Consciousness and
Human Nature Articles

A few years before I named my work "Emergence," a group of scientists exploring the chaotic properties of math and physics began using this word as well. At the time, I had no idea. Years later, when I discovered this, I was quite surprised to find that my work in and around human consciousness and personality is actually a subset of theirs.

More odd still, we both use this word; "emergence"; to refer to the same amazing events. We use it to refer to the moments in which patterns suddenly and spontaneously emerge from nothing. In their case, of course, what emerges is patterns which spontaneously appear during mathematical and physical processes. In my case, what emerges is the patterns which alter our very natures, from the scientific "eureka" moments and the falling in love "romantic" moments to the spiritual "epiphanies" and meditative awakenings.

For me then, the word "emergence" refers to the study and creation of these wonderful moments; the events wherein we fall in love, heal our wounds, discover our world, and grow as beings; the amazing "aha" experiences.

So what exactly happens to people in these incredible moments? This question is actually the driving force behind much of our work and much of what you'll find on this site.

And what have we learned so far? More than ten years later, we have found three new ways to explore human nature. The first, a Visual Map of the Mind, explores humanity as a whole and uses Emergence to create visual images of human consciousness. The second, the "Layers of Aloneness," is a completely new theory of human personality. With this theory, we explore human beings as individuals, looking for what we all have in common. And for what keeps us from connecting to each other. Finally, the third, Emergence Therapy, looks to heal these disconnections, permanently, blamelessly and with love.

Consciousness. Personality. Therapy. Three very different views. And yet they all stem from the same core experience; the "aha" experience; "emergence."

So what happens to people in "aha" moments? This question is what we will be exploring in this section of the emergence site. We will also be looking more closely at the three theoretical perspectives I've just named, perspectives which reveal the very nature of being human, especially with regard to our health, healing, personality, learning, love, and even consciousness itself.