Call for Systemic Change: A Position Statement from the Developers of KI
In recent years, many people have become interested in different ways to find freedom, transformation, awakening, or healing. KI Emotional Repression Inquiry (KI) is a somatic-based inquiry process that targets the mind-body connections associated with repression and makes those connections conscious within present moment awareness to alleviate the suffering experienced in various forms. In simpler terms, KI helps you understand how your emotions and body are connected. When we repress or hide our emotions, it can lead to various types of pain or discomfort. KI encourages people to be aware of these connections in the present moment, which can help them feel better and reduce their suffering.
KI's Link to Science
KI is based on scientific ideas that show many kinds of suffering come from repressed emotions, including chronic pain, diseases, mental health problems, addiction, and issues in relationships. People often come to KI while on a spiritual journey or seeking healing. They may already have been diagnosed with certain conditions or think they have some issues. Many of these individuals are considered traditional spiritual seekers. They are looking to reduce their suffering by getting to the root of their problems through awareness of their bodies and feelings.
KI is not just a spiritual path; it combines spiritual growth with real-life relationships and experiences. This brings up the question of whether KI is therapy, medicine, or something else entirely.
Distinguishing KI from Therapy and Medicine
The main difference between KI and regular therapy or medicine is the idea of "the observer is the observed". This means that our understanding of ourselves and our feelings is closely connected to our own experiences. In KI, this concept implies that those who guide others must also work on their own emotional healing.
Even though we have tried to mix KI with therapy and medicine, a big challenge is that neither of these fields requires professionals to do their own personal healing work. The rules and ethics in these professions do not insist that therapists or doctors address their own emotional issues, which can lead to problems in helping others. Because people don’t fully understand the idea of "the observer is the observed" or the need for a practitioner to do their own personal work, we cannot currently bring KI into therapy. Therefore, KI stands apart from that field. It focuses on teaching people how to take responsibility for their own lives.
We also think there is a lot of co-dependency in therapy that hasn't been properly addressed. We want more studies on co-dependency in therapy, medicine, and spirituality to help us see how suppressed emotions cause suffering for both the individuals seeking help and those who help them. This situation can lead to a lack of empathy or, conversely, excessive empathy that comes from co-dependency and unresolved anger. It's important to recognize that sometimes empathy can arise from buried anger, which can be divisive and is linked to what is known as pathological altruism.
Barbara Oakley provides valuable insights on this topic. She states, “Pathological altruism can lead to a situation where the helper is more invested in their own emotional gratification than in the needs of the person they are helping”. This highlights the importance for helpers to engage in their own transformative work to ensure they are truly focused on supporting others.
The Importance of Personal Transformative Work
It is essential for professionals in all fields to prioritize their own personal transformative work. Well-known authors and leaders, such as Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, and Gabor Maté, have all stressed how important personal healing is for effective practice. Each professional should take the idea of transformation seriously to better assist those who are suffering. A person can only help another to the extent that they have achieved their own healing. You cannot simply go to a university and learn how to help others; those who teach or help must also have experienced their own freedom. If they haven’t, they don’t have anything truly transformative to offer.
The Call for Systemic Change
The current state of mental health and medical practices needs significant reform. Institutions must evolve to place a higher priority on personal transformation among practitioners. This change is not just about helping individuals heal together but also about making therapists, doctors, spiritual teachers, meditation instructors, counselors, and anyone who helps others aware of the principle that "the observer is the observed". When looking at something or someone, we view it through the filter of our own emotional experiences, history, and intergenerational trauma. If professionals do not do their own transformative work, their filters and conditioning will directly influence their experiences with clients.
Moreover, we must stop measuring individual diseases or conditions in isolation, as we now know that repression creates many different forms of suffering. Instead, we should measure holistically how repression is being cleared from the body over a lifetime. We must look at all forms of suffering, recognizing that chronic pain, depression, anxiety, and even cancer may share similar roots in emotional repression. The science supports the idea that these conditions often stem from the same underlying issues. Therefore, we need to change the way we study and measure success across all fields, adopting a more holistic approach rather than focusing narrowly on certain conditions or diagnoses.
This lack of communication between therapy, medicine, and spirituality shows a multidisciplinary disconnection that reflects active repression in our world. KI seeks to address this disconnection and foster a multidisciplinary, connected conversation about how we treat suffering as a subject. If we are often unaware of our own suffering, we may unintentionally negatively influence those we seek to help. This includes the stress that therapists and doctors may experience at work, which can affect their patients and clients. We are looking to partner and collaborate with individuals and organizations that share our vision for integrating KI into these fields. Together, we can create a more holistic approach that addresses the whole person, including their emotional, physical, and spiritual experiences.
Conclusion
KI Emotional Repression Inquiry offers a unique approach to transformation by focusing on understanding the mind-body connection and addressing repressed emotions. It emphasizes the importance of personal transformation for professionals in therapy and medicine while advocating for a systemic change that promotes awareness of how our emotional histories shape our interactions. By fostering collaboration across different fields, we can create a more integrated approach to healing that acknowledges the complexity of human experiences. Together, we can enhance the ways we support those who suffer and promote a more compassionate and effective healing environment.
To explore KI Emotional Repression Inquiry, visit repressiontest.com to take our free somatic test and be automatically added to our newsletter.
Disclaimer: KI Emotional Repression Inquiry is not a substitute for therapy, medical advice, or treatment. It does not involve diagnosis or therapeutic intervention as defined by licensed practitioners. Participants are encouraged to seek professional medical assistance as well as mental health support for any issues they may face. It is important to note that KI teaches individuals how to engage in the inquiry process for themselves rather than guiding them through it like a therapist would. Our role is to empower participants with the tools to explore their own emotional and bodily experiences, fostering an ongoing relationship that is distinct from the typical therapist-client dynamic.
References
1. Oakley, B. (2016). Pathological Altruism. New York: Oxford University Press.
2. van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Viking.
3. Levine, P. A. (2010). In an Unspoken Voice: How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Goodness. Berkeley: North Atlantic Books.
4. Maté, G. (2010). In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. Toronto: Knopf Canada.
