Recapitulation

Recapitulation, as described by Abelar (1 p. 46) and Castaneda (2 p. 148) (3 p. 106), is a lifelong practice that requires a systematic and detailed recollection of every event in our entire lives – “all the people we have met, all the places we have seen and all the feelings we have had”. The recollection of each memory entails going further than simply recalling every possible detail, and instead, reliving the event, as if actually going into the memory, while simultaneously performing a natural, rhythmic breathing technique referred to as the “sweeping” or “cleansing” breath, which is used to “fan” or “sweep” the event. In some ways, Recapitulation is similar to a sitting meditation because it employs inward focus, visualization and concentration, as well as a particular breathing technique. However, Recapitulation differs in at least two significant ways from common forms of meditation. First, instead of focusing on the breath, an object, or mantra, the mental effort associated with Recapitulation involves the systematic retrieval of, and focus on, detailed episodic-autobiographical memories; working backward in time, “starting from the present, going back to the earliest memories”. Second, a “fanning” or “sweeping” of the event, using the “cleansing” breath, requires coordinating inhalations and exhalations, with turning the head from side to side.

 

According to Castaneda and Abelar, Recapitulation has three essential components; a place of solitude, detailed recollections and the “cleansing” breath. The places of solitude described by Castaneda (4 pp. 284-288) and Abelar (1 pp. 57,240) include a custom built wooden crate, a snug cave and a tiny, one-room, tree house. These small, out of the way, places contribute important elements to the practice of Recapitulation, such as; separation from the daily world and its concerns, a place without disturbances to support long periods of concentration, and an environment with minimal distraction to aid in developing attentional focus and memory retrieval.

 

The recollection of each event involves reconstructing in one’s mind, every possible detail, including all the physical details of the surroundings, the persons involved in the event, and even one's own feelings. The practitioner is advised to “…enter into the locale itself, as if actually going into it”, “to re-experience the events and feelings in as much detail as possible” and to relive, more than merely recollect.

 

The “cleansing” breath, used to “sweep” or “fan” the event, requires the practitioner to slowly and gently turn the head from side to side, while inhaling and exhaling. Specifically, the head is turned toward the right or left shoulder to start. A deep inhalation is taken as the head slowly turns toward the opposite shoulder. At that point, a deep exhalation begins as the head turns back to the starting position, where the exhalation ends. The inhalations and exhalations are synchronized with the turning of the head, and continue in a slow and rhythmic manner while the event is thoroughly recollected in one’s mind.

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Research cited in our book (e.g. memory reconsolidation, deep abdominal/slow-paced breathing and reminiscent therapy) shows that Recapitulation can reduce attachments to the patterns and routines of ordinary daily awareness through memory reconsolidation - a process that provides “a window of opportunity to rewrite emotional memories” and change behaviors as well as stagnant beliefs. Recapitulation provides all the elements necessary to support memory reconsolidation, and fundamentally alter perception. Additionally, Recapitulation employs elements such as interludes of solitude and slow-paced breathing that are conducive to reducing stress and anxiety and improving feelings of relaxation and well-being which not only support cleansing emotional memories during the reconsolidation window, but also aid in reducing attachments to patterns and routines associated with daily life. Decreases in stress and anxiety, encourage new ways of perceiving, by not only freeing thoughts and behavior from repetitive and reflexive habits and routines, but also by freeing cognitive resources like memory, attention, and executive function from the limitations imposed by memory.

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The world is a huge screen of memories. 

- Taisha Abelar, The Sorcerer's Crossing

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You see things not as they are, but as you are. Your perception is shaped according to your previous experiences..

- Eric Butterworth, Spiritual Economics

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RESOURCES:

The Sorcerer's Crossing by Taisha Abelar

Magical Passes by Carlos Castaneda

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1. Abelar, Taisha. The Sorcerers' Crossing: A Woman's Journey. New York, NY, USA : Penguin Books USA Inc., 1992.

2. Castaneda, Carlos. The Art of Dreaming. New York, NY, USA : First HarperPerennial / HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.

3. —. Magical Passes: The Practical Wisdom of the Shamans of Ancient Mexico. New York, NY, USA : HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1998.

4. —. The Eagle's Gift. New York, NY, USA : Pocket Books / Washinton Square Press / Simon & Schuster, 1981.

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