TABLE 4.

Themes and categories appearing through this process.

Theme	Category	Clarification	Sample statements from CI sessions, [session number, asterisks (*) are votes]
1 Action Orientation	Effective action	Discerning action, leading to transformative contributions to others and the world	Contributing to society with integrity (4) Actions are usually productive (1)
	Free-flow	A sense of creative freedom and flow which is spontaneous, non-striving and non-resistant	No longer needing to control (4***) Thinking in a way that is fresh and creative (2)
2 Other perception	Connectedness	A feeling of connection with others, nature and fundamental reality, while sensing profound belongingness and familiarity	The experience of being connected with all that is (1*) A feeling of being connected to something greater (2*****)
3 Self-perception	Identity perception change	A sense that one’s self has dissolved, or has shifted away from the normal sense of being a separate thing with a body, thoughts and feelings, often to something less separate	Recognition that nothing can be taken personally (5) Feeling less separate (4)
4 Deconditioning and embodiment	Aliveness	Enhanced aliveness of experience including greater presence, sensitivity, and sensation in the body	A sense of lightness (3**) A sense of presence (1*)
	Clarity	A profound sense of awareness and insight into fundamental reality as well as one’s perceptions, beliefs, actions and their consequences	A recognition that “good” and “bad” depend on thinking (1*) A sense of accessing my true essence (1**)
	Acceptance	A sense of acceptance or non-judgment, of myself, others, and situations	No longer feeling superior or inferior to others (4) A deep acceptance and love for what I am (1*)
5 Interpersonal emotions	Open-heartedness	Being fully open to one’s own and other’s feelings, feeling love and empathy, and treating all people with kindness and compassion	A sharing of myself and my gifts (4*) A feeling of profound empathy (3*)
6 Emotions	Unconditional peace	A stable sense of peace and ease, even in the face of problems, difficulties, and conflicts	No matter what is happening I can sense stillness and peace (1) A focus on peace, regardless of interferences (1*)
	Trust	A sense of unconditional safety, nurturance, and confidence	A sense of trust in inner guidance (1**) A sense of being in a safe haven (2)
	Appreciation	A deep appreciation, valuing and cherishing of life, experienced as bliss, joy, and absence of negativity	A sense of no longer having a fear of death (2) Valuing connecting to inner wisdom (3*)
7 Foundational orientations	Wholeness	A sense that everything – including oneself – is an intrinsic part of a whole and that everything is perfect as it is.	A sense of the world being one energy field (3**) A recognition that suffering is part of oneness (1****)
	Unboundedness	A sense of boundaries dissolving or having dissolved, to reveal unbounded spaciousness and non-separation from everything/anything	A sense of the self-pervading everything (1*) The experience of no distinction between me contained within the body and the world outside (5)
	Time–perception change	A sense that the conventional three-part division of time into past, present, and future no longer fits with one’s experience	A sense of there being no time (2*) The transient nature of experience (5*)