Mindful Musing

Life is How We See It

We have the opportunity to see the value in each moment, rather than its negativity.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate the magic of our HUMAN PROCESSING MIND that is able to create meaning and our reality in every experience.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate and learn about one’s CONDITIONED HISTORY that determines selfing.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate the INTENTIONALITY and VALUE of how every created thought and feeling is an attempt to keep us safe, loved and worthy.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate what one can learn to EVOLVE along this contemplative path from our storied self to mindful presence.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate the magic and mystery of being HUMAN as a sentient being.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate one’s innate GIFTS AND PASSIONS.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate feeling INTERCONNECTED and INTERDEPENDENT with everything.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate the inevitability of DEATH to teach us to live each moment to its fullest.

Each moment is an OPPORTUNITY to appreciate the CHOICE one has in how you can act to be in a SKILLFUL relationship with what is present.

We need to intentionally reflect as often as we can, not whether the experience is good or bad in a judgmental sense but learn to recognize and appreciate the value in whatever is present. We need to change the lens through which we LOOK TO SEE. We create a predetermined way to look at experience every moment so that we see it as valuable, supportive, nourishing and enabling. In seeing the value in every moment we are less likely to be judgmental, be in resistance and act unskillfuly in reaction to it.

This is an intentionality that we need to start our day with and repeat as often as we can.

by Dr. Phil Blustein
March 6, 2026

Conventionally when we talk about ourselves it is from the first person perspective. It is from our personal point of view. We use “I, me, my, mine, we and our.” One can also describe what is happening from the third person perspective. In this scenario one is relinquishing ownership of the story to a witnessing perspective. One uses words such as “He, she, it, they, his, hers them or one’s name.” Using the third person perspective is an effective way to objectify the sense of self and support non-identification. What one is doing is stepping back and describing what is happening to this “person” that appears separate from you.

I lose my keys and am very angry. Conventionally my mind says: “I am so stupid and careless to have lost my keys. This is terrible. What will I do.” Describing it from the third person perspective I would say: “Philip lost his keys and now is feeling worried and upset.”

This initially feels quite strange to talk about yourself like this. Normally when we use someone’s first name we are talking about someone else.

Ethan Kross demonstrated that third person self-talk helped to facilitate self-control. Kross, E. Third-person self-talk facilitates emotion regulation without engaging cognitive control: Converging evidence from ERP and fMRI (2017). Scientific Reports Volume 7, Article number: 4519

It is a very simple effective technique using language to support mindfulness.

by Dr. Phil Blustein
February 20, 2026

Non-self-referential Labeling

In labeling one is trying to use an objective description of what is happing rather than a self-referential perspective. Describe what is noted without the use of the word I. In describing a sensation from the I perspective will only support reification of self and subsequent identification with it.

Label what is present by “NAMING IT”

This initial approach to labeling is to name the content, what is known. This can include several options. One could label the type of sensing, the sensation that is known in a general sense, the sensation that is known in a more specific sense, the interpretation of what is known and the reactive self-referential thoughts and emotions. Conventionally one might say: “I am hearing. I am hearing a sound. I am hearing the sound of a bird. I am hearing a pleasant sound of a bird. I am enjoying the sound.”

Preferably one would label in the following manner without the ownership of the sense of self: “Hearing. Hearing a sound. Hearing the sound of a bird. Hearing a pleasant sound of a bird. Enjoying the sound.”

Label what is present as “IS KNOWN”

Another approach to labeling content is saying what is present “is known.” One is not saying what it is known by. This open-ended statement forces one to consider the options. Is it me who knows? Or is it knowing that knows? Adding “is known” to the label points to the other aspect of the knowing of what is known, not just what is known. For example, one would say: “Judging is known. Sadness is known. Throbbing is known.”

Label what is present as “KNOWING”

This may be the most effective way of labelling as it more directly anchors one into the active process of the awarenessing of what is known. The emphasis is on the knowing rather than what is known. One can state: “Knowing (sadness, anger etc.)”

by Dr. Phil Blustein
February 6, 2026

Mahasi Sayadaw was a Burmese Buddhist monk in the late 1800’s who popularized the idea of LABELLING that was a support for Vipassana or Insight meditation. Historically sustained awareness and deep concentration states of Jhana were believed necessary before one attempted insight. Mahasai Sayadaw was more interested in Momentary concentration. The moment to moment awareness of experience without the need for deep concentration to access insight.

This was a technique where one would use one word labels to identify the experience. For example for thinking one would label the experience as thinking, planning, judging, imagining. For physical sensations one would say squeezing, pressure, throbbing, heat. For actions one could say jumping, runnning, hitting. We experience multiple sensations in any moment and it would be impossible to label all of them. Therefore we end up labelling what is dominant in the moment or what we are inclined to be interested in.

Conventionally we automatically subconsciously after contact with a stimulus place a perception on it. There is a knowing that we are seeing an apple, hearing a bird, tasting ice cream, smelling a flower, touching the soft skin of a baby or thinking a thought of anger. The problem of perception is that there may be a knowing of what is present but that does not necessarily mean one knows what they know. Meta-awareness.

In intentionally labeling the experience one is bringing meta-awareness to the moment. It supports continual awareness. This labelling of the continuous flow of experience is indicative of the impermanent nature of what is being experienced. In labelling one has to step back and observe what is present. This is helpful in non-identification with the sense of self. It helps one anchor into the experience as it is and limit the secondary meaning making and selfing.

Putting feelings into words has been shown to help manage negative emotions. Matthew Lieberman using an x-ray of the brain called a functional MRI demonstrated that individuals who labelled their emotions had an increase in the parts of the brain that are important for emotional regulation and planning, while a decrease in areas responsible for fear. Lieberman, M.D. (2007). Putting Feelings Into Words. Psychological Science 2007 Volume 18 Number 5

If you name it you can contain it

Labeling our emotions helps to control them. We are able to self-regulate our reactions more effectively.

I would suggest you experiment with labelling during your meditation. I would invite you to sit up straight and close your eyes. Now bring awareness to whatever arises and label it. As you become comfortable with labelling bring it to your life moment to moment.

by Dr. Phil Blustein
January 16, 2026

I would like to offer a practice that encompasses the totality of the components of mindfulness that includes awareness, an experiential relationship with discernment and compassion resulting in skillful action. Importantly this practice is linked to the breath as a support and symbolic representation of the underlying process. This practice may be more accessible to individuals who have a deeper understanding of their personal conditional nature of self without the need for reflective inquiry. However it may also be of value early in one’s practice as a way of representing and being in relationship with selfing.

SMILE
As soon as the mind starts to criticize and judge instantly SMILE. This is an affirmation of the spontaneous knowing of the underlying process. It is the loving smile of one’s discerning adult or mindfulness for the wounded child that is calling to be heard. It is a smile of compassion and love. The act of smiling has great physiological and emotional benefits. It supports release of feel good neurotransmitters. It reduces stress and improves one’s mood.

INHALATION
The smile is instantly followed by an inhalation. The inhalation reflects a gathering and unification of the created negative energy as a result of the conditioned creation of the sense of self. There is a collection of the dissatisfaction to a central point at the peak of one’s inhalation. It is as if one is extracting the pain from one’s human presence.

EXHALATION
What naturally follows is the exhalation. This beautifully reflects the letting go of one’s attachment to one’s personal story and identification with the sense of self. A letting go of one’s suffering.

STILLNESS
One follows the exhalation to its end. One is resting in the stillness of mindful presence to allow for innate wisdom, compassion and skillful action to arise.

by Dr. Phil Blustein
January 2, 2026