FEST Writing Group

The theoretical physicist and public intellectual Carl Sagan, in his science fiction novel “Contact”, tells of an advanced society from another galaxy that decides it is time to share their wormhole technology with earthlings. The technology allows humans to travel to meet them. The heroine of the story, played by Jodi Foster in the film version, is chosen to be the astronaut on this mission. The mission barely escapes the terrorist resistance of those in science, religion, and government, who are emotionally driven to stop it.  But she eventually goes through the wormhole and discovers that the technology requires her colleagues to fundamentally re-think its conception of space, time, and themselves.

Transcendence is a wormhole to differentiation of self.  It has the capacity to compliment the growth of differentiation in adults who have spent years working to grow it in other ways.  It has the potential to evoke stable levels of differentiation undocumented in the current Bowen theory literature.  

To offer another metaphor, let’s say that Bowen theory is an orchard among the many developed in 20th century psychological theory.  It’s like the Black Hills of South Dakota, unique, precious, worthy of preservation. It is life giving for anyone interested in strengthening families. My proposal is that all the branches, leaves and fruits in that precious orchard of family leadership wisdom have a common elemental substrate.  This is consciousness itself. Like the colorless sap that comes from underground and eventually becomes all the different parts of the trees in the orchard, consciousness itself underlies the family system. This pure consciousness is transcendence, the differentiated universal self. It can be experienced directly. When this happens, one partakes of its differentiated nature.

This has the potential to advance one toward the state indicated by Gilbert when she wrote “At high levels of differentiation, people can be happy in or out of relationships.  They are complete and do not need others to complete them. Perhaps partly because of the lack of need for them their relationships function better.” 

-Roberta Gilbert, Extraordinary Relationships, 2nd Edition, p. 175

To consider this proposal it is helpful to recall Bowen’s words:

“A THEORY IS NEVER ABSOLUTE OR COMPLETE. An Erosion breakdown begins when a busy practitioner is unaware of the knowledgeable variables in theory, and he/she begins to treat theory as a PROVEN FACT, rather than a living thing that is constantly changing. When THE THEORY is considered to be unchangeable, it is automatic for both theory and practice to be distorted to fit personal needs, or the demands of professional or social practice.”

-Bowen, Internal memo, January 30, 1989, to faculty and staff of Georgetown University Family Center, labeled “Change in Format Wednesday Meeting” as quoted in Post, Family Systems Forum, Spring 2024, pg 10

This is not a proposal about meditation. Meditation is a thousand things. Transcendence is one thing. 

To know what transcendence is, it helps to know that it isn’t:

• A lifestyle
• A belief system
• Emotional distance
• An effort
• Mindfulness
• A modern idea
• A feeling state
• A thinking state
• A religion
• The property of Transcendental Meditation (TM)
• An individual approach
• Can be learned from a book

Perhaps only a small percentage of those interested in Bowen theory will be able to consider this proposal.  To consider it, one must be curious about it.  It need not be for everyone. Curiosity will be a good guide.  It has been educational to present a new idea within a network of creative, disciplined colleagues of many decades. It can be hard to see the confirmation bias within one’s own network.  The togetherness force to think alike within the Bowen theory network is as capable of dominating my thinking as in any other. There is an ever-present opportunity to focus on traditional techniques vs. theory. Once a new idea is discovered, confirmation bias becomes easier to see.  The rejection of a new idea before it is understood is a natural expression of such togetherness forces. 

The exploration of this proposal is easy, but not a casual affair. Often, one must first realize that one doesn’t know what transcendence is. Biases about the nature of differentiation, and especially the traditional pathway to it, must be held more lightly.  To truly consider the proposal, one must experience transcendence directly. This takes a little time and practice. Thinking about it is a step.  But one cannot know a strawberry by thinking about it. 

In transcendence “attention has settled inward, beyond …thoughts, and feelings. What remains is the experience of consciousness in its pure form, awake to itself alone… Simultaneously the body becomes deeply restful while brain functioning becomes integrated, suggesting the total brain is awake.” -Dr. Craig Pearson, The Supreme Awakening.  These words describe the strawberry well.  

“Your consciousness is free of content, awake, but free of thoughts, and feelings.  The sea of consciousness is aware only of itself, unmixed with anything else…the simplest form of human awareness.”

