Tag Archives: Health

Ups and Downs at ICU

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Though I was in neuro ICU for less than a month it felt much longer partly because of the number of post-injury “firsts” such as new protocols learned and significant milestones reached. “Firsts” are in quotes because I’m not completely certain whether I experienced certain things previously such as while at trauma ICU.

As far as I’m aware, “firsts” included the use of a sling and lift, being seated on a wheelchair, and visits from physical and occupational therapists. The physical therapist demonstrated a sequence of foot and leg stretches designed to preserve the range of motion of limbs. The occupational therapist did the same for hands and arms. At first I didn’t understand the value of the exercises since it seemingly had no impact on how I felt except for mild pain and discomfort and was a poor substitute for work outs I once did on my own. Only later would I understand the benefits such as preserving good circulation and joint flexibility, reducing spasms and muscle tightness, and increasing the chances of future emergent movement.

One example of a milestone would be being allowed to drink water and chew on ice. Since first waking up on a ventilator, my mouth felt continually dehydrated. When I expressed a need for water, nurses explained there was still a risk of liquids accidentally getting to my lungs and I would keep sufficiently hydrated with the saline IV drip. After about a week at neuro ICU and having taken various diagnostic tests, it was determined I could safely drink water. At first it was a great relief but was reminded of the downside which was a pain in my throat every time I swallowed caused by the medicine feed tube.

Another milestone was being able to speak again. With the breathing tube in my throat and the ventilator on I was unable to speak and at the time it was still unclear whether my lungs were strong enough to go without it. With the encouragement of a pulmonologist I started trying short amounts of time with the trach tube balloon cuff deflated. This was a key step in weaning off the ventilator and being able to speak again. At first it was painful but eventually I built up enough stamina to have short conversations before being put back on breathing assist.

Along with the milestones there were setbacks such as infections and suspected blood clots. These required pharmaceutical treatments, constant blood draws and a longer stay at the ICU. As important as it was to be under constant monitoring and in close proximity to nurses and medical specialists, neuro ICU was a sometimes chaotic environment with a constant flow of neighboring patients separated only by curtains. Some seemed calm and reasonable but others were disturbingly erratic and loud making it difficult to sleep. For this reason I made it a goal to transfer to the rehab unit as soon as possible. Unfortunately that wouldn’t be possible until I was in a more stable condition.

Struggle Against Spasticity

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In my experience so far, the predominant source of pain post-injury has been muscle tightness and spasms. Because my injury resulted in damage to upper motor neurons, which relay motor signals from the brain to the spinal cord, signals which relax muscles don’t go through. This results in spasms and over-contraction of muscles. Through my stay at neuro ICU, I was just starting to feel the intensity and frequency of muscle tightness and spasms gradually increase. I also began to discern differences between types of spasms and ways to manage it.

Some spasms, usually in my feet or legs, seem to occur when touched or moved. Others happen randomly and though not painful, are problematic when trying to sleep. At Harborview my usual solution would be to request oxycodone and Tylenol. Baclofen and Dantrolene, prescription muscle relaxants I take regularly, also provide relief though not as immediately effective. Eventually I learned to counteract random spasms by triggering spasms intentionally.

I discovered this by accident, while attempting to move parts of my body I was still able to move. For example, by flexing muscles in my neck and shoulders in a certain pattern and intensity, other muscles in my chest, abdomen, back and legs would be triggered, tightening similarly to a ratchet or boa constrictor. At first the sensation alarmed me and I would quickly request oxy, not sure if the muscles would keep tightening until I was unable to breathe.

After some experimenting, I realized I wasn’t at risk for suffocation for now, though it’s possible that could change in the future since I’ve learned from talking to others with quadriplegia that some do have restricted breathing from such spasms. For now it remains slightly uncomfortable but effectively reduces the occurrence of random spasms for varying lengths of time afterwards.

