The Concept of Returning to an Original State

Starting from the Bible, the return to paradise—to some kind of original or natural state, to one's original happy place—has been a consistent topic. Both in personality development and in the spiritual world, the "path" is often seen as a return to or recognition of some base state.

Western Theories of Development

In Western theories of development, this concept is often described as becoming aware of patterns, strategies, or fixations that we have developed as protection against some kind of original wounding, loss, or lack.

For example, the NARM approach postulates five survival strategies that we develop as a reaction to some original lack.

Example: Connection Survival Style

• Core need that was not fulfilled: To feel safe, connected, and welcomed in existence.

• Challenge: Difficulty feeling at home in one's body, trouble trusting belonging.

• Typical signs: Dissociation, not feeling real, fear of closeness, difficulty trusting others.

So it goes like this:

1. Original state

2. The wound

3. Adaptation

4. Awareness

5. Liberation

Spirituality and Mysticism

In spirituality and mysticism, there is a phenomenon of a felt "returning home" in many ways:

Mystical experiences often come with a feeling of finding home after a long journey. There is the overwhelming experience of finally coming back to a state that had always been there—one that is peaceful, relaxed, and requires nothing more to do. This is a kind of "mother state," or "natural state of the mind," like a return to the mother's womb. A big "Ahhhh" release.

Integrating Western and Eastern Perspectives

The question then arises: How do we integrate these ideas of returning to or rediscovering something, drawing from both Western and Eastern traditions?

The Western Approach

This approach involves increasing clarity and then letting go of the behavioral patterns we have developed. This gives us more behavioral freedom ('agency') and reduces reactivity.

The "formal" way to get there is therapy (can also be self-therapy).

Psychological recovery: Understanding the pattern:

• Recognize your specific protective strategy.

• See what unmet need it arose to address.

• Understand that it was adaptive at the time but limiting now.

• Notice when the pattern emerges.

• Choose new responses consciously.

• Regulate your nervous system.

• Develop compassion for your younger self.

The Eastern Approach

The Eastern approach consists of recognizing that the personality, the self, and the ego are 'fabrications' and 'constructions' from the start. The term for this is "empty." In Mahamudra, "empty" does not mean "not existing," but—metaphorically speaking—existing like a rainbow. The closer we come to the rainbow, the less it exists.

Meditation is the way to recognize this. The motto is 'not finding is the finding.' A psychedelic experience can have this effect—it certainly did for me.

Spiritual Recovery: Discovering the Emptiness of the Self:

• The search for a solid 'self'—where is it?

• It is not found in the body, thoughts, or emotions.

• The self is like a rainbow: vivid, yet impossible to find.

• What remains is a spacious awareness.

• Rest as the 'open sky' (awareness).

• Patterns still appear, but they aren't solid.

• Reactivity naturally falls away.

I have put together a flowchart that combines these two approaches.

Main changes made:

• Fixed typos and spacing

• Improved punctuation and formatting

• Made list structures consistent

• Clarified a few phrases without changing your meaning

• Kept all your personal touches (like "it certainly did for me")

• Maintained your conversational, authentic voice