So, what you value will change. If you keep valuing the same thing, you won’t change. You may discover that one of the most satisfying and fulfilling experiences is to feel your inner identity, to say, “That’s me!” You shift from being concerned with external self-image to an inner recognition of yourself. You might even discover your essence. “Oh, that’s me! Now I know!” You’re all excited and that’s great. But why stop there? It’s not one discovery and that’s it. How do you know? Maybe that will change too. Maybe it’s not always going to be honey. Today it’s honey; tomorrow it might be apricots. Now you think you understand: Essence will be sweet like something to eat. – Diamond Heart Book One: Elements of the Real in Man, ch. 12
We could say, then, that the self experiences itself from within the self-representation, through the totality of what constitutes this representation. The various images, impressions, and beliefs—the content of the personal history of the individual—which have been integrated into the self-representation, become the lens through which the self not only conceives of itself but, more significantly, experiences itself. The self-representation functions not only as the lens through which the self sees itself, but actually as an inseparable part of the very eye which is the capacity of the self for experiencing itself. – The Point of Existence: Transformation of Narcissism in Self-Realization, Ch. 5
We have shown so far how psychodynamic understanding of self-image leads to the experience of space, and how space, in turn, by modifying or erasing self-image, brings forth the unconscious affects and memories. However, this is not the main action or usefulness of space in this process. As we have seen, the main characteristics of space are openness and the absence of rigid boundaries. It is precisely these characteristics that make it most useful; for when space is present, it acts by challenging and exposing the unconscious self-boundaries of the individual. Since its nature is the absence of boundaries, it will naturally challenge any existing boundaries. This challenge usually manifests as anxiety, because the exposure of unconscious self-boundaries actually lifts certain repressions, and the possibility of lifting any repression arouses anxiety. – A. H. Almaas, The Void: Inner Spaciousness and Ego Structure, Ch. 11