From early onward, many things get passed on to every child: parents, family, teachers, society are teaching us how to behave. This prevents us to grow up from our essence. Bela Dubbelman shares a method, based on Osho’s vision, to get rid of this conditioning.

Conditioning is learned behavior, so basically everything what is not “real” about us. It concerns everybody. Conditioning feeds all what is false in us and creates our personality. This in its turn, keeps us away from the real, essential and true in us, the place in ourselves where we feel at home. These ‘false beliefs’ from our youth work through the layers of our personality and manifest themselves mostly as our self-destructive behaviors, addictions, and relationship problems.
To get rid of conditioning Bela Dubbelman facilitates in Centrum Djoj the deconditioning course, Primal Deconditioning Intensive (PDI). This is a therapeutic program, based on the vision of Osho, which works on our basic conditioning that was received in the first seven years of our lives. Unconsciously this became the blueprint of who we are as an adult. Bela: “We use in PDI different techniques to reconnect again with the healthy and alive child inside us, as such to free it up from the hypnosis of the past. In the end, meditating on a daily basis is what makes that we continue to stay unidentified from our wounds, while maintaining a healthier and fulfilled life in this present moment.”

What is the inner child?

“The inner child represents the most sensitive and vulnerable part inside us. If we can connect to this part, it opens and connects us with who we really are and the essential qualities that we bring with us into this life. If we are aware of this, for example with meditation, it gives us a sense of coming home inside ourselves and to be in connection with that which is bigger that surrounds us. Often this is expressed as our Self or Being.”

About what is that deconditioning?

“Deconditioning is above all taking responsibility for all that you experience at this time in your life. By making this first step, which also is the most important one, you change literally the direction for searching a solution of your “problem”. You are going to experience that problems are “self-created” and that on a deep inner level many things occur from which we, if we want to, can become aware. This becoming aware is ultimately for which this game that we call life, is at service. You learn that the solution is inside yourself and not in others or your surroundings. And that gives a huge freedom to live your life as you want it to.”

How to get rid of a conditioning?

“So by actually starting to take responsibility for your own life. But before you can do that, the hurt/wounded part inside you needs to receive recognition and confirmation. As soon as you’re going to self-care for this hurt/wounded part inside you, which is a part of your inner child, you first have to get clear what is yours and what you’ve adopted about yourself from others. Only then can you “give it back” to the ones from whom you have previously adopted it.”

Is PDI a form of rebirthing?

“No, it’s a therapeutic process. But it is often experienced as being reborn again. It helps you to get again into your strength, that indeed may be accompanied by strong emotions. You give expression to everything as an adult that you couldn’t do as a child, or was not allowed to, and thereby had to suppress it. Every suppressed emotion leaves a reminder in our system. You make, as it were, a big spring clean on a mental and physical level so you can be free again in who and what you are.”

What is your role in this?

“As a facilitator I make sure everyone can feel safe to bring suppressed patterns, behaviors, into the light, to create a safe environment so that healing can take place. Maintaining confidentiality of all that is shared is part of it. I support participants to critically look at everything that so far is “truth” for them.”

For who is PDI useful?

“PDI is a course for adults and useful and relevant for anyone who wants to take his or her life into their own hands and no longer wants to be limited by crippling beliefs. PDI is not necessarily a beginners’ course. Because primal works with your basic beliefs it can manifest an immense change in your life, you can then think of your life purpose, your opinions, work, relationships and your life in general.”

Do you have deconditioned something?

“I did my own primal process in 1996. Since that time, I have been constantly involved with this work; as a participant, helper, assistant and now as facilitator/therapist. It has turned my life 180 degrees because how I live my life now, I couldn’t have imagined that in my wildest dreams. All that I live now did not even had an “existence” in the time I did primal, it has definitely helped me that I again came in contact with my own truth. Something I was completely separated from at the time. This work has eventually contributed that I can reconnect each time with my pure self and face everything what it takes to stay in connection and deal with it.”

[photo caption:] Bela Dubbelman: “it has turned my life 180 degrees…”

Published in Koorddanser Spring-2017