At the end of the cycle of exploration across these different supports, one observation asserted itself as a methodological principle: inner coherence is itself a reliable indicator of the rightness of an approach.
When an observation work is conducted with discipline, and when something emerges that is right — in the sense that it corresponds to a real datum of experience — a characteristic effect occurs: the different levels of the person come into accord. The mind does not contradict the body, intuition does not contradict reason, emotion settles rather than agitates.
This accord is observable. It is not “proof” that a perception is accurate, but it is a reliable indicator. Conversely: when work produces a state of agitation, internal conflict, or persistent tension, there is reason to examine it with caution.
This principle — using inner coherence as an indicator — has since guided the whole of the Laboratory’s work. It converges, by its own path, with what contemplative traditions have formulated under different names: discernment, middle way, equilibrium.