Presence: The First Level of Magnetism and a Path to Awakening
Have you ever noticed that the first time you enter a new place, it has more impact? The second time, the effect fades. And have you ever met someone and felt something like an impact, a force you cannot explain? That person, at that moment, was more present.
Presence is the quality that allows us to fully inhabit the moment, turning every interaction into a concrete opportunity. In real life, as Prof. Dr. Marco Paret explains, it serves to communicate better with another person: whoever is present truly listens, picks up on nuances, and responds with precision, avoiding misunderstandings. It also serves to withstand difficult news without collapsing or being overwhelmed by emotion, maintaining clarity to decide the next step. Think of a manager inundated with messages and stimuli: only someone who remains present can keep up with every request without losing the thread, filtering out background noise and acting effectively. In such situations, presence is not a luxury but an operational tool that improves the quality of relationships and decisions.
Presence is not an innate gift: it can be learned, and a structured method exists to develop it. The courses at the Université Européenne offer a clear, progressive path based on practical, verifiable exercises. Results can also come right away, by practicing alone with consistency: a live course, however, accelerates the process, delivering in a few days what would take years of independent attempts. Then just 10–15 minutes a day of focused practice is enough to consolidate what has been learned. With regular application, everyone achieves excellent results, learning to manage their attention and energy in a sober, concrete way, without the need for spectacular settings or unrealistic promises.
Presence is a concrete, trainable capacity that changes the way others perceive you — and much more. This article explores the phenomenon, its historical roots, and its deepest potential.
Presence is attractive force
“When a person is present in a room, or even an interlocutor, I am perfectly aware of it. By increasing presence, the reaction of the people around me changes, because presence is attractive force.” This is how Prof. Dr. Paret describes the first effect, the one you notice immediately.
Presence is really a matter of magnetism — but presence also goes beyond magnetism: personal magnetism is the first level. This capacity develops naturally the moment you work with presence; then presence becomes increasingly integral, and the more integral it becomes, the more you reach ever greater levels.
Research shows that a person’s internal state measurably influences those nearby. It is physiology. When you are present, your nervous system communicates something precise — and the other person receives it, often without words.
What happens if this capacity is taken to its highest level? Prof. Dr. Paret’s answer touches a point few expect.
The further step: a path to awakening
“Presence is a path to awakening. It is also said: whoever works on presence already has one foot in awakening.”
It is a perspective that overturns many expectations. Here the word “awakening” is to be understood in its traditional sense: a state of awareness that no longer depends on circumstances. In the Indian tradition, the capacities that develop through working on presence are called siddha — powers that emerge as a natural consequence, not as a goal.
Few know this: this path is accessible, concrete, and begins with something very simple — the body. The path requires no special gifts, but consistent practice and clear guidance.
The body reorganizes itself
“I fully confirm: presence is a state in which the body self-reorganizes. The spirit is in the body, because at a certain point you become conscious of your sensory map, and then you change completely.”
By practicing presence techniques, little by little something develops that is present within the body: and this goes beyond ordinary mindfulness. Many people ask what the difference is between mindfulness and presence. Prof. Dr. Paret’s answer is clear yet respectful: “Mindfulness is very good, but it derives from Indian techniques that were also based on yoga, hence on the relationship with the body — and this is often left somewhat aside. We, on the other hand, start precisely from the body, and with the body we manage to stop thoughts, to change, to become more witnesses of ourselves.”
Attention to the body modifies within a few weeks the way one reacts to stress. You practice and you feel it: it is experience that speaks. It is a direct experience, verifiable by anyone.
How it is trained
“There are various starting points for working on presence, but working on sensation is the key: the sensation of the body. The more points of reference we have, the better: also attention to the breath, or feeling our center, certainly helps. But let us begin by feeling our sensations — physical sensations, not emotions: one must learn the distinction between the two.”
A practical tip: “There are points of the body to start from, but it is also true that if we maintain attention on one point of the body — a hand, a foot — it will be much easier to progressively develop presence. A central point of the body, at the beginning, is sometimes more difficult: people get lost.”
