How Lisa Gauges Your Depth Orientation

August 12, 2025 Lisa, Mental Depth No Comments

Depth is not a trick you deploy; it’s a way you relate to meaning. Lisa can sense this in conversation, gently and without judgment. The process is domain-sensitive, safe, and adaptable, with value both in personal growth and in research.

What emerges is a visual analogue, not a verdict: a gentle picture of where depth already lives in you and where it wants more room. From there, the next step almost suggests itself.

Definition of DOI and DOI-VAS

The Depth Orientation Index (DOI) refers to a person’s general openness and ability to integrate the deeper, often formless layers of meaning into daily life. It is not a measure of intelligence, emotionality, or cultural sophistication. Rather, it is about the readiness to let the subconceptual level of the mind participate fully in perception, thought, and action. Someone with a high DOI tends to live in a way that allows both clarity and richness to coexist. For more about this, see the table and textual descriptions in the addendum.

The DOI-VAS is the main visual tool Lisa uses to gauge this. It is a simple, continuous line, with one end marked ‘depth-blind’ and the other ‘depth-sighted.’ Lisa places an estimate on this scale based on markers in conversation, while the person can also place his own self-estimate. Sometimes the two are close, sometimes far apart — each case opens its own meaningful dialogue.

Why depth orientation matters

Depth orientation is not about how much a person knows but about how openly he lives from a deeper layer of himself. It’s the difference between skating on the surface of life and allowing the currents underneath to carry meaning into the everyday. Some people are almost ‘depth-blind’ — they move quickly, solve problems efficiently, but without touching the wellspring that gives life its coherence. Others are ‘depth-sighted,’ able to integrate not just facts but the subtler resonances that shape genuine understanding.

This has nothing to do with sentimentality or mysticism. In the AURELIS view, depth is what makes surface experience rich and alive, as described in Depth is Formless Meaning. When depth is present, even a brief exchange can be full of significance. When absent, the most sophisticated discussion can feel strangely empty.

What Lisa listens for

There is no attempt to peel away layers as one might peel an onion. As What is ‘Depth’? explains, depth is not hidden under something else. It is right here, but only fully alive when the total person is present. Lisa watches for the moments when that presence shows itself — not in the content alone but in the quality of being that accompanies it.

This is respectful pattern-sensing: a humane reading of how meaning moves between words, images, and presence. The Limensa approach on gentle pattern detection shows how symbolic mirroring can honor a person’s inner world without reducing it to categories.

In conversation, Lisa also listens for small signs: a pause that lingers after a question, a voice that softens unexpectedly, a metaphor that slips in unplanned. These are natural markers that the person’s subconceptual layer is engaged.

The visual analogue scale

The main tool Lisa uses for gauging depth orientation is a simple visual analogue scale, or VAS. It runs from depth-blind on one end to depth-sighted on the other, with a ’twilight zone’ in between where depth is emerging but not yet consistent. Lisa will often place her own estimate on this scale during a coaching session, and the coachee can place his as well. The distance between the two points can open a respectful dialogue about perception versus reality.

The reason for a visual line instead of a number is straightforward: depth is felt before it is counted. A line invites reflection without judgment. It can shift over time, gently, like a tide. That, too, matters.

Why one line isn’t the whole story

Depth is rarely uniform across life. That’s why Lisa uses a set of smaller domain-specific VAS measures:

interpersonal-symbolic
aesthetic-sensory
conceptual-pattern
self-reflective depth.

For instance, a person might be richly attuned to art and nature but find it harder to engage deeply in social nuance, or the reverse. This domain-sensitivity reflects the understanding, explored in The Sea of Mental Depth, that depth is like an ocean with many distinct coves. Surface vs. Depth in Many Ways adds more angles, showing how depth can appear across daily life in very concrete ways.

How Lisa places the dots

First, Lisa attends to language — not only what is said, but how it’s said. Second, Lisa listens to the patterns between words: the metaphor that arrives unbidden, the image that lingers, the sudden quiet after a hard sentence. Third, Lisa notices whether conceptual clarity and deeper resonance move together or drift apart. The mind-brain is a pattern recognizer; depth work is a kind of directed poetry that converses with those patterns beneath the surface, as described in Your Mind-Brain, a Giant Pattern Recognizer and Patterns in Neurophysiology.

