By Dr Annahita Nezami, VROE and Egbert Mulder, Circular Leadership 09 Dec, 2021
“I believe that if the political leaders of the world could see their planet from a distance, their outlook would be fundamentally changed” - Michael Collins, Apollo 14.
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The Overview Effect - Searching Within

Lina Elijose • May 08, 2019

Lina Elijose reflects on the meaning of life and the overview effect

Working and studying as a contemporary therapist I feel that humanity is increasingly becoming part of a separation culture by focusing on how to make a living but not a life!


We are forgetting the true meaning of our life purpose, the importance of our connection with nature, our soul and heart. This separation from one’s potential and true self is creating existential angst, depression and a sense of disillusionment with life. In the process, we are becoming more fed up and rates of psychosomatic illnesses are increasing dramatically. Sadly, the system has created a very narrow definition of the human being, forgetting that health is about wholeness - body with the soul, mind and spirit. Worryingly, the focus is on symptom alleviation as oppose to focusing on the underlying systemic issues and healing the whole person.


"Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens"

~ Psychoanalyst Carl Jung



Our outer world is a reflection of our inner world. Whatever has been downloaded into our subconscious memory and stored in our mind seems to us to be the only choice available to be heard and seen. The only way to create the possibility for inner growth is by choosing consciousness, by continuing to develop our ability to truly see, listen, face and accept reality.


Nothing is more common than to deny or avoid the fears and self-doubt’s of the Ego, thereby preventing them from ever being resolved. By not allowing our Ego to blind us, we can open a window into our consciousness, allowing us to meet our true self. Our ego is sustained only by thinking. If we give ourself permission to quieten our thinking mind, we will begin aligning our heart in the space of our awareness. This will uncover that there is no chaos in the world. Natural phenomena works in perfect harmony. The chaos is a creation, created by societal separation, our limiting beliefs, and perceptions forced upon us. The mind is just the collection of impression’s that have been recorded since birth. What many call “thinking” is merely a recycling of the thoughts and opinions of other people. The ideas created by your mind is in part what creates and feeds depression and causes anxiety. Societal constraints that have superimposed beliefs of individualism and seeing oneself as different create separation, loneliness and isolation. Loneliness doesn’t necessary mean not having another person around, but actually arises when we are unable to connect with other people on an emotional level and communicate authentically the things that seem important to us.


Our souls crave meaning and love this is the true calling to the divinity of our soul but seeing ourselves as separate makes us disconnect from not only ourselves but also from the unity of all life and natural phenomena.



According to the Mental Health Foundation, loneliness and isolation remain the key predictors for poor psychological and physical health. Loneliness and the quality of our relationships are associated with higher rates of mortality, poor physical health and lower life satisfaction. In 1938, Harvard University began following 724 participants as part of the longest-running study on human development in history. The study was developed to determine what makes us happy. It explored every part of who we are, from physical and psychological traits to social life and IQ, to learn how we can flourish. Findings from the study were published in the 2012 book ‘Triumphs of Experience’, with key results showing that happiness and health aren’t results of wealth, fame or working hard, but come instead from our relationships.


What is a relationship? A relationship is a consequence of a meaningful connection. And we know from experience that a connection cannot be forced just by creating a relationship. So, could it be that connection is the forgotten foundation for mental health and wellbeing?


Dr. Annahita and I met several years ago whilst walking our then toddlers to nursery. We would walk across the street from one another for months and exchange a glance or a smile. Yet we later learnt we were both drawn to the other. After our friendship had blossomed, Dr Annahita shared her ideas with me about recreating important aspects of the Overview Effect by designing mental health virtual reality workshops. What I liked about her idea was that people could experience, through experiential learning, the feelings of harmony, connection and unity.


Sadly, humanity is conditioned by different aspects of life and that creates different understanding of the world to the one that exists. In reality, there is indeed only one world that each of us shares. When you look at earth from space, you can see this reality, that there are no walls or borders, no separation, that this only exists in our mind, this separation by belief, by nationality, by tradition from the rest of mankind and natural life.


Seeing and sensing the interconnection of natural life, people, places, unique points in life cycles and processes. The Earth gazing experience forces us to dance with the divine, to contemplate a higher order and purpose. It allows us to fathom the bigger meaning behind everything we experience, negative or positive and we realise these experiences are there to help us grow to expand our individual consciousness and collective consciousness. This grand pattern forces us to open our eyes, it encourages everyone to wake up to their souls and recognise their contribution to this life. We realise we don’t just have individual purpose in life, but rather that we contribute to a larger and grander design. The Earth is a whole system, everything on it is connected, and we are part of it, we are all interdependent.


By Dr Annahita Nezami, VROE and Egbert Mulder, Circular Leadership 09 Dec, 2021
“I believe that if the political leaders of the world could see their planet from a distance, their outlook would be fundamentally changed” - Michael Collins, Apollo 14.
By Annahita Nezami, DPsych Counselling Psychologist 02 Dec, 2021
Wide Open Spaces and Transcendences (cross-posted from the Human Space Program blog)
By Charles Perring 17 Nov, 2021
As a part of Space Week, at the Institute of Advanced Studies department, University College London (UCL), Virtual Reality Overview Effect (VROE) offered sessions to see the Earth from space via virtual reality.
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