• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

Order of Introspection

Smilephantomhive

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Messages
3,352
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
Okay so when people want to introspect to help them understand themselves, and eventually solve problems/stop bad habits/negative coping mechanisms that are deeply ingrained in the, do you think the person should think back to as early as possible, or think about more recent things, and uncover layer after layer?

In other words, should it be chronological or reverse chronological?
 

Galena

Silver and Lead
Joined
Mar 12, 2013
Messages
3,786
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I don't know, but want to bump this thread because it's interesting.
 

Smilephantomhive

Active member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Messages
3,352
MBTI Type
ISTJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
Hmm I think I naturally just do what's currently bothering me, and kinda go all over the place in terms if past events.
 

Dreamer

Potential is My Addiction
Joined
Jul 26, 2015
Messages
4,539
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
794
This process tends to work for me, but I usually begin by getting myself in the right frame of mind. Stupid daily chores or whatnot has to be taken care of first otherwise I'll just be thinking about the pile of things I still have to do and the anxiety that comes with it. Then I put on my headphones and situate myself in a place (usually in public somewhere like a park) and let my mind do the navigating. Meaning, I don't steer my thoughts, I sort of allow thoughts to come to me. When something does come to mind, I always work backwards. Start with the issue as it is now, then think of possibilities of why I may be thinking/feeling that way, either by previous events, previous emotions, I don't know. Nothing is classified when I'm doing this and "stuff" just sort of falls into place after a while. Sometimes it'll take more than one session for the more convoluted issues on my mind, other times, rather quickly.

You were probably looking for more concrete ways for me to describe my introspection process, but I think keeping it abstract is what allows things to fall into place, almost on their own. Sometimes I find that how I make sense of something, is not how it's naturally supposed to be understood and I end up going in circles on issues.

I feel like I'm starting to sound like a hippie so I'll stop here.
 

magpie

Permabanned
Joined
Jan 21, 2010
Messages
3,428
Enneagram
614
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
It depends on what exactly you're introspecting about and why (aka your end goal). I've found it easiest for me personally to go in reverse chronological order. This is because it's easiest to peel off the outermost layer of an onion first in order to get to its core. In order to truly get to the core of an issue, you have to process it over and over from different angles, bringing different aspects of the same issue into conscious awareness. Eventually you'll find that all your problems, bad habits, and negative coping mechanisms originate from the same core issue, which is made up of all experiences that have subconsciously reinforced your mode of thinking throughout the years. Once you've brought what's subconscious into conscious awareness, you are capable of changing it, controlling it, and choosing to do / react / cope in whatever way you think is best.
 
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Messages
1,659
I never think of a strategy when introspecting. It's mainly just a bunch of jumbled events that come and go as they please. Sometimes it helps me understand the situation better when it's randomized in that fashion, but that's probably just my crazy self occasionally preferring out of order sequences. Although, I do tend to go far back as possible in order to get to the root of the problem, but just not exactly in the same order the events took place. What I typically do is I first think about the situation and then uncover multiple reasons that could possibly be connected to it. However, as long as you somehow come to a conclusion, then it shouldn't matter about the process. I think both examples you gave could work just fine imo.
 

á´…eparted

passages
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
8,265
Introspection for me is not linear, and thus I don't pay attention to time. I go with the flow and see where it takes me, and connect dots when they seem connected. I honestly couldn't describe it well. In many ways my environment drives it more than I do.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
Exquisite

Just as the work of a soldier is to bring order to chaos on the battlefield, so the work of the contemplative is to bring order to the chaos of the inner life.

So both the military and contemplation are fascinating occupations.

My own experience with contemplation has led me from the tactical to the strategic. At first my thoughts pour on just as soldiers pour on to the battlefield, they battle with one another, they struggle to breathe, they are triumphant or defeated, but slowly, over time, the outlines of the battle take shape, the battle is limned, and then everything changes.

All of a sudden it is not what I am thinking but how I am thinking. I move from the rational way of thinking to the imaginative way of thinking, I suspend my disbelief, I revel in my imagination, until I have had my fill, and then the unimaginable happens, the battle ceases, all of a sudden, without warning, all my thoughts cease completely, and there I am in the middle of the battlefield, in complete silence, completely awake, with no words, no sound of battle.

What can I tell you without words, all I can say is that it is exquisite.
 

Zeego

Mind Wanderer
Joined
Apr 15, 2016
Messages
390
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
I don't think there's any one right way to do it. Introspection is by definition individual, so use whichever approach works best for you.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
I don't think there's any one right way to do it. Introspection is by definition individual, so use whichever approach works best for you.

The order of introspection is as important as the order of battle, but once the battle starts and once introspection starts, all order disappears.
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
14,037
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
496
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
It can be helpful to let go and allow your natural impulses to decide how to start. I find very open stream of consciousness works because the way your mind naturally organized it can be informative as well.

