Einstein was right, we CAN be in two places at the same time. Here is how it works.

Dual awareness is the process of being able to pay attention to one or more experiences simultaneously and helps contain overwhelming feelings, thoughts and body sensations. Dual awareness is about developing an observing self, while we are having an experience of something, even when that experience is a traumatic memory. When you have a flashback, you have one metaphorical foot in the past, and if you are practicing dual awareness, the other foot is in the present.

Tuning Into What is Happening

One way to practice dual awareness is to think of a mildly distressing event while noticing your body sensations, emotions, and thoughts… and at the same time….noticing where you are, by observing something in your space. This could be the shape of an object, the color of your pants, or your shoes. You could notice the sensation of your feet in your shoes on the ground. You could notice sounds and smells. You can also acknowledge what the date and time is, as well as your name and date of birth, while observing that you are no longer experiencing the distressing event. This can help ground you in the present moment while helping calm the nervous system that has gotten activated by distress. You may need to do this several times before the distressing sensations and emotions dissipate.

Dual awareness is the ability to recognize that, “I’m feeling upset right now, BUT I am still safe!”, that, “I might be having a flashback, but what’s going on with me right now has to do with something from the past, and I’m aware of where I am in the here and now, separate from that memory of the past.” It is an acceptance of the past and the present at the same time.

Cultivating Dual Awareness Can be Done Through Mindfulness Meditation.  

The basic instruction for cultivating dual awareness is to focus your attention on an object – the breath, an image, a sound, a feeling – and returning attention to that object when the mind wanders. Over time, you will be able to see your thoughts come and fade away – without getting caught up in them. The point of meditation is not to get rid of your thoughts, but to transform how you relate to your thoughts and begin to notice when you are getting churned up, when your focus is on uncomfortable sensations and thoughts. When you notice this, without suppressing or repressing, visualize the observing self.  Perhaps they are standing on a small outcrop of rocks, looking into the wild sea. Continue to visualize these two selves, without judgement, as they operate simultaneously within you.

As the venerable Pema Chodron writes: “You are the sky, the rest is just weather”.  Work in training the observing self to watch the weather, to observe the experiencing self at the center of the storm.  This is the light of dual awareness and it is a critical component of learning to relate to distress and discomfort.