SC Musings for Nitya Gurukula

Holistic Energy – an exploration

July 5, 2024

Dear Readers, Welcome to SC Musings, Blog 14,

A trip to Madurai and Virudhunagar was the highlight of the last fortnight. Breaking journey in Madurai, visiting Meenakshi Amman Temple and the Modern Restaurant, I soaked in the old-worldly ambience of the ‘temple city’. The city’s aura, with the melting in the mouth idlis at the restaurant, nourished and nurtured the senses; the temple grounds us in ancient history with all its mystery. Racing energies within are lulled to an even, manageable pace.

Virudhunagar halt was to offer condolences to NG Resource Thenmozhi, for the demise of her mother following a very short illness. Thenmozhi, an integral part of NG, has been a Resource for more than 15 years. However, it is the first time I got to meet her family- her children, grandchildren, father, and sister-in-law. Despite the deep sadness enveloping the environment, we connected so well, that I had to pull myself away to begin my journey back home. Some relationships mature over time, becoming energy fields, which are energising and fulfilling.

After skirting around racing energy and energy fields, we come directly to the concept of energy. In this Blog 14, the multiple facets and qualities of energy are viewed. My experiences, case studies and national issues, help us delve deep into this mysterious, intangible, and ethereal entity: energy. Utilizing the NG Holistic Model and Berne’s concept of psychic energy, the functioning of energy in Self-Others-Environment is considered. Later blogs will address application of this knowledge in various arenas. MRR, that is Managing, Regulating and Refining Holistic Energy is the ultimate objective of these explorations.

I became intrigued many decades ago, with the concept and theory of psychic energy. Berne’s analogy of a monkey (2015.p.40,41) on a tree to explain different forms and manifestations of energy caught my attention. The elusive energy concept, lingering within all these years, began to take shape as I grounded in Transactional Analysis and Tai Chi. Leading to an insight connecting the dots, it laid the foundation for this Blog on energy. So let’s begin at the very beginning, by seeking dictionary meanings of energy.

Energy, according to Merriam Webster dictionary (2024), has diverse characteristics and forms, as presented in Figure 14.3. Also referred to as force, power and a resource, energy has vibrant and pulsating qualities, implying continuous motion. Energy, as a motivational force to bring change and its role in communication, is highlighted in the dictionary. These definitions and explanations clearly establish that energy is ever-present, ubiquitous and all- pervading. Hence, it draws the attention of multifarious populations like scientists, philosophers, the religious, healers and the like. The focus of psychologists and social scientists has largely been on tangible human features like behaviours and communications; energy has been sidelined.

“dynamic quality - narrative energy
the capacity of acting or being active - intellectual energy
a usually positive spiritual force - the energy flowing through all people
vigorous exertion of power: effort, investing time and energy
a fundamental entity of nature that is transferred between parts of a system in the production of physical change within the system and usually regarded as the capacity for doing work usable power (such as heat or electricity) also: the resources for producing such power” (Merriam Webster, 2024)

Selvan*, 56 years, has been regularly attending Coaching sessions in Nitya Gurukula for a few years, to improve his business and empower himself. A successful businessman, ethical and idealistic, Selvan often felt irritated in his family and work life, and very much alone and isolated. He experienced a shift in his confidence levels following coaching, and his business grew more than 3 times.

However, the nagging feeling of frustration, personally and organizationally, was his constant companion. Selvan reported that his head felt heavy often and after being medically cleared, he sought answers in coaching.

Rummaging through his narratives brought a few answers, along with the understanding of his repetitive pattern of internalizing and experiencing others’ emotions. These emotions were continuously pushed below consciousness, as attempts to escape them.

Let’s now unravel Selvan’s predicament with the NG Holistic Model (2024). The heavy head and irritation experienced by Selvan indicated that his physical and emotional layers were enmeshed, resulting in his withdrawal behaviour; this was followed by blockades in communication with his family and in the office. Going back in time, Selvan informed that he was left alone, being the last of many children; he was disadvantaged in most major areas of life, like the school he attended, choice of friends and even receiving proper care in day-to-day activities. Being ignored and bossed over, Selvan’s self-esteem plummeted steadily. There was thus a constant stagnation and build-up of energy within which troubled him. Figure 14.4 captures this troubled state where suffering becomes embedded in Selvan’s body and mind. The lines criss-crossing the Holistic model depict energy stagnation. The struggle to become whole and make up for the early childhood deficits became a way of life, rendering him frustrated, listless and apathetic, unable to experience the simple joys in life.

We will now use Berne’s monkey analogy to ponder over energy stagnation. Cathexis, originating from a Greek word, is used as a synonym for psychic energy by Berne (2015, p.40,41). Webster dictionary’s description of Cathexis is as follows:

“investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea… You might suspect that cathexis derives from a word for ‘emotion,’ but in actuality the key concept is ‘holding.’"

In ‘Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy’ (2015), Berne presents detailed descriptions of the energy shifts which take place in his clients in psychotherapy; the manifestations of these shifts in body language is detailed by him. Berne succinctly elucidates bound, unbound and free cathexis (energy) with the example of a monkey on a tree, which is presented below:

When a monkey is inactive, sitting on a tree, it has potential energy,
Energy becomes unbound when the monkey falls, and a
Monkey choosing to jump manifests free energy.

I use 3 simple actions to demonstrate bound, unbound and free cathexis, and invite you readers to try them.

Step 1: Let’s begin by making tight fists with both hands,

Step 2 : Unclench fists suddenly,

Step 3: Move your fists, making imaginary shapes in the air.

Yes, when fists are clenched tight, they contain potential/bound energy; unclenching fists suddenly releases kinetic/unbound energy; moving hands intentionally demonstrates free energy. These hand movements captured in Figure.14.5, symbolise the expression of the 3 forms of energy.

A quick recap of ego states depicted in Figure.14.6, will help understand the movement of energy from bound, to unbound to free. “Ego states are states of 6 mind, and related patterns of behaviour as they occur in nature” (Berne, 2015.p.30).

Parent ego state, the internalized part of our personality is manifested as rules and internal voices,
Adult ego state is the computer like part of our personality, operational in logical thinking and objective decision making,
Child ego state, is a repository or container of early childhood experiences - when we are childlike, we function from our Child ego state;

In Selvan, energy became ‘bound’ in his Child ego state resulting in his helplessness and irritation; unbound energy in his Parent ego state was unleashed by his family; free energy was apparent in Selvan’s strategic moves to improve his business.

Structure of personality in Transactional Analysis, created using ego states help in tracing energy and its movements within us.

121 persons losing lives in the Hathras stampede tragedy in UP hit us across borders, with energy becoming unbound in the national psyche, and a blame game brewing. Let’s see how free energy can be managed, regulated and refined collectively to prevent such incidents.

Dear Readers, trust you are with me in this exploration of energy- if you are fazed by the technical terms, take a pause and reread; if confusion persists, connect with us. The difficulty is because we are delving into the all-pervasive, but elusive entity energy.

Looking forward to seeing you in Blog 15, where we venture into energy and the self.

References

Berne, E. (2015). (original work published 1961). Transactional Analysis in Psychotherapy. A Systematic Individual and Social Psychiatry. Martino Publishing Cathexis, Merriam-Webster (2024): https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cathexis

Energy, Merriam-Webster (2024): https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/energy

NG Holistic Model: https://www.nityagurukula.org/