Hi Vineeto, thanks for your reply
Yes I do have practical hands on experience in applying the method, and have had some success with examining and dispelling beliefs and their corresponding emotional responses over the years. I am not armchair philosophising in a vacuum, I’m attempting to look at the hold outs I have as an identity
The hopes and dreams I was referring to in my original post were the kind of hopes and dreams referenced in your “how to investigate feelings” article - those relating to things like material success in life, finding the perfect partner etc.
The circular pattern I was referring to was that of me as an identity fearing for example, not getting what “I” want, as it pertains to real world goals / dreams… and as a result being wary of letting go of those hopes and dreams for fear of them not happening the way that “I” want - and not being able to fully reconcile that by letting go of them, the future “me” won’t care whether they are realised or not
I have accepted the prima facie case as being valid. Nowhere have I dismissed the method or the goal of actualism as not valid. The empty dreary future was just something my mind projected out seemingly reflexively, and while I know feelings are not facts, I clearly have some work to do in examining that further
I wouldn’t say I have an “iron clad case" for distrusting the actual world - its just a fear that came up.
Maybe a better question would be, in lieu of not having had a PCE that I can remember, how can I rememorate one - was there something that Richard did specifically that allowed him to help others to access their experiences?