-Dr. Craig Pearson, The Supreme Awakening, 44

In discussing traditional efforts to grow differentiation in the family of origin, Bowen noted that anything that is created in a relationship can be changed in a relationship.  But he did not say that it can only be changed in a relationship. Growth of differentiation of self through transcendence changes relationships with the family of origin. In this instance, changes in relationships are a biproduct of the growth of solid self. Transcendence is an action. 

Some who consider this proposal will be inspired to think about the 9^th concept of Bowen theory. Discussions of this nascent concept, including a chapter in Kerr’s recent “Bowen Theory’s Secrets” often emphasize the function of beliefs.  Kerr asserts that Bowen’s interest was not in the existence or non-existence of the supernatural, but rather in the function of beliefs about it.  This, he asserts, forms a pathway toward a systems science of the supernatural.  But there are limits to this framework.  It is not the only available pathway. Transcendence is not a belief system. It is a direct experience.  People who don’t understand transcendence often assume it is a belief system.  

Three of the most common critiques of the proposal have been:

1. Transcendence is an individual approach.
2. Transcendence lacks an action component.
3. Transcendence is a feeling state.

Each are Important to consider.  They will be addressed below. 

Along with the scientific evidence that will be summarized below, and the direct experience of the author and our research team, a rich source of information about the proposal comes from ancient literature.  In a recent presentation entitled “Can Scripture Illuminate Differentiation?” at the Bowen Center’s April 2024 “Faith and Functioning” conference, which was given again in Chicago at the Center for Family Consultations annual symposium, I challenged the audience to seriously consider these words:

“Bowen theory contains no ideas that have not been a part of human experience through the centuries…This distant drumbeat is often obscured by the noisy insistence of the foreground…, but it is always there, and it tells its own clear story to those who can tune out the noise…”  -Bowen, Family Theory in Clinical Practice, Chapter 3, Page 64

If differentiation is a significant aspect of the human, then sages from other times and other places would have noticed its significance.  Research has revealed a trove of information about differentiation in ancient literature, including the Bhagavad Gita, a dissertation on higher stages of human development.  These findings illuminate an under-developed area of theory- the nature of higher stages of differentiation. They also challenge commonly accepted views of how differentiation can be grown.

An example of such writings comes from the celebrated American poet Walt Whitman.

“apart from the pulling, and hauling stands, what I am,
Stands amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary,

Looks down, is erect, or bends an arm on an impalpable certain rest, 

Looking with sidecurved head, curious what will come next, 

Both in and out of the game and watching and wondering at it.”

-Walt Whitman, 1819-1892, “Song of Myself”, as quoted in Craig Pearson, The Supreme Awakening,

In this passage from his famous poem “Song of Myself” Whitman may teach us something about differentiation of self.  Many scholars consider the poem a documentation of higher stages of human development akin to the self-actualization described by Abraham Maslow. The poet asserts that he is not describing a surface level of self, but rather “what I am”.  He is not describing a transitory feeling state. The quotation ends with words resonant with Bowen’s famous metaphor as a view from the balcony- “both in and out of the game”.  And yet Whitman is not merely “watching” with his intellectual system.  He is watching “and wondering”.  Wonder is delight.  It marks an open mind. Perhaps differentiation is joy.  This has not been given enough attention.

Differentiation is not essentially a state of thinking.  It is not fundamentally conceptual.  It is a direct experience. The concept describes it, but a concept is not the thing itself.  We can become stuck in a balcony of thinking. As a direct human experience, differentiation is a state of thinking and feeling. It is a stable feeling of detachment, well-being, freedom from the need to control others, and freedom from the need to be completed by them. Are not “pulling” and “hauling” rather precise descriptions of what family members often do to each other?  The poet is “apart” from these pitfalls. Differentiation is a state of biology, where physiological reactivity is low, and of neurophysiology, where brain centers are integrated and free to operate in a persistent state of fearlessness.  A human free of fear is joyful, grateful, appreciative of the beauty of nature and others.  Watching and wondering. Rather than a “way of thinking” the term “state of consciousness” more accurately describes the fullness of differentiation.  Wonder- this is required to open oneself to the possibility that transcendence can grow differentiation.  I invite the reader to review the Whitman quote above.  The list of adjectives, including “amused, complacent, compassionating, idle, unitary” is fresh language with the power to open one’s vision to a higher stage of differentiation.

