Introduction
Life has a structure that offers us something one after another as it constantly flows, and since we do not have the chance to turn back time or move it forward, we only live in the time period we are in. This situation; It further increases the importance of “the moment we are in”, that is, now. Realizing this importance, therapy theories have included the concepts of "living in the moment" and "here and now" in the therapy stages. From time to time, we all find ourselves thinking about a job we couldn't finish, a friend we will meet later, someone we had an argument with, and many other problems, instead of paying attention to the present moment. So we can get stuck on a past event or a future plan. Life; It is spent thinking about the concepts of past, present and future. In this article, we will discuss how thinking about the past and the future affects our current environment, that is, living in the "now" and "moment". We will discuss how future and past thoughts have an impact on people's understanding and evaluation of the present, that is, the present moment, and also on experiencing the feeling of pleasure they will get from that environment.
What is the Concept of "Being in the Now and the Moment"? ?
The concept of “Being in the Now and the Moment” is one of the popular concepts today. According to the Turkish Language Association, the meaning of the word "now" is defined as "the time we are in right now". The meaning of the word “moment” is defined as “a part of time that is too short to be divided”. The concepts of "da sein" in German, "being in the world" in English, and "carpe diem" in Latin mean being in the moment and noticing that moment. In these languages, the concept of being in the moment is expressed together with the concept of awareness. To define a person who lives in the moment: "He is aware that past experiences have already happened, and knows that future experiences will only become clear at that moment; therefore, it is better to live in the moment instead of thinking about them." He is the one who says (Rogers 2011, Quoted by: Avcı 2016). According to Eckhart Tolle (2018:40), being present and in the moment simply means being intensely aware of the moment you are in. Now is so important that even if desired, there is no need for anything other than that moment. It is impossible to think, feel or do anything. Now also means “here”. Nothing has happened in the past, everything has happened now. What is thought of as the past is the storage of an old present in the mind. The concept of time is not very important, what is important and valuable is actually "now" (Tolle 2018). According to Duncan, "right now" and "here" means understanding the value of the time you have and having a complete awareness. It is about moving away from the worrying past and future. It is taking advantage of the opportunity of being here now (Duncan 2013, Quoted by: Avcı 2016). Rogers interpreted living in the moment as living an existential life. It means being able to fully live every moment of life without fully adhering to principles and rules (Rogers 2011, Quoted by: Avcı 2016). For Perls, what is valid is "now". Nothing else is valid and important. We have no chance to return to the past and the future is still far away. For this reason, only now is important. The principle of here and now does not mean forgetting our experiences or teachings we have gained in the past and not making use of them. It is not living by ignoring the future and not doing anything for it. The main thing is to ensure that we live in the present. A healthy person is free to look back or forward when necessary, without leaving the present (Perls, Hefferline and Goodman 1972, cited in Kunter 1995). Most people spend their time worrying about the mistakes of the past, keeping them in their thoughts and making plans for the future, instead of living in the present. Perls defined anxiety as 'the space between now and then' and stated that individuals experience anxiety when they move away from the present and deal with the future. Some of the near and distant events in our lives can also come into existence now. In this form, it should now be considered as a process of realization (Corey 1977, Demirsar 1990, Quoted by Kunter 1995). Perls ; It uses the concept of "being in the present and the moment" together with the process of awareness. For him, the concept of “here and now” means people becoming aware of what is happening within them (Yalom 1980).
