Deep Inner Work: Pathways to Transformation
How to Develop an Effective Ecology of Practices
Inner work is a set of practices for transforming our relationship to reality. The start of inner work is the recognition that one’s perceptions, beliefs, thoughts, and emotions shape one's experience of the world. I call this recognition the post-conventional shift. Once we undergo this shift we realize that inner work is foundational to any positive change.
Inner work doesn’t eliminate the need for external action but it helps us recognize that our actions are always filtered through an internal lens. When we engage in inner work practices we are refining this lens to see with more clarity.
Another way to think of inner work is as a process of making the unconscious conscious or what I call illuminating darkness. We are starting to recognize habitual patterns that were previously hidden. We are beginning to unearth and question assumptions we previously didn’t know we had. This process of bringing something to the surface is the start of all transformation.
Carl Jung “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate”
What are some examples of Inner work practices?
Inner work practices include but are not limited to: meditation, inquiry, breathwork, journaling, philosophizing, psychotherapy, coaching, imaginal work, dream work, serious play, circling & relatefulness, and conscious psychedelic use.
Deep Inner work
“Practice is not practice unless it affects perception” - Rob Burbea
Most people have done some inner work but an inner work practitioner is someone who intentionally and consistently engages with such practices.
It's one thing to try out a meditation class and another to become a committed meditator. For inner work practices to produce significant positive results they must be engaged with continuously over a prolonged period of time. Inner work becomes deep inner work when we stay committed and consistent with our practices.
Deepening our approach to inner work also requires refining our practices. When most people begin to meditate they start with basic guided mindfulness through an app like Calm or Headspace. Yet with consistency and commitment, they may find themselves engaging in more advanced forms of meditation.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction can have a positive effect on your life but it doesn’t hold the profound transformational potential of Vipassana emptiness meditations. Telling your therapist stories can make you feel better temporarily but it doesn’t equate to the transformation we experience when we stay with our somatic sensations.
Most of us start with Tony Robbins and pop spirituality but committed practitioners usually progress toward deeper and more esoteric teachings.
Integrating Practice & Theory
Deep inner work requires a dynamic relationship between theory and practice each of which clarifies and refines the other. We can relate this process to chopping down a tree.
It would be foolish to swing the axe without sharpening it first but it would also be fruitless to sharpen the axe and never swing it. Further, it would be wise to recognize when the axe gets dull or when we have become too exhausted to swing it effectively.
When we are studying theory we are sharpening the axe. When we are practicing we are swinging it. For our inner work to bear the most fruit we must learn to go back and forth between these two aspects.
Imagine trying to figure out meditation without any instructions or guidance. I’m not saying it can’t be done but it would be like trying to get out of a dark thick forest without a machete, flashlight, or map. Theories, models, and frameworks equip us to more effectively navigate our inner terrain.
How to develop an effective ecology of practices?
An ecology of practices refers to a set of inner work practices that build off of each other. When designing such an ecosystem it’s important to keep in mind that there is no one way to do inner work. Each person’s developmental journey will benefit from a collection of practices that fit their unique disposition and circumstances.
Some people will gravitate towards a specific wisdom tradition and focus solely on that tradition's practices. This can be effective yet for those who aren’t drawn towards a specific tradition a more eclectic approach may be needed. We can learn about different traditions and schools of thought to discover the inner work practices that are most resonant with our lived experience. While branching out in this way can give us breadth it is unlikely to give us depth.
Most inner work practitioners eventually commit to going deeper with a specific tradition. In my inner work path, I engaged with many practices and teachings but I found myself mostly gravitating to Buddhism and as of late more specifically to Vajrayana Buddhism.
Becoming deeply engaged in a specific tradition doesn’t mean we can’t cross-pollinate practices or approaches. For example, the meditation teacher Rob Burbea who was strongly embedded in the Buddhist tradition, created a unique approach to inner work by integrating meditation, western psychology, and imagination. Burbea called his teachings a “Holistic Ecosystem” which is a good name for what I believe we should all strive to cultivate. Similar to Burbea Buddhism is the backbone of my path but it's also informed by Circling (relatefulness), therapeutic modalities, and developmental theories.
There is no one right way to approach inner work but it can be helpful to start with establishing an awareness or mindfulness practice as a base. This can include meditation, inquiry, breathwork, yoga, or any other practice you feel helps you develop your presence of awareness. Once you have developed a consistent awareness practice you can begin to stack other practices on top of it.
Many inner work practices like meditation work best when they are engaged with daily. Other practices like Conscious Psychedelic Use can’t be done daily and are most beneficial when engaged on a quarterly or yearly basis. We can stack our daily practices on top of weekly and monthly practices.
The following is an example of what practice stacking can look like. Many years ago I started meditating and made that a foundational daily practice. Later I got introduced to Circling/Relatefulness and integrated that as a weekly practice. I added therapy on top as a bi-weekly practice. Although I use them less frequently now conscious psychedelic use was a quarterly or bi-annual practice for many years.
Some practices may become lifetime commitments while others come and go in phases. Meditation will likely be a lifetime practice for me but other practices are more seasonal.
When I first started Circling I did it multiple times per week but lately, I find myself engaging with it once weekly. I found myself doing therapy for several months at a time and then taking several months off. It's up to us to discern which practices to engage with consistently and which to supplement periodically.
The biggest mistake people make with inner work is trying to engage with too many practices at once. It’s important to be consistent with one practice before you pursue others to avoid overwhelm and an increasing likelihood that you won't commit to any of them. Remember some inner work practices like meditation are difficult to make progress in without a daily commitment.
The shadow of Inner Work
The shadow of inner work practitioners is becoming too serious. The whole notion of inner work can start to feel like….well….work. It can be helpful to occasionally ask ourselves why we are engaging with these inner work practices in the first place? Are we living life to do better inner work or are we doing deep inner work to live life better? When we lose touch with lightheartedness and playfulness our inner work practices are likely to stagnate.
Nearly everyone starts inner work to improve on themselves yet the self-improvement paradigm can only get us so far. Developmental coach Steve March contrasts the self-improvement view with the self-unfoldment view by pointing out that the earlier functions from a place of deficiency while the latter assumes that you are already whole.
Tantra teacher Hareesh speaks to this orientation when he writes:
“I strongly recommend asking yourself why you want to grow and be a “better person.” There are two common reasons that people strive to become better: either because they believe that they are not good enough as they are or because they want to contribute to the well-being of their loved ones and enjoy more harmonious relationships. These two motivations for growth are therefore opposite: the first is self-hatred in disguise, and the second is an expression of love.”
Doing our inner work as an act of love can make all the difference in the world.
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