By Dag Spilde and Maria S. Gjems-Onstad Acem is a nonreligious organization, with little talk of spirituality. That is fine with me, although I myself am a religious person. Being down to earth is good. Nevertheless, I seek in meditation something that goes beyond pure psychology. I am curious about what is meant by the term «existential», which is sometimes used in connection with Acem Meditation. Might it be interpreted in the direction of something spiritual? Maybe we can say that existential growth takes place in the periphery of psychological development and that it is of a more basic nature. While our psychological patterns are rooted in early childhood and genetic factors, existential maturation relates to our ways of being in the world. The existential challenge Perhaps all of us have a particular existential stance, a typical way of relating to others and to the world. Although this may partly overlap with our psychological traits, it is also independent. This basic attitude toward existence is influenced by the family we are born into and the time we live in. Recognizing and making use of our opportunities in life is part of every person’s existential challenge. Meditation trains our ability to meet our spontaneous impulses with an open attitude. We try to let come whatever emerges of impulses, thoughts and bodily expressions. Our task is to accept them, not to judge or exclude them. This helps us develop a more basic acceptance of who we are as human beings. Existential honesty Over time, regular meditation and long retreats will help us develop what we call existential honesty, which involves accepting both our capabilities and limitations. Then we no longer need to distort our self-perception, and we can see our environment as it is, rather than the way we would like it to be. These effects of Acem Meditation come from the fact that there are no predefined standards for a «good» or a «bad» meditation. We do not try to obtain a specific state of mind. This distinguishes Acem Meditation from many other approaches to meditation, which typically seek to attain particular states or experiences in order to confirm the effects of the technique and the development of the meditator. Acem’s teachings stimulate us to reflect on the practice , in particular, the way we repeat the meditation sound. The focus is not on attaining anything particular, but on reflection on how we relate to ourselves. Our existential profile Every meditation involves many repetitions of the meditation sound, and each of them is a mirror of our psychological patterns. Our daily meditations are influenced by personality traits that are often quite familiar to us: «My mind is dulled, I am too intense, or too critical, or too lax». With regular meditation over time, particularly in retreats with long meditations, certain traits may stand out more clearly, and we may start to perceive the first signs of an existential profile. The experience is seldom clear-cut or unambiguous, but we begin to recognize something deeper within ourselves: «This is me. This is how I am.» Getting in contact with these parts of ourselves is an important experience that often provides a sense of wholeness. Contact with underlying sides Getting closer to basic parts of ourselves, and learning to accept them, brings calm and inner contentment, independent of external circumstances and shifting inner moods. Some may associate this with spirituality or religiosity, while others do not see it in such perspectives. Most of us will connect the experience with inner calm, silence and contentment. Hopefully, this gives some input to important reflections about what existential growth involves. Translated by Anne Grete Hersoug

Meditation article – The Meditation Blog

Q&A: Existential?

Gøsta2019-09-04T21:50:48+02:00September 4th, 2019|

By Dag Spilde and Maria S. Gjems-Onstad

Acem is a nonreligious organization, with little talk of spirituality. That is fine with me, although I myself am […]

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Towards a more stable self-image
Towards a more stable self-image

Towards a more stable self-image

Gøsta2019-10-15T21:14:25+02:00August 29th, 2019|

By Tor Hersoug

Are there any links between low self-images and meditation? Quite a few, actually. Low self-images may emerge in the meditation as spontaneous thoughts and feelings; they may influence the way we meditate, often without our awareness, as well as our motivation to continue to meditate. […]

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Reconciliation, growth and introspective sensitivity
Reconciliation, growth and introspective sensitivity

Reconciliation, growth and introspective sensitivity

Gøsta2019-07-12T15:45:39+02:00May 20th, 2019|

The focus of this article by Are Holen is reconciliation and how Acem Meditation may contribute towards this end via introspective sensitivity. To meditate strengthens the links to those aspects of the psyche that are not shaped by history and that are anchored in an inner freedom and autonomy; the changes have implications for the individual, for fellow human beings as well as for society; they add a dimension of integrity, genuineness and responsibility to the human interactions.

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Be friends with your wandering mind
Be friends with your wandering mind

Be friends with your wandering mind

Gøsta2019-07-12T15:53:15+02:00May 20th, 2019|

In this article Halvor Eifring discusses the important of mind wandering in meditation. Everyone who has learned Acem Meditation knows that meditation is not about emptying the mind, as many others tend to believe. The challenge is to become friends with everything that spontaneously emerges in consciousness. Restlessness, tension, and ruminating thoughts may be experienced as garbage in the body and mind, but often hide a sparkling diamond. This kind of experience is supported by old meditative traditions.

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Like a storm in the night
Like a storm in the night

Like a storm in the night

Gøsta2019-07-06T09:01:48+02:00May 18th, 2019|

By Andreas Tryggeset

When being touched by a good book, you come closer to yourself. Longings, dreams, unease, shame — all sorts of feelings are activated.

Maybe you recognize this? That reading a really good book brings you closer to yourself. What about meditation? In meditation, there […]

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The Power of the Wandering Mind
The Power of the Wandering Mind

The Power of the Wandering Mind

Gøsta2019-06-29T10:32:49+02:00April 7th, 2019|

Nondirective meditation in science and philosophy

In the fifteen chapters of this new book, experts in neuroscience, medicine, psychology, philosophy, and the humanities share groundbreaking perspectives on how nondirective meditation interacts with brain and body, mind and culture.

Many schools of meditation […]

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Meditation and musical creativity
Meditation and musical creativity

Meditation and musical creativity

Gøsta2019-06-29T10:35:01+02:00April 7th, 2019|

Jimena Villegas appreciates the effect they have on her

“I read a book by a filmmaker who found that meditation helped him find new solutions when he felt stuck in the process of producing a movie. Though I work with music rather than film, the book inspired me to look […]

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Konstanz in our minds
Konstanz in our minds

Konstanz in our minds

Gøsta2019-06-30T17:40:43+02:00April 7th, 2019|

Konstanz is an old city located where the Rhine leaves the Bodensee, and it defines the border between Switzerland and Germany. The oldest part of Konstanz is located on the Swiss side. The city has become German as a result of power struggles, just as Boris Gleb on the Norwegian side of the […]

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Break-through in Science
Break-through in Science

Break-through in Science

Gøsta2019-06-29T10:25:08+02:00November 25th, 2018|

The Center for Quantum Spintronics (QuSpin) explores new ways of controlling electric signals in nanotechnology. Professor Arne Brataas explains the milestone of the new research – and shares his experience with Acem Meditation. QuSpin has recently published a break-through in the scientific journal Nature¹.

Meditation stimulates creativity

Since you practice Acem Meditation and have chosen to make […]

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Life and meditation – deceptive perspectives
Life and meditation – deceptive perspectives

Life and meditation – deceptive perspectives

Gøsta2019-07-05T11:33:16+02:00November 20th, 2018|

What do you see?

The woman in the street, Thomas and the boss, your meditation

As Karen walks along a busy, crowded street on a Saturday morning, she notices a little girl who refuses to be seated in her pram, garbage being dropped on the pavement and a broken window pane. Louis is also strolling in […]

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