The ‘I’ sense is the sense of perceiving the individuality of another; to truly sense there is another human being present rather than only perceiving outer characteristics, cultural conditioning or being unable to discern the difference between a “bot” and a human. Despite a person’s race, sex, gender, religion, social status and culture there is an ‘I’ being that is not those things. Sensing the ‘I’ of the other is important for healthy relationships; in fact, we start to develop a sense about a new human being while they are in utero.
We can usually see this sense developing when we start standing up for our individuality in the late teens, early twenties. Whether or not it matures fully, depends significantly on the maturity of all the other senses which together develop the capacity to be in a place within ourselves that does not judge or have a preference, but can truly meet the other. Without effort, it may come and go and be more like a gifted moment of perception.
Hyper sense of ‘I’
To have a hyper sense of ‘I’ is to experience the ‘I’ of another strongly and find it difficult to hold one’s own self as a separate individual without experiencing overpowerment in one way or another. When alone, people with a hyper sense of ‘I’ can have a strong connection to themselves, but when mingling with others, they may find it difficult to have or maintain their boundaries. They tend to fall in love easily and be overly sensitive in a relationship.
Hypo sense of ‘I’
A person with a hypo sense of ‘I’ is less able to perceive the ‘I’ of another human being, tending to treat people according to outer characteristics such as their sex, age and skin colour. They can feel connected to others within a collective group and have intimate relationships, however perceiving the needs of the other and falling deeply in love can be difficult due to their lack of discernment of another as a unique and independent human being.
How to harmonise and support the development of the ‘I’ sense
No matter how people express themselves we can seek and acknowledge the part of their expression that is unarguably true. And when seeking of the higher is offered by someone else to us, we learn to do the same for another. The ‘I’ sense is supported to maturity by upholding expectations in homelife that help every household member to flourish, rather than rules based on making a particular person’s life easier.
Treatments and activities used to harmonise the touch sense also harmonise the ‘I’ sense. Eurythmy, Oil dispersion bath therapy and rhythmical massage are especially helpful. Please contact me to be put in touch with therapists. Developing the Self Developing the World also offer an arts program that supports the harmonious relationship of thinking, feeling and willing and sensitivity and strength in perception.