Authentic Self

When a person is being themselves, the article says the core feeling is peacefulness. Healing is framed as returning to an authentic essence rather than becoming an enhanced person. The authentic self is identified through a felt foundation of peace rather than mainly through intellectual analysis. Protective coping strategies, roles, habits, fears, and externally validated behaviors can obscure the authentic self. The authentic self is approached through wants, values, needs, feelings, enjoyment, and internal signals. Meeting the authentic self requires first separating the person from protective patterns and false identifications. A recognized feeling point of authenticity gives a person an embodied place to return to.