ABSTRACT
A common perception in Western philosophy and the world of ideas is that consciousness is equivalent with verbal thought activity. Normal waking consciousness keeps quite busy performing the tasks it has been trained to do. An experience of a scent can be associated with a visual memory, and the sight of a flower may awaken a certain feeling. According to A. Damasio, experiencing, knowing psychotherapists feel, and reflecting on emotions represent three different levels in the mind and the brain. A separate drawing of the broken insides of the jug evoked a background emotion of disappointment. Feeling an emotion is mediated by second-order structures, a proto-self that senses changes in the body. Bodily associations with dreams are often overlooked even though they may provide very important perspectives.
