could get my hands on it now!

Courtland:…once the “integral” wave has arrived in one's life. Up until then, it seems only important to pull out the stops and cover the pot holes.

I wonder if the whole “concept” of taking a perspective on ILP is one hallmark of Integral thinking. Prior to that, we probably are concerned with either “covering the pot holes” or following a program.

I have had a Buddhist practice for many years now and I have also had many complimentary practices - subtle energy, gross body, diet, etc but I had never really thought about how the various practices interact and compliment one another. For many of us it is easier to set the program and follow it without having to think too much. A more nuanced approach requires a certain level of maturity as it leaves the door wide open to going too easy on ourselves.

I had better admit that I have some ulterior motives for starting this thread as I am putting some ideas together regarding ITP to take to San Francisco in August as a poster. The “bases” seem clearly established - what really interests me is how one “covers” them in a way which harmonizes with our life, work etc. I suspect that there may be some interesting techniques used for tracking one's self or for tapping into intuitive forms of guidance.

Gina: I think the 'one minute actualizer' is a pretty interesting practice for bringing awareness into activity. We are habit forming creatures and mindfulness is certainly a good habit to establish in this way. I have noticed that the impulse to be mindful actually gets associated with certain situations or even tools. You pick up the chisel and “…ah yes, mindfulness”.

I've seen it used in a group situation with one minute silences signalled by a bell punctuating the day - that was very nice. It gives an opportunity for a change in direction.

Re: who runs your ITP?

James, thanks for all the questions about the 'practice' and what keeps the flow.

Re: who runs your ITP?

Jane: Importantly, in the shadow work needed in breaking out of the psychological complexes that riddle us, help with a therapist is sometimes really important, and at the same time, our practice ground is constantly upon us; are we able to 'turn to' the very situations and people we are most puzzled by and stay present to our thoughts and feelings, to 'get real'?   In my understanding, this is what is really being required of all of us, no matter who we are, as we move into this new era of living with the earth community.

~

Hi Jane, just wanted to underline this part - shadow work is often neglected or minimized, but it is extremely important.  We have enough enlightened assholes running around already, lol.  Therapeutic work is one of the deepest gifts of the West and needs to be integrated into spiritual work.

spirals,
Arthur

Re: who runs your ITP?

Jane,

My missgivings about the ILP kit were probably what got me to start this thread. I suspect, however, that no one really uses it as a kit - how could they? Even if one had the time it would not be a very efficient return on effort to “cover all the bases” on a weekly basis. I guess the kit serves to inspire people to try new practices and to ask themselves what areas they might be neglecting.

More importantly, as you say, it would create a divide between practice and life. Thank you for explaining how you make everyday life into practice. It is very interesting to me to hear how other people are achieving this. I was particularly interested in what you said about reflecting on such things as our food. I do that too, but I had never really thought of it as part of my practice - it is interesting to do so. 

It is an interesting point too about our conditioned patterns. It is very easy to overlook these particularly if one practices alone.

James.

Re: who runs your ITP?

James, for the right price, we'd email a PDF of the book to you. But I'm guessing you don't have enough money to cover the cost of Arthur losing all professional integrity and any hope of ever getting hired again, so you'll just have to wait. (Just in case you do, about a mil and a half might do.)

I will say the book is far more in-depth than the silly box. I got the box when it went on sale for 15 bucks and it was just not up to snuff. Not every one gets hit out of the park. But the book may do.

Liz

Re: who runs your ITP?

Liz,

I had hoped that we might come to some kind of a deal involving some very secret inner practices. Cash is so…material after all! But it looks like Courtland has blown that one, now his “integral desert practice” is out of the bag (see below). Looks like I'll have to wait in line along with all the other good folks.

Re: who runs your ITP?

oh, dear, I thought it would be the Integral Tree Practice @TM for Courtand……  ITP, IDP, ILP….so confusing…then there is me with the integral grapefruit practice IGP… the good thing about this is, James, that I can now imagine some beautiful graphics and pictures for your up coming poster presentation!  

Re: who runs your ITP?

Liz: I will say the book is far more in-depth than the silly box. I got the box when it went on sale for 15 bucks and it was just not up to snuff. Not every one gets hit out of the park. But the book may do.

~

Actually, you're referring to the Integral Operating System box, which is really introductory stuff not likely to impress someone who's read  A Brief History of Everything.

The Integral Life Practice Starter Kit is a whole 'nother thing.  Neither you nor I have ever seen that AQALdebeast. 

cheers,
Arthur

Re: who runs your ITP?

Just don't confuse the Integral Life Starter Kit with the Integral Operating System or you might juice all your holons or something!

Re: who runs your ITP?

oh no, now there will be the IJP to go along with the IGP…….good thing we are all good at dancing, that is all I can say.

Re: who runs your ITP?

Jane: good thing we are all good at dancing, that is all I can say.

~

lol - speak for yourself.  :P

spirals,
Arthur

Re: who runs your ITP?

2 thoughts, 2 very late-night thoughts..
    I am going to shut my mouth about ILP because, honestly, I just don't know the facts and am not on the “inside”. Although it seems a bit “packaged”…maybe I will just have to buy it to find out, haha. In any case, the memory that came to mind had to do with sustainability: I was in fantastic shape a few years back with a slight back problem, but lifting, running, surfing, and even riding my bike some. I was eating well and kicking butt in one of my hardest semesters living it up in Hawaii. But it took a lot out of me just to do that. Not to mention that my social life was relatively nonexistant, not that I have ever been much of the socialite. In the “real world” much of that freedom doesn't exist or at least you need to have a bucket of cash or be one of these integral practioners that does this for a living…My point is that, whatever it is, even for people not at integral to put into perspective what they are doing, it needs to be sustainable. And sometimes sustainable means I don't need all that muscle or food. I workout less and eat less, but I am still in shape and actually saving money on food. Sometimes less is more.
    The second thought is noticing a funny pattern…Buddha had a revelation by a tree, newton too(according to myth), and even jesus went into the desert(I think there was a tree in there somewhere…haha). The desert experience is a prespective changing experience. Maybe not necesarily state changing, but its a component. A good ILP should involve those sustainable everyday-things and also some objective perspective opportunities…
~Courtland

Re: who runs your ITP?

I'm with you there; if it was good enough for the desert fathers…

Did I tell you about the time I burried myself for the night? It wasn't exactly desert, it was in the highlands, but wilderness all the same. It was an area where they have found a lot of mummies. It was very cool and peaceful - I felt quite welcome.

Re: who runs your ITP?

Right you are, hubby, thanks.

The fears of some sort of uber-practice that requires a fantasy life of wealth and leisure are unfounded. They state in the book that such a practice could never exist, and that balance is required. Someone who is tone-deaf, for instance, might not have any reason to even try to bring her musical line up at all. It's about finding the practices that work, not being perfect or even perfectly well-rounded. One minute a day, or let's say ten, to include some padding, is something everyone can do.

In fact, what the book does best, as far as I've read, is to eliminate a great number of excuses for not having a particular practice.

Liz