One of the primary methods used in the Diamond Approach is open-ended inquiry. Rather than following strict dogmas or practices, students are encouraged to explore their personal experiences, feelings, and beliefs deeply and honestly.

Inquiry

To cope with these perceived deficiencies, individuals might develop ego structures or personality traits that serve to compensate. For instance, someone with a hole around "strength" might become overly aggressive or dominant as a way to overcompensate.

Compensatory Mechanisms

As one works through and understands the nature of these holes, there's an opportunity to reclaim the lost essential qualities. Instead of feeling the deficiency, individuals can begin to experience and express their true nature and essential qualities more fully.

Reclaiming Essence

Central to the Diamond Approach is the understanding of "Essence" – the true nature of the self, which is seen as a fundamental, pure quality of being. Differentiated aspects of Essence can manifest as qualities like love, strength, clarity, or compassion.

Your Essence 

The approach considers spiritual realization not as a fixed endpoint but as an ever-unfolding process. There's always more depth, nuance, and understanding to discover.

Ongoing Revelation

Due to these holes, individuals may develop false beliefs about themselves, thinking they are inadequate, unlovable, or worthless. These beliefs can then become self-fulfilling prophecies, guiding their behavior and interactions.

False Beliefs

Within the context of the Diamond Approach, these holes are explored using inquiry. As individuals delve into their feelings and memories, they begin to recognize and confront these voids, leading to a deeper understanding and eventual healing.

Exploration in Therapy

In the Diamond Approach, the relationship with a teacher can be a critical component. The teacher provides guidance, feedback, and support, helping students navigate and deepen their personal inquiries.

The Role of the Teacher

When children do not receive appropriate mirroring or positive feedback for their natural qualities or essence (like joy, strength, love, etc.) from their environment, they can come to believe they lack these qualities. Instead of experiencing these qualities, they feel a void or absence – a "hole."

Origin of Holes

Personal experience is highly valued, with the understanding that direct experience (as opposed to intellectual knowledge) is the most reliable source of truth.

The Value of Experience

The Diamond Approach recognizes that psychological blocks and childhood traumas can hinder spiritual development. By addressing and understanding these issues, individuals can remove barriers to spiritual insight.

Integration of Psychology and Spirituality

The Diamond Approach is a contemporary spiritual path that integrates both ancient spiritual teachings and modern depth psychology. Developed by A.H. Almaas (a pen name for Hameed Ali), this approach aims to guide individuals toward realizing their true nature and the inherent reality of the universe.

Self Mastery

The "theory of holes" is a concept within the Diamond Approach, as developed by A.H. Almaas. It pertains to the psychological and spiritual understanding of deficiencies or "holes" in the individual's sense of self. These holes arise due to certain childhood experiences where essential aspects of our being are not seen, appreciated, or responded to by our caregivers.

Theory Of Holes

The theory of holes offers a framework for understanding how early experiences shape our self-perception and behaviors. By addressing these holes, one can move toward greater wholeness, authenticity, and spiritual realisation.

Embrace Your Holes.

I discovered this series from Dr. Gabor Mate and found these insights mind blowing! Thought I’d share with you all. 

The opening installment in a five-volume series on the Diamond Approach—a path to greater self- and spiritual realization—presented by its founder   Founded by spiritual teacher A. H. Almaas, the Diamond Approach presents a unique path to enlightenment that borrows from modern psychology and therapy. Through the method’s core practice of inquiry, practitioners engage with their inner world—the very qualities and experiences that make them human—as a means of unlocking their potential and discovering the true power of their spiritual nature.   This five-volume series is a collection of Almaas’ lectures on the Diamond Approach. In Elements of the Real Man, he covers topics such as faith, commitment, nobility and suffering, truth and compassion, allowing, and growing up. Through these talks, Almaas offers valuable guidance and advice for those on a spiritual path, and he explores the challenges and psychological barriers faced by those seeking self-realization.