A Psychologist Wakes Up with Self Knowledge

}   6 min read

Periodically, PremRawat.com publishes first-person reflections from people around the world who are experiencing the benefits of practicing the techniques of Self-Knowledge as taught by Prem Rawat—a simple way to turn one’s attention from the outside world to a place of personal peace within. This month’s reflection is from Craig Polsfuss of Minneapolis, U.S.

Gratefully, I have always had a heart for people and a deep curiosity about life. From an early age I wanted to understand—not just intellectually, but in a way that allowed me to experience life fully.

As I prepared to become a psychologist, I studied widely. I explored psychology, religion, philosophy and spirituality in depth—especially Christianity in which I had been raised and to which I felt deeply connected. Yet as I studied, something in me kept asking for more. Belief, devotion and philosophy were meaningful, but I wanted to go beyond belief into direct knowing. 

 I wanted to understand life as a lived reality—something that could be experienced so clearly that it would fulfill something still incomplete.

As the old saying goes: “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.” 

While searching deeply, I came across Prem Rawat. In those days he was described as a “teenage guru,” and that alone caught my curiosity. What truly captured my attention, however, was his deeper message:

What I was searching for was inside of me
and could be experienced directly.

That possibility seemed outlandish. Yet it resonated. 

He spoke about moving into an experience that could bring a kind of certainty beyond belief. That stayed with me. 

Long before the internet, I watched films of Prem’s talks and later heard him in person. Each encounter touched me—sometimes subtly, most often deeply—encouraging me to keep exploring. 

Gradually those small steps led me to a Knowledge-session where I was shown a practical way to turn my attention inward and experience the deepest part of me. I was 28 years old. 

What happened next is difficult to describe. The closest I’ve come is that my entire experience of life turned “inside out.” It felt like a complete inversion of perspective—a true awakening that shifted not just my thoughts, but my sense of identity and reality. 

From that point forward, life felt fundamentally connected and stable. 

Along with this shift came a new clarity about the nature of mind, consciousness and thought. Until then I realized I had mostly listened to Prem through the lens of psychology. Suddenly those ideas greatly expanded and truly came to life. 

I discovered who I truly am and how human experience works. 

This insight had immediate implications for my work. Traditional psychology emphasized focusing on the painful past to understand and resolve it. While sometimes useful, I saw something much more important:

Where we place our attention has a powerful effect on our experience.

Repeatedly returning to painful memories or interpretations reinforces them! When attention shifts toward the deeper and more stable inside us—the dimension before thinking—something more fundamental and whole begins to emerge. 

I started pointing my clients to this place inside themselves, untouched by circumstances or their past, an inner state that felt naturally whole, sane and peaceful even when their lives were turbulent. 

I could now help them better align with their true nature, consciousness and gratitude so they could lead a more fulfilled life. 

Once glimpsed—not as an idea but as “felt truth”—experience always shifted. Thinking quieted. Perspective widened. Most people naturally began to see and relate to situations differently. 

From a neuroscience standpoint, it also makes sense. The brain is constantly wiring and rewiring based on patterns of thought and attention. When people experience deeper clarity or calmness, new neural pathways are created. 

Over time, those healthier patterns become stabilized as a “new normal.”

I now have the honor of being a pioneer in transforming the field.

Share on:

Related articles and links

Reflections Self-Knowledge