Poetry is not science. For Bowen theory to contribute to science, we will need more than poetry.  But let’s not throw out the baby with the bathwater.  And let us be honest with ourselves.  How much of our confidence in differentiation of self comes from science?  Is it not our direct experiences in our families that form that foundation?  These represent disciplined subjectivity.  Let us not hold transcendence to a higher scientific standard than we are using for our traditional approaches. 

Support for this direction was offered when Kerr stated, “Murray Bowen said there are two ways that people can pull up differentiation of self, one is with an organized effort in their own family, and the other way is with an unusual life experience.” -Mike Kerr, BTA Webcast, December 2021. Transcendence is one such “unusual life experience”, but one that not need be accidental.  One can grow far more susceptible to it. One need not have cancer to utilize Bowen’s second pathway.

Recent discussions of Kerr’s statement with the director of the Bowen Center, Mr. Randy Frost, following the “Faith and Functioning” conference, resulted in Frost affirming that transcendence might be able to grow differentiation directly. This contrasts with my discussions with Kerr, who believed that transcendence and differentiation are like two trains on different tracks that will never meet. Frost calls for a presentation of the functional facts that support the proposal, some of which will follow. In his presentation at the conference, Frost referenced Bowen’s view of science as “placing one fact next to another.”  As I will show, transcendence is a scientifically documented physiological fact.  It has more scientific status than differentiation, partly because it is easier to measure. It has been examined scientifically for decades, and not just by insiders who appreciate meditation. The traditional methods of Bowen theory haven’t yet been tested scientifically by outsiders. I will attempt to place the fact of transcendence next to functional facts of differentiation to support my proposal.  

In my discussion with Frost, I referenced the rather quick denial of this proposal that has come from senior Bowen colleagues over the past decade.  The speed suggested reactivity.  I asked Frost if he agreed that I was a credible, professional observer of differentiation of self.  He granted that I was. I asked if this warranted more curiosity, then, about my proposal? Given my decades of experience with transcendence? Frost granted that it did. Other supporters of this direction include the Bowen scholar Victoria Harrison, whose recent article in the Family System Forum listed my work on meditation as an extension vs. erosion of Bowen theory.  Many other Bowen scholars have been curious and supportive, without quickly adopting my viewpoint.  These include Laurie Lassiter, Walter Smith, Bob Noone, Lisa Friedstein, Priscilla Friesen, and Leslie Fox.

Recently, I have been invited to submit a fuller explication of my proposal for publication.  This shows curiosity. 

Outline of Paper on Differentiation and Transcendence Paper

1. Intro: Like the term differentiation, the term transcendence is used in various ways.  Transcendence is a direct experience.  It is a scientifically documented fact of human functioning, not a concept or a club. It is not a belief system.  In this report I will define transcendence and explain why I believe it has the potential to grow differentiation directly. I will review the scientific literature on transcendence, present observations of its effects on differentiation in the family of origin, and close with a Bowen theoretical proposal grounded in philosophy of science and the science of consciousness. (Read Frost 2013 on solid self, quote Frost on materialism and BT, quote Bowen and Kerr on unusual life experiences)
2. Defining Transcendence:
   1. Transcendence is an experience of complete inner silence (add)

Transcendence is a scientifically documented fact. It was relatively easy to research because the Transcendental Meditation technique has some unique features.  The teaching of the technique is standardized globally.  Meditation is 1,000 things, but TM is one thing.  The procedure 

“Since the late 1960s, people who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique have been invited into laboratories at universities and research institutions all over the world. They have been asked to meditate with EEG leads attached to their scalps to monitor brain activity, with masks over their faces to monitor breath rate and oxygen consumption, with electrodes attached to their chests to gauge heart rate and function, with catheters in their arms to assess blood chemistry.

Even under such potentially distracting conditions, it was clear from the start that something remarkable happens during Transcendental Meditation practice, far different from simply resting with the eyes closed. Scientists found a wide constellation of changes, many never observed before — in brain functioning, blood flow, blood chemistry, muscle and blood cell metabolism, hormone production — and always toward rest and repair, balance and health.

The technique is effortless. It involves no attempt to control physiological functioning, as in biofeedback. Yet numerous changes take place as spontaneous byproducts of the simple, natural process of transcending, which even the person meditating scarcely notices.”  -Dr. Craig Pearson, The Supreme Awakening, pg 400.

