Deepening

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Deepening Framework (created by me, Rastal) is a set of techniques for progressing in equanimity, from the point where you have to go looking for a sense of fundamental okayness to the point where you can't even go looking for it because you just feel obviously okay, all the time. This sort of progress is traditionally expected to take years or decades, but practitioners using this framework consistently achieve these shifts in weeks or months. It works with whatever shows up in your system, helping you find and stabilize into whatever comes next for you. Rather than forcing anything or trying to create specific experiences, it helps you naturally progress until lasting inner peace is as constant as breathing. The framework also includes supporting techniques to work through common challenges that show up during this process.

Prerequisites

The only prerequisite for using this framework on your own is having at least some access to persistent equanimity. This means you can ask yourself "Do I, right now, feel fundamentally okay?" and always find a yes—even if it's faint and in the background, and even if you have to go looking for it. That looking and finding is exactly what we'll be working with. If you can't reliably find that sense of fundamental okayness when you look for it, working with a guide can help—the techniques themselves can help develop this access when someone is there to support the process.

Goal

When this process is complete, the question "Do I feel fundamentally okay?" becomes almost trivial - of course you feel okay, what else would there be to feel? There's no need to look for it, and it feels impossible to sink into it, because it's just there, obvious and in your face, all the time. For a high-level view of how experience changes through this process, see Stages of Equanimity.

Core Process

The basic practice consists of:

1. Sinking In - connecting with and expanding your current experience of equanimity
2. Cycles of Shifting and Noticing:
   • Shifting moves you downward through the current experience to discover what's beneath
   • Noticing allows you to explore and stabilize each new level before moving deeper

Session Structure:

• Length: 90 minutes
  • This is the sweet spot for making progress
  • Shorter sessions don't allow enough depth
  • Longer sessions can exhaust the nervous system
• Typical rhythm:
  • Initial Sinking In (10-15 minutes)
  • 2-4 cycles of:
    • Shifting (until a new experience stabilizes)
    • Noticing (5-10 minutes)
    • Brief Sinking In (1-2 minutes) before next cycle
• Spacing: At least 1-2 days between sessions
  • Allows for integration and background processing
  • Some practitioners do monthly sessions with consistent progress

Supporting Techniques

Two additional techniques are used as needed:

• Gratitude - counters any sense of effort or striving that arises
• Active Deconditioning - works with distractions, contractions, or resistance

Most practitioners require full sessions dedicated to Active Deconditioning at certain points in the process.

Note on Practice Types

This framework was developed for and is primarily used in guided sessions. While solo practice is possible (see Tips for Solo Practice), the rest of this documentation assumes a guide-practitioner setup.

License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. When sharing or adapting this material, please include appropriate attribution with: 'The Deepening Framework by Rastal, licensed under CC-BY 4.0.'