Summary of James Fadiman & Jordan Gruber's Your Symphony of Selves

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 All humans are composed of more than one self. When things are going well, each plays its rightful role as part of a harmonious symphony. But when things aren’t going so well, we are often forced to recognize and deal with our different selves.

#2 The Single Self Assumption is the belief that we are a single, unified entity. It is the belief that we are a collection of healthy, harmonious selves. However, this way of thinking is so prevalent that it seems like a barrier or veil prevents us from directly experiencing or considering the idea that we are a collection of healthy selves.

#3 The Single Self Assumption is the belief that we have only one self. The new assumption is that it is normal to have more than one self, and that optimal functioning and well-being necessitates acknowledging and working with all of our selves.

#4 Bowie was extremely shy, but he was able to get onstage if he had a new identity. He adopted personas in his musical career, and his legacy is the idea that we have many different selves and if we can only dare to confront them, we can choose who is to host our life at any one moment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822520080

IRB Media

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Insights on James Fadiman & Jordan Gruber's Your Symphony of Selves

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

All humans are composed of more than one self. When things are going well, each plays its rightful role as part of a harmonious symphony. But when things aren’t going so well, we are often forced to recognize and deal with our different selves.

#2

The Single Self Assumption is the belief that we are a single, unified entity. It is the belief that we are a collection of healthy, harmonious selves. However, this way of thinking is so prevalent that it seems like a barrier or veil prevents us from directly experiencing or considering the idea that we are a collection of healthy selves.

#3

The Single Self Assumption is the belief that we have only one self. The new assumption is that it is normal to have more than one self, and that optimal functioning and well-being necessitates acknowledging and working with all of our selves.

#4

Bowie was extremely shy, but he was able to get onstage if he had a new identity. He adopted personas in his musical career, and his legacy is the idea that we have many different selves and if we can only dare to confront them, we can choose who is to host our life at any one moment.

#5

The idea of selves is not new. Many books have been written about the subject, and they all differ in some way. Our book differs from these other books in that it focuses on health and wholeness, and it believes that since selves exist, trying to deny their existence is a mistake.

#6

The core idea that we are composed of multiple selves has little to do with mental illness, deviance, or criminality. It is a key step toward health and creativity, and away from illness and dysfunction.

#7

The authors of this book are not the only ones who have thought about the mechanisms of managing multiplicity as a means to more healthful and successful living. Many thinkers, authors, and artists have made inquires into their own multiple minds.

#8

When you are embodying a particular self, there can be a wide variation in your fundamental qualities and attributes. You must recognize, experience, and appreciate your different selves. Each one is an important part of who you are.

#9

The story of the man with the multiple personalities is a difficult one to believe. But the data – the real experiences of scientists, therapists, and the many people who have experienced similar sorts of physiological changes – takes us in a different direction.

#10

The Single Self Assumption is the belief that we are a single, unchanging person, and it is embedded in the back of our minds. It is rarely questioned in ordinary cultural discourse, and it prevents us from being fully happy and achieving our utmost potential.

#11

The idea of healthy multiplicity is not just about having different moods or aspects, but about having different selves that are alive and autonomous. You have a culture-wide adherence to an assumed unity that rarely exists, and a denial of what many of us already know to be so about the way things actually are.

#12

The Single Self Assumption is the belief that you only have one self, and that your own self is the only one that matters. It prevents you from seeing what is true or validating experiences to the contrary.

#13

The book’s first section introduces the basic ideas and premises of the healthy selves model. It outlines the many advantages and benefits