The need to be genuinely *in* experience — not observing it from a distance, not performing it, not managing it, but fully inhabiting the present moment. Both one's own presence to oneself, and the presence of another within a shared experience. Presence is both a need and a condition — without it, other needs (mutuality, connection, meaning) cannot be fully met regardless of what else is in place. ## Feelings that signal this need is unmet [[Disconnected]] | [[Withdrawn]] | [[Restless]] [[Lonely]] | [[Invisible]] ## How it commonly manifests A sense of going through the motions — of being physically in a situation without genuinely being *in* it. Can be produced by wrong conditions (pace too fast, insufficient safety, wrong atmosphere) or by internal habits of observation and management that prevent full inhabiting. ## Values filter question *Am I actually here, or am I watching myself be here?* ## Related needs [[Need - Ease]] | [[Need - Safety]] [[Need - Mutuality]] | [[Need - Authenticity]] [[Need - To Be Seen]]