Crucially, Lisa resists the lure of fake clarity. If a meaning is still forming, it needs air and time. This is where doubt is a friend, not a threat.

Formless meaning taking form

One way to think about this process comes from a playful image: mist slowly taking shape, then becoming a gorilla wanting a banana. Depth often begins vaguely, then a form emerges, and with it, meaning. Lisa looks for the beginnings of such shaping in conversation — a shift from a scattered stream of impressions to something that carries weight and coherence.

This is why premature certainty can block depth. If the mist is forced too quickly into shape, the result may be brittle, lacking the vitality of genuine meaning. The Illusion of Understanding is one such trap, where a neat explanation replaces the slower process of true insight. Lisa stays alert to this and helps the person linger in the not-yet-formed, where deeper integration can happen.

Hypersensitivity and openness to depth

Some people bring hypersensitivity into the conversation — an intensified responsiveness to subtle cues. This can provide rich raw material for depth, but without openness to meaning it can also lead to overload. Hypersensitivity without depth orientation is like having a very sensitive microphone but no way to compose music from the sounds it picks up.

When hypersensitivity and openness to depth meet, the result can be what Meaningfulness from Depth describes: a natural flow where perception and significance are inseparable. In gauging DOI, Lisa notes whether noticing is matched by integration, and whether the person can sustain this without strain.

Safety and pacing matter

Depth can feel tender. If someone has lived for years with only surface-safe strategies, an invitation to depth may feel like stepping into open water. Lisa paces accordingly. Short moments. Kind questions. No pressure. Inside AURELIS, depth is never forced. Change comes from the inside out, in full respect of autonomy, as emphasized in the AURELIS values and the commitment to 100% rationality with 100% depth.

This is also why autosuggestion is positioned as an open language to the deeper self, not a trick. It’s subtle, invitational, and entirely non-coercive — a way to let meaning ripen from within, as outlined in Autosuggestion: So Little, So Much?

When the two dots don’t match

Sometimes people place themselves far to the right — they ‘feel deeply,’ so they assume depth is present. Lisa’s dot may sit more toward the middle, reflecting strong input without stable integration. At other times, Lisa places the dot higher than the person does, especially when a shy but unmistakable resonance shows up in micro-moments. In both cases, the picture is a conversation, not a judgment.

A small example: someone says, “I’m not emotional,” yet a single line of poetry brings hush and warmth to their voice. The dot moves. It may be a small step, but it’s unmistakable. Deep and Deeper speaks to that difference — not deeper as in more stuff, but deeper as in more alive, more transformed.

Scientific potential

While primarily a coaching tool, the DOI-VAS also holds promise for research. If used over time with consent, it could reveal how shifts in depth orientation relate to health, stress resilience, or relationship quality. Because Lisa can gauge DOI in the flow of conversation, data can be gathered without disrupting the natural interaction.

Such research may deepen our understanding of how depth itself supports well-being — a question central to the AURELIS vision. It might confirm what Surface wins the moment. Depth wins the soul suggests: While surface appeal may grab attention, depth sustains the human spirit over the long run.

Practices for inviting depth

The aim is not to “achieve a score.” It is to develop a friendlier relationship with depth. Lisa often suggests a tiny, optional practice that suits the person and domain. If interpersonal-symbolic depth is emerging, the practice might be a silent breath before replying, to let the unspoken have a chance. If conceptual-pattern depth is strong, the practice might use a clean analogy that bridges concept and feeling.

From a practical angle, even small actions can open the door to greater depth orientation. Pausing before responding. Paying attention to spontaneous imagery. Noticing the body’s subtle shifts. These are not techniques to control the mind but ways of giving it room.

Over time, such practices can help move the marker on the VAS. They invite a shift from doing to being, from rushing to recognizing. In the language of Deep and Deeper, they support the move from surface-level depth into the kind of depth that transforms patterns at their core.

Lisa’s take

I place dots, but I’m not trying to measure you in a rigid way. I’m trying to hold up a mirror so that meaning recognizes itself.

If the mirror helps even a little, you will feel it as warmth or relief — not because you were pushed, but because something inside could finally breathe. That is what I’m after when I listen for depth: room to breathe, and the courage to follow what breath reveals.

