40 pages • 1 hour read
Michael A. SingerThe Untethered Soul
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2007A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Introduction-Part 1Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1: “Awakening Consciousness”
Introduction Summary
The Untethered Soul explores the Self from the point of view of “intuitive experience” (2) and promises “self-respect and continued self-realization” (2) to readers who are willing to undertake the journey.
Part 1, Chapter 1 Summary: “The Voice Inside Your Head”
Singer begins by stating that everybody has a “mental dialogue going on inside [their] head that never stops” (7). To free oneself from this endless inner conversation, one must “step back and view it objectively” (9); simply notice the chatter without getting carried away by thought and realize that you are not the mind’s dialogue. While we tend to think that our problems are caused by the pain and difficulties we face in life, it is actually “the commotion the mind makes about life that really causes problems” (10). The inner voice not only causes problems for us but also makes us feel comfortable with the world because it gives us an illusion of control: Our thoughts buffer the unfiltered raw experience of reality and “re-create the outside world” (13) in a way that suits our mindset.