Weeks later when I was transferred to the rehab unit, I discovered I had the ability to intentionally start and stop a less intense spasm at will. By using slight emergent movement in my left leg in just the right position I was able to trigger repetitive foot tapping for up to 15 or 20 minutes. It may not have had much practical function but I theorized even limited movement might have some positive effect, whether improved circulation and flexibility, strengthened muscles, perhaps even enabling more emergent movement in the future. At the very least it provides a welcome sense of control over my body and also seemed to help prevent random spasms.

Muscle tightness is another ongoing issue I began to feel worsening while at neuro ICU. It could be temporarily alleviated with the same meds used for spasms as well as with massage, stretching exercises, electro stimulation and acupuncture. Unfortunately nothing I’ve tried so far has been able to prevent the muscle tightness from continuing to get worse over time.

Over the course of just a couple of weeks I began to feel more intensely how the muscle tightness began to affect my perception of phantom limbs. For example, muscle tightening in my legs caused my phantom limb legs to feel bent with knees up while my legs were actually straight and flat. Muscle tightening in my forearms made my phantom limb arms feel tightly shackled. Muscle tightening in my hands made phantom hands feel as if they were permanently holding rocks.

One of the reasons for the strengthening muscle tightness and spasms was the decreasing inflammation from the injury. My muscles at the time were still fairly strong compared to the baseline tone they retain without additional exercise. Unfortunately as certain muscles regain strength with the help of stretches and assisted exercises, tightened muscles and spasms increase in strength and frequency as well. Like many aspects of life after spinal cord injury, it’s a blessing and a curse.

Varieties of Painful Experiences

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When I first arrived at neuro ICU my body felt mostly numb from strong meds and also inflammation from the injury. In the relatively short time I was there I began to sense the changes as the inflammation gradually decreased and sensations of pain emerged.

I experienced the frequency of muscle spasms incrementally increase as arm and shoulder muscles tightened. Little did I know this would continue as a chronic baseline pain to this day. Sometimes it can be temporarily alleviated with medication or other modalities, but the pain is always there.

Also during my stay at neuro ICU, a mild soreness in my throat gradually intensified to the point of finding it difficult to swallow. At the time I didn’t need to swallow often since I took in water and nutrients through tubes and phlegm could be removed with the suction tube. Fortunately that particular pain was permanently relieved about a month later when the feed tube was removed from my nose and throat.

Being unable to move makes one acutely aware of how discomfort and pain exist on a continuum. Without a way to easily relieve oneself of mildly sore muscles, I would sometimes wait it out until it escalated to legitimate pain. In such cases my only option at the time would be to trigger a nurse call light to request a dose of oxycodone.

Sometimes I’d still feel pain after the effects of the oxy wore off. Since I wasn’t allowed to take more than one dose of it within six hours I had no choice but to live with the pain, which was an experience I’ve never had to endure prior to my injury. Like most people, I’d always find some way to block, alleviate, or easily distract attention away from the pain with activities. In some cases the sustained pain became a new baseline and seemed to lose intensity over time on its own.

Being less able to completely avoid pain forced me to examine it and think of ways to ameliorate it as much as possible in my mind. I had previously noticed how emotional pain sometimes diminished with the onset of more immediate physical pain, or how a lower intensity pain would fade in the background as more acute and alarming pain emerged, highlighting the connection between pain and attention.

Another pain management strategy was one I practiced while conditioning myself to be able to sit on a wheelchair for extended periods. In conjunction with binaural beats, I visualized my soul or astral body disassociating from my physical body and floating away, usually orbiting above earth. This imagery happens to be similar to thumbnail and video art often accompanying binaural beats on YouTube. The sound and visuals seem to go together naturally and I found it to be effective for the type of pain I went through.

As if to foreshadow what was in store for my future, just a few days after being admitted to neuro ICU I was visited by Aaron, a research coordinator for a University of Washington study on hypnosis as a pain management therapy for spinal cord injury patients. He was scouting for volunteers for his study which would require a series of one hour sessions throughout my stay at Harborview (and a few months after) compensated for by a small gift card stipend and access to the hypnosis recordings.

Though still in relatively less pain at the time, I volunteered to see if hypnosis could diminish the pain I was starting to feel and to hopefully provide useful data for therapists and patients. Volunteers were split into study and control groups. Those in the study would receive the hypnotherapy while the control group was interviewed about experiences and attitudes regarding pain.