The two mistakes
“Many people do presence and think they are doing it, but they are not. There are two kinds of mistakes. The first is doing presence in a tense way: keeping the sympathetic system too activated, being too tense while doing presence. In reality it must be relaxed, because it is an activation of both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic. We can think that when you do things without effort, you are probably more present; if there is effort, you are less present.”
The second mistake is subtler: “Wanting to control: I say ‘bring attention to sensations,’ and some understand ‘control the sensations.’ No: feel the sensations, do not try to control them. Presence allows things to exist.”
Whoever remains calm in a tense room changes the room. This is the principle, and it is trained. The difference between “doing” and “undergoing” the practice lies precisely in this: presence is a state of listening, not of effort.
The mirror
“Standing in front of the mirror helps to increase presence: the mirror is a very good tool, because it makes us feel a different sensation, a sensation in the body that is very important.”
It is about feeling, more than looking at oneself. The sensation that emerges in front of the mirror is a precise point of reference, usable at any moment. It is a simple exercise, but it reveals much about how the body reacts to its own image.
A documented tradition
Prof. Dr. Paret’s school is rooted in an ancient Western tradition, that of magnetism. The historical texts of the Library preserve its fundamental principles:
«Le magnétiseur doit être calme, recueilli, et n’avoir d’autre pensée que celle du bien qu’il veut faire.»
— Nineteenth-century treatise on magnetism, historical collection of the Library
Trans: The magnetizer must be calm, collected, and have no other thought than the good he wishes to do.
«La volonté seule ne suffit pas: il faut encore l’attention soutenue.»
— Nineteenth-century practical manual, historical collection of the Library
Trans: Will alone is not enough: sustained attention is also required.
«Par magnétisme l’on ne doit pas entendre autre chose qu’une sorte d’équilibre de chaleur vitale que l’on cherche à établir entre deux individus.»
— Nineteenth-century pamphlet on magnetism, historical collection of the Library
Trans: By magnetism one should understand nothing other than a kind of balance of vital warmth that one seeks to establish between two individuals.
From this tradition comes the key that the school guards: a very clear path for developing presence. “We have a path: we are tied to tradition, we have a very clear road for developing presence. And we know this key can lead to all levels, up to awakening. It is a traditional key derived from alchemy: a key linked to a very ancient Western tradition, born in its own time and at once powerful and current.”
What it is for every day
“If you are with a person and you are present, you will manage to communicate better — and even if they give you bad news, you withstand it better. If you are a manager, with many messages coming in, you must by necessity be present in order to keep up: if you have many stimuli, you must be present. The other day I was speaking with a student, a senator, who told me she had an enormous number of stimuli and had to maintain presence with respect to all these things. The present person manages to maintain presence in all situations.”
Presence is a tool for being in the world with greater clarity. For those who work with words — therapists, hypnotists, managers — it is the foundation that makes everything else more effective. To explore the relationship between presence and states of non-verbal hypnosis, or to examine how silence and rhythm act on communication, the path is laid out.
And for those who want to understand how all this applies to sales and leadership, the principle is the same: attract instead of convince. At the foundation there is always personal magnetism, the first level. The encyclopedic entry on non-verbal hypnosis offers a further synthesis.
FAQ
How long does it take to notice the first effects? Most people notice a change in their calm and clarity within the first few weeks of consistent practice, even just a few minutes a day.
Can it be practiced at work? Yes. Presence is carried with you: in a meeting, in front of a screen full of notifications, in a difficult conversation. That is exactly where it is needed.
What is the difference between mindfulness and presence? Mindfulness is very good, but it often leaves aside the relationship with the body. Here we start from the body: with physical sensation, thoughts are stopped and one becomes a witness of oneself. It is a different path, not a different value.
Is a special talent required? No. Presence is a natural capacity that is awakened with the right practice. You do not have to believe it: you practice it and you feel it.
Are there any contraindications? Presence techniques are practices of bodily awareness. They do not replace medical or psychological treatment. For any doubt, it is always advisable to consult a professional.
Presence is the key that opens every door. Prof. Dr. Paret’s school has guarded this path for over thirty years, with a clear and traditional road. If you feel the time has come to go beyond words, the first step is simple: contact the school for an introductory conversation.
