[jamesakirk]

There is a difference between awareness and judgement. What Tarkovsky is asking you to do is shut down your judgement to gain awareness. In the words of Alan Watts "You must go out of your mind to come to your senses." If by shallow you mean bringing your awareness to something other than your thoughts, you are correct.

Gaining awareness of emotions is the first step in understanding how thoughts and conditions induce emotional states. This understanding facilitates ownership of one's own emotional responses. Harsh self-judgement shuts down this process, which is why narcissists are incapable of self-reflection.

I think you have it backwards.