"Letting Words & Images Be" ... Why?

It's fascinating to spend quality time with a young pre-verbal child (a perk of grandparenthood). They can learn amazingly quickly, yet do so without the ability to speak to others, nor presumably themselves (no self-talk).

A "fundamental shift in consciousness" takes place when a young child shifts from preverbal to verbal cognitive processing. By adulthood, we become so attached to self-talk that most of us incorrectly assume that:

1) thoughts are accurate reflections of reality (cognitive fusion);

2) we can't think without self-talk;

3) without self-talk, we may cease to exist.

So most adults unquestioningly relate to our own self-talk - our thoughts, ideas, opinions, based on words & images (verbal & symbolic processing) - as if these were a direct reflection of who we actually are (ego-identification).

However, "a second, similarly monumental transformation from the personal–verbal to transpersonal–postsymbolic processing" can take place in adulthood.

Cook-Greuter SR. "Mature Ego Development: A Gateway to Ego Transcendence?" Journal of Adult Development 2000; 7(4): 227-40.

Meditation instructions keep reminding us to let words & images be, don't engage them, let them go, let them be. This is to release our longstanding conditioning which only allows us to see things pre-processed by our ideas, assumptions & beliefs. To the extent that we can hold our own words, ideas, opinions - our self-concept (ego) very, very lightly, we can perceive ourselves, others, and life more accurately, more directly.

"Transpersonal theory proposes that there are developmental stages beyond the adult ego, which involve experiences of connectedness with phenomena considered outside the boundaries of the ego. In healthy individuals, these developmental stages can engender the highest human qualities, including altruism, creativity, and intuitive wisdom. For persons lacking healthy ego development, however, such experiences can lead to psychosis. Superficially, transpersonal states look similar to psychosis."

Kasprow MC, Scotton BW. " A Review of Transpersonal Theory and Its Application to the Practice of Psychotherapy." The Journal of Psychotherapy Practice and Research 1999; 8:12–23.