actually saw “two” movies: Changing Lanesand Nancy’s
process. He was able see the difference in Nancy’s efforts as
well as her level of awareness. Rob became very impressed
with the progress she had made in her inner work.
In our session I suggested she ask Rob to remind her of the
awakening process she had gone through while watching
Changing Lanes. I told her to have Rob mention the character
Doyle’s name in a lighthearted or humorous way whenever he
saw her falling into anger or rage. This would help her tune in
to the same process in a split second and bring back the aware-
ness she had gained that previous night. Nancy agreed and
thought that this also might be fun for both of them.
Weeks later Nancy told me she had experienced only one
small episode of rage, which ended almost immediately when
Rob followed my suggestion. As she was able to become cen-
tered and rational again, Nancy now could address more
clearly the real reason for her anger. Rob was able to listen
calmly and hear what she had to say.
Why Watch Movies with
Conscious Awareness?
It would be ideal if we were able to be consciously aware in our
everyday life. If you have tried it, you might have noticed that
it is not an easy task. As Nancy’s example and the movie
Changing Lanes demonstrate, unconscious patterns and reac-
tions tend to take over easily. We might get angry, frustrated, or
fall into despair in response to something our boss or friend
says or even just to a critical thought we had on our own. If we
fail in constantly reminding ourselves to “step back” and look
at the situation with more awareness, we may remain caught in
one of these patterns for a long time.
To enhance your conscious awareness and ability to be
present, mindfulness meditation or other forms of meditation
can be a helpful reminder. I have practiced different kinds of
meditation and similar practices over the years. Despite this
“When anger arises it
biases our perception and
cognition, and there is a
refractory period during
the anger when you don’t
even have access to your
own intelligence.”
Alan WallaceWatching Movies With Conscious Awareness 41