Writing into a journal or recording yourself to listen or read later is useful. Having one state of mind that is purely experiential and observing impulses without imposing structure or judgement can help find the authentic inner meaning and feeling. Then going back to read it listen later with an analytical state of mind can reveal new understanding.

Some people may prefer some kind of structure to the process, but it is useful to leave some free spontaneous aspect for the mind to make its own natural connections.
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
Staff member
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
27,230
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
This process tends to work for me, but I usually begin by getting myself in the right frame of mind. Stupid daily chores or whatnot has to be taken care of first otherwise I'll just be thinking about the pile of things I still have to do and the anxiety that comes with it. Then I put on my headphones and situate myself in a place (usually in public somewhere like a park) and let my mind do the navigating. Meaning, I don't steer my thoughts, I sort of allow thoughts to come to me. When something does come to mind, I always work backwards. Start with the issue as it is now, then think of possibilities of why I may be thinking/feeling that way, either by previous events, previous emotions, I don't know. Nothing is classified when I'm doing this and "stuff" just sort of falls into place after a while. Sometimes it'll take more than one session for the more convoluted issues on my mind, other times, rather quickly.
Do you actually listen to music, or just use the headphones to block out sound and deter interruption? If so, what sort of music? On what does your choice depend?
 

Dreamer

Potential is My Addiction
Joined
Jul 26, 2015
Messages
4,539
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
794
Do you actually listen to music, or just use the headphones to block out sound and deter interruption? If so, what sort of music? On what does your choice depend?
It starts out as actually listening to the music, but the music I put on is also set to repeat, so what I'm doing, is selecting music to help put myself in a state of mind to allow it to wander.

I like the music of Tom Day if you've heard of him. No singing or lyrics, just mellow beats usually, with sounds like birds or waves crashing, instrumental music. Nothing too dramatic and emotional either. Actually, I find his music rather free of emotion, for me, and I think that's why his music is often good for such moments, for letting my mind wander. I can cue my mind into feeling certain ways with emotionally charged music, but if the intention is for introspective reflection, I want an environment as neutral as possible.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
The ancient Greeks were a contemplative culture, while the ancient Romans were a culture of action. The ancient Greeks gave us our start, for instance the Bible was first written in ancient Greek, and then translated into ancient Roman, Latin, into the Vulgate, the vulgar language of the Romans.

And while the Greeks gave us our start, counting the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, called Byzantium, the Roman Empire lasted 1,500 years.

So are you contemplative or a person of action? Are you Greek or Roman?
 

Lucy_Ricardo

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2017
Messages
146
MBTI Type
INFP
Thinking about thinking is so trippy, and I love it.

When I'm introspecting, it's like a spider web. The threads of thought radiate from the middle, and there are threads connecting each of the main spokes along the way. I'm always trying to connect everything, even things that don't look connectable. I'm not always successful, but that doesn't matter because it just adds another thread to the thought.

Time doesn't usually matter for me in instrospection, and I'll lose hours if I don't watch myself.
 

Kas

Fabula rasa
Joined
Apr 22, 2015
Messages
2,554
It's more of introspection disorder in my case :D as it depends what at time I'm thinking about and why.

And even considering psychology approach (psychoanalysis or psychodynamics) it can be seen both ways, though more often from more current events -> what's happening now and what internal conflicts in past could cause it.

Whatever suit individual is fine.
 

Red Memories

Haunted Echoes
Joined
Jun 3, 2017
Messages
6,315
MBTI Type
ESFP
Enneagram
215
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I start in the past because usually a past even is a trigger to some current thing I feel so strongly and work up.
 

kirsten

New member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
20
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
sp
Interesting question.

I think it's good to pinpoint certain problems or certain feelings that you've been experiencing all your life, or for a large portion of your life, because those things will probably indicate something important about you. So, my answer is "both" I guess? I think you'll get the farthest if you think big-picture.
 

Lead Guitar Wankery

New member
Joined
Mar 12, 2017
Messages
96
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
1w9
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
Depends on when the problem seems to have started. A recently developed problem probably can't be solved by delving deep into one's past, for example.
 

EnnisPreit

New member
Joined
Jul 2, 2017
Messages
149
MBTI Type
°Nt
Okay so when people want to introspect to help them understand themselves, and eventually solve problems/stop bad habits/negative coping mechanisms that are deeply ingrained in the, do you think the person should think back to as early as possible, or think about more recent things, and uncover layer after layer?

In other words, should it be chronological or reverse chronological?

I think chronology is unimportant. What I do is identify areas of opportunity of growth and see how changing a certain habit could effect my life in the long run.

Usually something external happens to cause this.
 
Top