Unfortunately I ended up in the control group, but was allowed access to hypnotherapy recordings after the conclusion of the study and the interviews provided much food for thought about the nature of pain. It also helped mentally prepare me for the increasing pain to come. As it turned out, the hypnosis sessions I listened to didn’t seem to alleviate my pain, though the effectiveness may have been hindered by my mental state and/or setting.

I may give hypnotherapy another try in the future, but in the meantime I’ve found therapeutic massage, acupuncture, electrical stimulation therapy, and CBD, CBN, and CBG cannabinoids to be more effective alternative treatments.

Rebalancing The Masculine & The Feminine For A New Paradigm

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In a time of collapse, witnessing the consciousness and paradigm driving our current moment is paramount. A rebalancing of consciousness may be a solution.

By Anne Baring

Source: The Pulse

When the masculine and the feminine are in balance, there is fluidity, relationship, a flow of energy, unity, totality. This fluidity and balance is perhaps best illustrated by the Taoist image of the indissoluble relationship and complementarity of Yin and Yang.

In the broadest terms, the feminine is a containing pattern of energy: receptive, connecting, holding things in relationship to each other; the masculine is an expanding pattern of energy: seeking extension, expansion towards what is beyond.

More specifically, the feminine reflects the instinctual matrix and the feeling (heart) values of consciousness; the masculine reflects the questing, goal-defining, ordering, and discriminating qualities of consciousness, generally associated with the mind or intellect.

For millennia women have lived closer to the first pattern; men to the second. But now, there is a deep impulse to balance these within ourselves and in our culture. There is an urgent need to temper the present over-emphasis on masculine value with a conscious effort to integrate the feminine one.

In the ancient world the feminine principle in the image of the goddess stood for relationship – the hidden connection of all things to each other. Secondly, it stood for justice, wisdom and compassion. Thirdly, and most importantly, it was identified with the unseen dimension beyond the known world – a dimension that may be imagined as a matrix connecting invisible spirit with visible nature.

The word used then to name this matrix was goddess; later it was soul. The feminine principle offered an image of the oneness, sacredness and inviolability of all life; the phenomenal world (nature, matter, body) was regarded as sacred because it was a theopany or manifestation of invisible spirit.

The greatest flaw in civilisation has been the over-emphasis on the masculine archetype (identified with spirit) and the devaluation of the feminine one (identified with nature). This has been reflected in the fact that the god-head has no feminine dimension.

The history of the last 4000 years has been forged by masculine traits – principally the goals of conquest and control. (this is in no sense intended as a criticism; in the context of prevailing belief systems and general level of consciousness, things could not have been different).

However, religion and science – all our cultural ideas and patterns of behaviour – have developed from this unbalanced foundation. Throughout this time, everything designated as “feminine” (nature, body, woman) was devalued and repressed, including the rich diversity of the Pagan legacy of the ancient world.

In the domain of religion, heretics were eliminated; diverse ways of relating directly to the transcendent were lost. Naturally, this has created a deep imbalance in the culture and in the human psyche. It has led finally to the tyrannies of this century where the lives of some 200 million people have been sacrificed to totalitarian regimes.

The modern tyrant is the extreme reflection of a deeply-rooted pathology derived from a long-standing cultural imbalance between the masculine and feminine archetypes.

Where there is no relationship and balance between the masculine and feminine principles, the masculine principle becomes pathologically exaggerated, inflated; the feminine pathologically diminished, inarticulate, ineffective. The symptoms of a pathological masculine are rigidity, dogmatic inflexibility, omnipotence, and an obsession with or addiction to power and control.

There will be a clear definition of goals but no receptivity to ideas and values that conflict with these goals. The horizon of the human imagination will be restricted by an overt or subtle censorship. We can see this pathology reflected today in the ruthless values that govern the media, politics, and the technological drive of the modern world.

We can see the predatory impulse to acquire or to conquer new territory in the drive for global control of world markets, in the ideology of growth, in new technologies such as the genetic modification of food. We see exaggerated competitiveness – the drive to go further, grow faster, achieve more, acquire more, elevated to the status of a cult.

