What is Emergent Thinking?

What I have come to call Emergent Thinking® is a process that began for me nearly eighteen years ago. I had been experiencing very significant life transitions, which were causing me some acute stress. It all began on a beautiful spring day as I ventured out for a bike ride. To my surprise, rather than basking in the warmth of that day, I began to feel quite anxious. I was experiencing what we ordinarily refer to as an anxiety attack.

I headed back to my house, not at all certain what relief that might provide. Upon returning home, I absentmindedly picked up an unread book, The Turning Point by Fritjof Capra, which clamored for my attention. The book described in fascinating detail a major shift of paradigm that was beginning to impact every aspect of our culture.

Most importantly, I read of a universe that was essentially whole and thoroughly interconnecting, in which any notions of separation were merely an illusion. As I continued to read I experienced not only a loss of my anxiety but a profound peace and harmony, as I became a participant in this magical wholeness. It seemed that reality was, in fact, not composed of separate and discrete objects, as Sir Isaac Newton had instructed us, but was essentially a tapestry of energy in which all parts interpenetrated one another. The universe was a picture of evolving coherence, and I was an integral part of it.  My mind quieted, my curiosity piqued and my soul began to enlighten. My turning point had begun.

Participating with Reality

Since that reading I have immersed myself in this unfolding process of participating in and with reality. It has profoundly impacted my personal and professional life. As my sense of reality altered to align with the remarkable discoveries of the emerging sciences, my belief system also began to reframe itself. It was no longer congruous for me to adhere to old notions of separation, objectivity or constructs of cause and effect. I came to see a reality that was inexorably flowing, an undulating, mystical and inseparable whole. I learned through this process that our beliefs are the primary source of our thoughts. As my new worldview began to modify my beliefs, it wasn’t long before my thoughts started to cohere with this changing system.

This profound shift impacted not only how I see but also how I think and live. I integrated these discoveries into my work as a psychotherapist and was buoyed by the rapid shifts and, in many cases, transformations that many of my clients were experiencing. Rather than change being elusive, it became an accessible vehicle for reaching their desired goals. I sought to further this process and came to call it Emergent Thinking®.

The foundation of this approach is based upon learning to utilize and integrate many of the remarkable discoveries of the emerging sciences – quantum physics and complexity theory, for example. I do so by bringing the academic loftiness of these sciences into a useful, practical everyday approach to liberate us from the stranglehold that our obstacles place upon us.

The Emergent Thinking® process enables us to master our thinking as opposed to being enslaved by old thought. The process unravels the myths of false beliefs that entrap us and illuminates the path toward infinite potential. As humans, our lives can flourish when we move into states of becoming, no longer fixed in a particular state of being. The emerging sciences depict an unfolding, inseparable and fully participatory worldview, which provide us with not only meaning and purpose but also relatedness to one another and the universe at large. When we embrace this unfolding process of potential, our lives shift and our transformative journey begins.

More from Mel…

Podcast #102: If You Could Live Your Life Over

Podcast #93: Become the Author of Your Thoughts

In my next post I’ll share some particular insights and practical approaches to catalyze change in your life.