The Observing Self

 Also known as the Noticing Self, The Watchtower, Meta-Awareness or The Aware Self, The Observing Self is the part of ourselves that is able to step back from all experiences and nonjudgmentally observe what's going on in the present. It can observe the outside world by noticing our senses (sight, hearing, touch, etc.) but also our internal experiences of thoughts, feelings and sensations. The wonderful part of The Observing Self is that we can always access it and it's always a safe and steady place for us to observe things from.

Before you roll your eyes at the hokey mumbo jumbo of it all, let me share the science. The part of the brain that can observe like this is in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex. When we engage in mindful awareness by accessing The Observing Self, the connections between the Medial Prefrontal Cortex and the part of our brain responsible for emotions (The Amygdala) are strengthened. In short, this strengthened connection can help us stay in control and less reactive when we feel strong emotions. 

Accessing The Observing Self allows us to take a step back from our thoughts and feelings, so they have less power over us. It doesn't change how we think or feel in a given moment - in fact it might even deepen our awareness of thoughts and feelings that we typically ignore. But the difference is, it let's us notice those things from a safe distance so we can make the choices that best serve us in the long-term. 

You might be wondering how exactly we strengthen a part of our brain. Well, the good news is our brains are always changing based on our experiences! This is known as brain plasticity. In brief, this means that whatever thought processes we practice get stronger over time and whatever thought processes we don't practice weaken over time. Similar to our muscles at the gym, the more we work out and train certain muscles, the stronger those muscles become. With this in mind, if we want to strengthen our Observing Self, we need to start training! 

Accessing our Observing Self can be done either formally through a guided mindfulness meditation or informally with mindfulness. A nice place to start is with a guided practice such as this one or this one or if you'd prefer a more informal mindfulness exercise, see my previous posts here and here. However you choose to practice accessing your Observing Self, consistent practice is key if you want to change your brain!

The concept of the Observing Self can be found within various sources, but my knowledge on this subject is primarily rooted in the therapeutic approach Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). For more information on this subject, please consider speaking with an ACT therapist.