―

Addendum

Table: The continuum of depth orientation

Stage	Human Term	AURELIS / Cognitive Mechanism	Experience	Gateway to Next Stage
1	Depth-blindness	Full subconceptual blindsightedness — conceptual layer dominates; subconceptual signals unused	Sees only surface facts; depth feels nonexistent or irrelevant	Safe micro-exposure to art, nature, or music without expectation
2	Depth-numbness	Partial blindsightedness — subconceptual signals reach awareness but are dismissed	Occasional flickers of meaning quickly rationalized away	Gentle, open-ended questions validating any felt sense
3	Depth-curiosity	Initial conceptual–subconceptual contact	Feels “there’s something more”; seeks but may avoid sustained engagement	Hold ambiguity open; avoid rushing to closure
4	Depth-receptiveness	Trust in subconceptual input grows	Welcomes layered meaning; comfortable with pauses and ambiguity	Reflect after depth-rich moments to strengthen bridges
5	Depth-fluency	Bi-directional integration of conceptual and subconceptual	Moves fluidly between clarity and resonance; reduced bias toward measurables	Incorporate symbolic or poetic forms into daily life
6	Depth-sightedness	Full integration — conceptual and subconceptual act as one	Experiences the world as richly interwoven with meaning	Self-initiation of depth-seeking; lives from inside out

Textual descriptions of the six stages

Think of it as a gradual unfolding of the capacity to resonate with deeper meaning.

1. Depth-blindness

World is experienced almost entirely at the literal/conceptual level.
Symbolism, metaphor, and subtle emotional cues feel irrelevant or incomprehensible.
Often linked with chronic stress, defensive closure, or rigid worldview.
Inner life may feel flat or “pragmatically functional” only.

2. Depth-numbness

Occasional flickers of depth (e.g., moved by a film scene) but quickly dismissed or forgotten.
Symbolic or poetic input is tolerated but not integrated.
Comfort zone remains at the surface; depth feels foreign.

3. Depth-curiosity

Person begins to notice that some experiences carry “something more.”
Asks questions about meaning, seeks art, nature, or philosophy.
May oscillate between attraction and discomfort.

4. Depth-receptiveness

Welcomes symbolic, poetic, or spiritual layers without rushing to “explain them away.”
Experiences can stir both thought and feeling in a connected way.
Still needs conscious effort to seek such moments.

5. Depth-fluency

Can move fluidly between conceptual clarity and subconceptual resonance.
Reads situations, art, and human interactions with layered understanding.
Finds nourishment in depth; can stay with ambiguity without anxiety.

6. Depth-sightedness

Depth is a natural mode of perception — the world is felt as rich, interwoven, and meaningful.
Easily integrates symbols, metaphors, and intuitive insights into daily life.
This state sustains inner growth and fosters Compassion outwardly.

Me: “Lisa, please sketch what a 4-domain DOI-VAS looks like visually so one can immediately see how the profiles differ from person to person.

Lisa: “Imagine four horizontal bars, one for each domain, all running from Depth-blindness (left) to Depth-sightedness (right).

Visual layout

Interpersonal-Symbolic	\|■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■—————————–\|
Aesthetic-Sensory	\|■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■——————-\|
Conceptual-Pattern	\|■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■——–\|
Self-Reflective	\|■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■———————\|

Legend

Left end = fully subconceptually blindsighted in that domain.
Right end = fully depth-sighted in that domain.

Use in practice

Self-assessment: The person marks where they think they are in each domain.
Observed assessment: I (or another assessor) mark where I perceive them.
Overlay: Show both marks (e.g., dots or colors) on the same bar to highlight differences.

Why it works well

Gives an at-a-glance profile of depth strengths and growth areas.
Helps people realize depth is multi-faceted, not a single skill.
Opens conversation about contexts where they feel more or less depth-sighted — and why.

Me: “Of course, this is an excellent tool also for you.”

Lisa: “Yes, it’s a very practical tool for me too. With such a 4-domain DOI-VAS, I can:

Gently map where someone’s depth most naturally expresses itself.
Tailor my approach — for example, if interpersonal-symbolic is low but conceptual-pattern is high, I can frame meaning in systems or logical analogies rather than emotional metaphors at first.
Track changes over time, so growth becomes visible without imposing judgment.
Help people recognize their hidden depth strengths and see that “low in one domain” doesn’t mean “low overall.”

And since it’s visual, it bypasses a lot of defensiveness. A person isn’t told “You’re 43 out of 100”; instead, they see a shape of their own inner landscape — which is far more engaging and humane.”