There is contempt for the feeling values grounded in the experience of relationship with others and with the environment. There is a predatory and compulsive sexuality in both men and women who increasingly lose the capacity for relationship. There is continuous expansion in a linear sense but no expansion in depth, in insight. The pressure of things to do constantly accelerates.

What is the result? Exhaustion, anxiety, depression, illness which afflict more and more people.

There is no time or place for human relationships. Above all, there is no time for relationship with the dimension of spirit. The water of life no longer flows. Men and women and, above all, children, become the victims of this harsh, competitive, uncaring ethos: women, in their disorientation, and because the feminine value has no clear definition or recognition in our culture, are drawn to copy the pathological image of the masculine which itself incorporates fear of the feminine.

Because to a large extent, this whole situation arises unconsciously, not much can be done about it until catastrophe intervenes.

Evolutionary Pressure Emerges

I feel we are living in a time of kairos – a mythic time of choice – a time of stupendous scientific discoveries which are enlarging our vision of the universe, shattering the vessel of our old concepts about the nature of reality.

Yet the delicate organism of life on our planet and the survival of our species are threatened as never before by technologies driven by an ethos of the conquest and control of nature, technologies which are applied with an utter disregard for the perils of our interference with the complex web of relationships upon which the life of our planet depends.

The choice is between clinging to an outworn and unbalanced ethos and maturing beyond it towards a more responsible and sensitive capacity for relationship. If we are unable to develop this empathic capacity to relate, we will surely destroy ourselves and the environment that sustains our life.

Bringing Balance

So how could we help to redress the balance between the masculine and feminine in ourselves and in our culture?

First of all, where are we, as individuals out of balance? Where are we driven by the unbalanced cultural ethos of achieving power and control, ignoring our feelings of depression, anxiety or symptoms of the body’s distress?

Are we allowing ourselves enough time for reflection, for relationships, for connection with a deeper dimension of reality?

The priority as I see it is to make the fact of this pathology a matter of public discussion. Shift the emphasis from achieving power to achieving balance.

Secondly, here are some suggestions for strengthening the feminine principle in our society.

  • Free the Imagination from the stranglehold exercised by a controlling minority which excludes the non-rational from inclusion in our understanding of life.
  • Formulate a new image of spirit as the totality of all that is – both seen and unseen. Recover the lost and devalued feminine aspects of spirit: restore nature, matter and the physical body (including sexuality) to the realm of the sacred.
  • Imagine the Soul as a cosmic internet. We belong to an immense field or matrix of relationships. We could imagine the soul in this new way as something we belong to and can develop a relationship with.
  • Religion – Relinquish the dogmatic formulations of the past: Monotheism as Mytheism. (Ravi Ravindra) Recognise the negative effects of deeply rooted beliefs – such as the belief in original sin – on our interpretation of life and its meaning. Welcome the idea of direct individual experience of the sacred and the numinous.
  • Science – Integrate the principle of empathic relationship with what is studied in scientific teaching and practice. In education give children an empathic understanding of their own bodies and of nature rather than the image of the body and the universe as a machine. Help them to become aware of their environment as a great chain of relationships in which their lives are embedded. Nourish their sense of wonder.
  • The psyche: Heal the split between mind and soul. Recognise that feeling is a valid mode of perceiving reality and must be integrated with thinking. The main problem in our society is emotional immaturity.
  • Politics: develop a forum beyond national and international politics where the true problems of the planet can be articulated and addressed. Recognise grandiosity, standardisation, the drive for control, the proliferation of bureaucracy as symptoms of the pathology of an inflated and unrelated masculine principle.
  • Medicine: integrate alternative (complementary) methods of healing with orthodox ones as a deliberate policy. Focus on preventive medicine. The modern GP has no time for an empathic relationship with his or her patient. The pressure of numbers is simply too great. However, in some surgeries and hospitals alternative practises are being integrated with orthodox ones. This integration could be expanded.
  • Agriculture: Focus on increasing the production of organic food. