The phrase Sunflower Mind puts human relationality in a broader context: Relationality is not a unique characteristic of human beings or even animals, but it is a basic function of all life.
The difference is that, in this as in many other areas, our human physical and mental capabilities allow us to extend this function beyond what simpler life forms can do. And we can be mindful of these processes.
The basic concept is that interaction shapes us, which is another way to say that we are affected by our circumstances. Sensing into our bodily experience puts us in touch with the bottom-up response of our organism.
Bottom-up:
As human beings, just like all other living things, we naturally respond to situations from the bottom up. Our brain is not a computer that gathers data and then processes them. The gathering of information is at the same time a processing of information. For instance, take the case of somebody who perceives a presence behind their back. They start tensing their shoulders. There is no conscious perception and there’s no conscious decision to brace. In fact, the person may not even be aware that they’re bracing.
Mindfulness:
Given that we already have the information in our body, we get access to it by mindfully paying attention to what is happening inside, as opposed to analyzing the situation from the outside. So this involves turning the attention to sensation, as opposed to mental processes.
Felt sense:
As we do this, we experience what Gene Gendlin called the felt sense, or bodily felt sense. Within this model, the felt sense is simply the experience of the way our nervous system and muscular system have oriented to respond to the situation. So the felt sense is an awareness of what is essentially a movement. This movement may be manifested in our muscles and our posture, or it may just be in the nervous system as an incipient movement.
Orienting:
As we become aware of the felt sense, and of the underlying orientating response of our body, we become more aware of what it is we’re reacting to: the situation, and the way we perceive it (i.e. we are not necessarily responding objectively). As we become aware of it, it becomes possible for us to modulate our response.
Unfolding:
As we become aware of the implicit response, it is possible for us to allow it to unfold in a safe, controlled way. As we let it unfold, the underlying movement is completed. As we have the experience of completion, we also have the sense of what it means, in a concrete way as opposed to an abstract way. This is how we find meaning in an experiential, embodied way.
The thread that binds all of this together is the felt experience of relationality, of life as interaction.
A simple example of how this manifests is in relational mindfulness.
This perspective dovetails with the notion of Polyvagal-informed mindfulness.
See also: Sunflower Mind course for therapists.