Holistic consciousness

In preparing my video series on consciousness (available on my YouTube channel), I was led to reflect on my own experience of this complex phenomenon.

Workspace Theory and Intuition

We all receive information from our five senses. Some reach our consciousness, others do not. Baars's theory of the existence of a global workspace is interesting in this respect. Psychology and neuroscience researchers have worked extensively on this aspect and have a fairly clear (although not yet proven) idea of the process of accessing consciousness: The five senses receive information (perception) and send it to this workspace via the neural network. If the information is consistent, especially with information already stored (memorized), it becomes conscious or not.

Because it appears that in this approach, there is an element missing, a trigger or criteria that will make us become aware of something: emotion. Nothing like a scream of terror or a slamming door to make us become aware of our environment again. Fear, sadness, suffering… These are all triggers of awareness that appear when emotion invades the entire field of consciousness.

I will leave aside the question of phenomenal consciousness as addressed by these researchers, to focus on the sixth sense or intuition. The two subjects are close, but psychology claims to be a science and therefore does not study everything that is not observable and attempts to reduce the psyche to a set of information processing mechanisms.

But intuition is not based on any identified biological process, just like beliefs. And yet, intuition, for those who know how to listen, forces open the doors of consciousness and enters this shared workspace without passing through the filter of the five senses, and therefore of memory (apparently) and perception.

In summary, the diagram would be as follows:

Figure 1: The process of consciousness formation

Different levels of consciousness

Consciousness, as we understand it, also imposes thoughts and therefore has a cognitive aspect. These are more or less limited. Let's take the example of a given situation. You decide to go on vacation. You find out about your destination, you do your calculations, you know who you're going to give your cat to to look after... You are aware of your decision and the consequences for you. But what about the consequences in the broader sense: on your spouse, friends, but also the economy, poverty, politics, your ecosystem in the broadest sense. Could there be several levels of consciousness and a holistic consciousness, capable of "capturing" all aspects of a situation..., of going beyond reflection beyond the "I"?

Figure 2 The different levels of consciousness or holistic consciousness

In this diagram, it is important to note the presence of the ego, which has a bad image, wrongly, it seems to me. Indeed, everything starts from the ego, and only a strong and structured ego allows for an expansion of consciousness. Therefore, during therapy, it is no longer a question of castigating the ego, but of consolidating it enough to be able to take a step back or gain perspective.

The question is interesting in terms of responsibility and "psychological science" is not interested in it (yet). And yet! Let's take the case of a divorce that goes badly; egos are hurt because they are exposed; and curiously, some, incapable of becoming aware of themselves and their dark side, will seek revenge even if it means harming third parties or obtaining compensation (often financial) for suffering that is unjustified for them; others will see it as an opportunity to know themselves better and evolve.

Why this difference in levels of consciousness? Everyone should be able to access holistic consciousness, a broader form of intelligence that encompasses the spiritual. Are there specific personality traits that predispose people to it more easily? What about mental health issues that prevent access to consciousness, listening to the soul, or distort the reality of the information received?

These are all areas of research that remain to be explored by psychology.