1. Scientific research has now been conducted at 250 universities and research institutions in over 30 countries, yielding more than 350 peer-reviewed, published scientific studies and articles in more than 150 scientific and scholarly journals in a broad range of disciplines.  This research has enjoyed funding from NIH and the US Army.  (THE FOLLOWING EVIDENCE WILL BE SUMMARIZED).
   1. Physiological Evidence
      1. Breath rate declines
      1. Autonomic nervous system relaxation and stability
      1. Muscle relaxation- tissue consumed less oxygen and stops creating CO2
      1. Cortisol drops
      1. Blood lactate declines
      1. Red blood cells relax
      1. Improved cardiovascular health
         1. Reduced high blood pressure
         1. Reduction in risk factors for heart disease
         1. Reduction in free radicals
         1. Reversal of damage to heart
         1. Research Quality: The American Hearts Association’s studied the quality of research for various complimentary approaches to heart.  The TM research received the highest rating.
      1. Reduced biological age
   1. Neurophysiological Evidence
      1. EEG Coherence
      1. Increased blood flow to the brain, delivering extra oxygen, glucose, and other vital nutrients while more efficiently carrying away wastes.
      1. Brain transmission speed
      1. Brain integration
      1. Increased serotonin
      1. Increased power of attention
      1. More flexible brain- increased lateralization (symmetry between brain hemispheres indicating enhanced communication between them)
      1. Unique brain functioning during sleep indicating deep rest plus alertness
   1. Psychological Evidence
      1. Increased intelligence
      1. Growth in moral maturity 
      1. Increased field independence
      1. Greater relaxation outside meditation
      1. Healthier more adaptive stress response
      1. Nervous system vibrancy
      1. Improved self esteem
      1. Increased self-actualization
      1. Decreased anxiety
      1. Improvements in interpersonal relationships
         1.  
   1. Social evidence
2. Observations of bias about transcendence in the Bowen network. Biases against bio and neurofeedback that were developed in past decades are being applied to transcendence.  This occurs reflexively, in the absence of knowledge about what transcendence is and is not.  Comparing transcendence to exercise is like comparing a violin to a kazoo. Critiques of the proposal include (I will address each):
   1. It soothes surface anxiety but doesn’t grow self
      1. It is an individual approach
      1. It is a feeling state
      1. It lacks an action component
   1. References (See Pearson’s summary attached as pdf)
3. Defining Differentiation
4. Transcendence and Differentiation: 
   1. Effects of Transcendence on Differentiation in the Family of Origin- Case Reports. 
      1. Screen Behind the Story in the House of Grief
      1. Cape Cod
      1. Father and Daughter
      1. Mother and Son
   1. Science Relevant to Transcendence and Differentiation: 
      1. Science of Consciousness
         1. Quantum Mind- Quantum mechanics is forcing us to rethink the physical foundation of body-mind.  It may disrupt current thinking about evolution.  Recently, a paper was published showing that quantum effects can be measured in microtubules, suggesting that there may indeed be a quantum dimension to the brain-mind. This supports theoretical work by people like Roger Penrose and Stuart Hamerof. 
         1. Guilio Tononi’s Integrated Information Theory and Panpsychism-  Perhaps the most famous scientist of consciousness, Tononi’s model proposes a scale of consciousness that can be applied to any system.  It measures the degree to which any system integrates information.  This could someday be used to measure the degree of consciousness of a family system. Tononi’s theory is considered one of many panpsychist theories, the idea that psyche (or consciousness) is a fundamental aspect of any system, not merely the product of the physical brain.  Another famous panpsychist philosopher of science was Alfred North Whitehead.
         1. Evolutionary psychologist and computational neuroscientist Donald Hoffman’s user interface theory proposes that space-time is not fundamental.  The universe is a vast web of interconnected conscious agents.  Consciousness, not space-time, is fundamental.
      1. Philosophy of science- Whitehead, Hoffman, Vedic Science
   1. Differentiated Universal Self- A proposed new concept in Bowen theory.
      1. The universe if made of consciousness
      1. Consciousness is self
      1. Matter emerges from the field of universal consciousness
      1. Universal self is differentiated from biology by its very nature.
      1. The direct experience of the universal aspect of self stimulates differentiation in the individual who experiences it.
      1. When the experience is repeated, it becomes integrated outside of meditation, and results in a fundamental restructuring of consciousness, biology, neurophysiology and psychology= differentiation of self.