On projection

“ ‘Things outside you are projections of what’s inside you, and what’s inside you is a projection of what’s outside.’ “ - Haruki Murakami

A few days ago, on Earth Day, I celebrated 42 years on this beautiful planet; I also finished Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore. When I read this short quote, I thought about the previous posts I’ve shared on the idea of “no one being in your head but you.” How this simple fact is a continual reminder to stay curious and practice asking questions rather than making assumptions.

This quote offers another facet to this concept - what we see in the outside world is directly connected to the landscape of our inner world. If we are in a spot of joy, we will likely notice the sun shining more than if we are going through a rough patch. If we are feeling insecure at work, we may perceive more threats while traveling to a concert in a dicey part of town.

Importantly, avoiding or changing the emotions that color our inner landscape is not the goal. As I told a client struggling with anger, the goal isn’t to stop feeling angry; the goal is to be aware that anger is moving through the body and release the projections - the stories - that the anger tries to create. Holding awareness is the goal. But it’s a practice (not an end state) and like any practice, some sessions you will leave feeling successful and others, not so much.

As we close out April, is there an external situation that you can reexamine with curiosity to see how you may be projecting your current internal state? Or, is there tension with another person that you can assess differently - pausing to ask if there is something in their inner world being projected onto your conflict?

Be well, beautiful people.