Discussion
“Now and Now” The Place of the Concept of "Being" in Therapies
Therapy In other methods, the concept of "here and now" has been emphasized a lot and has taken its place in the treatment stages of some therapy methods. Existential psychotherapy; He emphasized that the past, future and present are a whole and that it is impossible to separate them from each other, but that what is experienced is in the "now and the moment". What is experienced in the present increases one's awareness. Existentialism puts the concept of "Dasein", which means "what is there", at the beginning of its philosophy. “Da+being” means “sein+there or what is there”. “Understanding human behavior is a matter of understanding well what is happening in the moment.” Its philosophy is the basic underlying principle of existential counseling theory (Topses 2012). The future present is the primary tense of existential psychotherapy. If the therapist works with the data experienced in the "here and now" of the treatment, the power of the therapy is greatly increased (Yalom 1980). Although there are differences and similarities in the applications of "Gestalt therapy" and "Cognitive Behavioral Therapy" theories, there is an invitation to "here and now" in both of them. These therapy methods; They focused on the concept of "here and now", without ignoring the past and future of individuals who are in a problem, but in order to partially get rid of their burdens. Cognitive behavioral therapy deals with the “here and now” (Dinç 2014). The main truth of Gestalt therapy is that it effectively deals with the life problems of individuals. The task of therapy is to help patients experience being in the here and now (Corey 1977, Quoted in Kunter 1995). Gestalt therapy keeps the principle of "here and now" at the center and uses the healing power of this principle in its therapy. According to this therapy, "here and now" is very important and is at the center of therapy (Prochaska 1984, cited in: Dinç 2014). Perls, Gestalt Therapy; He defines it as a therapy method in which "we ask the patient to pay all his attention to what he is doing during the therapy, at the moment of the session, and to be aware of his gestures, breathing, emotions and facial movements as well as the thoughts passing through his mind "here and now"." (Yalom 1980). Among the basic principles of Morita therapy, "focusing on the moment" is important. It holds a place. According to this therapy, it is said that enabling the person to focus on the 'moment' instead of eliminating the symptoms in the situation has a therapeutic power (Garcia & Miralles 2017). Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness, which he purifies from religious and spiritual characteristics, as "paying attention in a certain way: knowingly, in the present and without judgment" (Kabat-Zinn 1994, Gülüm 2017). With this feature, being in the now and the moment can also be defined as awareness. Mindfulness-Based Therapy uses the "here and now" principle to prevent recurrence of depressive attacks. Within these approaches, general cognitive behavioral principles are integrated with a type of mindfulness meditation that focuses on thoughts, emotions and body sensations with curiosity and without judgment within the framework of the "here and now" principle (Segal 2002, cited in: Vatan 2016). It is stated that with this integration, it is possible to work more easily and effectively in preventing depression, where sadness, fear and anxiety are at the forefront (Hunot 2013, cited by: Vatan 2016). One of the stages of acceptance and commitment therapy is the principle of "focusing on the moment". In this therapy, focusing on the moment is defined as "focusing on what is happening here and now, being involved in the moment, being an experiencer rather than an observer of what is happening here and now" (Hayes et al. 1999, cited in: Vatan 2016). What is meant here is to intervene in what is happening around you at that moment, to stay involved in life, to get involved and experience the events instead of watching them. Living in the moment should not be seen as only understanding and perceiving positive events. Living in the moment means understanding and interpreting negativities. In other words, it means living a qualified present. It is understanding what you feel and what you are aware of in the present moment. Now and the moment are creative and original within the naturalness of human life (Aktan 2011, Quoted by: Avcı 2016). The present moment is everything that a person really has. The only thing that is with you in life is the "moment" (Tolle 2018). As can be seen, "now" and "moment", which exist in human life and are the only things that can really intervene, have been the subject of many writers and included in therapy methods. At the same time, people's emotional There have been many opinions about the need to adopt this principle in order to cope with problems.
The Relationship between the Concept of "Being in the Now and the Moment" and Happiness
This principle leads to happiness. It has been treated as an important point on the road. “Matt Killingsworth, with the “Track Your Happiness” application he developed with a phone application during his Harvard doctoral study, monitored people in real time (instant) throughout the day and the connection between this state and happiness. The application, which has 15 thousand participants, sends a signal to the participants at various times and they are asked three questions about their current experiences. These questions; “How are you feeling?, What are you doing?, Are you thinking about anything different from what you are doing?” It is in the form. In the answers given, it is revealed that the minds of participants of various demographic characteristics are somewhere else, instead of focusing on what they are doing, 47% of the time (Tekeoğlu 2012). According to this research, a high percentage of people are not sufficiently involved mentally in what they do. We cannot be fully present in the environments we are in, mentally, and this affects our happiness to a great extent. The research shows that when people do a job or activity they do not like, or when they think about something else while doing that job, they are less happy than when they focus on the job or activity in question. According to this research, people are happier when they are interested in whatever job or activity they are doing and focus on it and stay in the moment (Tekeoğlu 2012). “Being in the now and in the moment” can also be seen as a method of stress reduction. The main basis for reducing stress is focusing on the self. Being fully aware of your reactions and getting in touch with the “now and moment” appears to help control thoughts. This will also allow stress to be reduced. However, the easiest way to achieve happiness is to have the "most satisfying" experience in flow. It seems that being "here and now" has a very important effect on the sense of satisfaction we get from the work we do. Getting the most pleasure from a job or activity depends on the "here and now" principle (Hector Garcia & Francesc Miralles 2017).
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