You Aren’t What’s Changing, You Are What Remains the Same

By Pavel G. Somov, Ph.D.

In Kafka’s story The Metamorphosis, first published in 1915, the protagonist’s body turns into a cockroach. But that’s not the point. The point is that nothing else changes. The protagonist (and his neuroticism) remains the same.

This is the irony of change. Change happens on the backdrop of the changeless. As the body ages, to a large extent we still feel the same inside. As the body ages, the gap between our physical age and how old we feel inside seems to continually widen. Why not listen to this sense of internal sameness?

Metamorphosis is a change of form, not of Essence. You aren’t what’s changing, you are that which remains the same.

Conclude: I am not my physical Form at any given point in time.

Pavel Somov, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and the author of "Eating the Moment" (New Harbinger, 2008), "Present Perfect" (NH, 2010), "The Lotus Effect" (NH, 2010), "Smoke Free Smoke Break" (2011), and "Reinventing the Meal" (2012). He is in private practice in Pittsburgh, PA. His book website is www.eatingthemoment.com

Marla Somova, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist in private practice and an Assistant Professor of Psychology and Counseling at Carlow University in Pittsburgh, PA. She is the co-author of "Smoke Free Smoke Break" (2011).

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Last reviewed: 9 Jul 2011

APA Reference
Somov, P. (2011). You Aren’t What’s Changing, You Are What Remains the Same. Psych Central. Retrieved on May 22, 2013, from http://blogs.psychcentral.com/mindful-living/2011/01/you-arent-whats-changing-you-are-what-remains-the-same/