The bird’s-eye view

From narrow focus to broader perspective

As I have a tendency to scrutinise everything myself, I have often found myself getting too deeply immersed in my process.

The more I try to understand everything, the harder it becomes to maintain an overview.

Thoughts begin to demand attention.
Emotions colour the picture.
What initially seemed clear turns into a jumble of details.

At such moments, I am no longer observing the process, but am right in the thick of it.

My view narrows.
That is precisely why it can be useful to take a step back.


The art of zooming out
The eagle provides an interesting example here.

It soars not to distance itself from what is happening, but to see more clearly. From above, the details do not disappear. On the contrary, they fall into place.

Patterns become visible.
Movements take on direction.
What initially seemed complex turns out to be part of a larger whole.

Doubt, analysis, looking back and thinking ahead can be valuable. But there comes a point where thinking becomes more active than is helpful. As if every feeling must first be understood before one is allowed to move on.

Natural flow 🌿
Awareness processes unfold in a wave-like motion.

Openness and withdrawal.
Insight and confusion.
Action and tranquillity.

That alternation is not a disruption of the process.
It ís the process.

Movement doesn’t always come from digging deeper, but from creating space.

Air brings movement
The element of air invites that movement. It invites breathing space. It invites a broader perspective in which an experience no longer defines the whole picture.

That’s why therapy doesn’t always have to be intense to go deep. It’s also important to experience that – despite the intensity – it can be enjoyable.

Physical movement can help with this. A session outdoors. Working whilst walking. Nature as the setting rather than the four walls of a therapy room.

And the same applies outside of therapy.
Exercising, a walk in the woods, cycling.
Gardening or creating something.

Activities where your attention shifts for a moment and your body is allowed to participate again. The system is given the chance to regain perspective.

From identification to observation
The eagle also refers to another fundamental aspect: the observer’s position.
The ability to remain present with what is happening, without becoming completely absorbed by it.

The moment when you realise:

These are my thoughts, but I am not them.
This is what I feel, but it flows through me.

Space emerges between the observer and that which is observed.

This provides perspective.
The eagle therefore does not need to change the landscape to find its way.