FREEDOM AND AGENCY AND THE ROLE OF ATTENTION What is described above is a repetitive moment-to-moment cyclical process where much of our day-to-day interactions are reactive rather than fully conscious. Depending on prior experiences the outcomes from our "action choices" are as likely to be uncomfortable, dissatisfying or even traumatic as compared to positive and leading to satisfaction and happiness.
In deep meditation states such as the Jhānas it is possible for a person, at least temporarily, to step out of such cycles into a more expansive and "freer" state of awareness and "presence". This was an unexpected finding of my (2019) research which highlighted the crucial role of training attention. In a review of the follow-up book Jhāna Consciousness (2022), a leading neuroscientist and former psychiatrist reviewer described this "control of the brain’s attentional processes [as] the holy grail of many psychotherapies—a holy grail that we now know exists".
CONSULTATION AND COACHING This central role of attention can be harnessed (albeit to a lesser degree than in deep meditation), using simplified techniques based on my research mentioned above. The first step however is through consultation sessions to explore a person's general background and life experiences, to identify what (mostly unconscious) patterns might be leading to negative active inference cycles in everyday life, interfering with satisfaction in life, well-being, performance and creativity. Based on that exploration, exercises in attention can be tailored to suit a particular person.
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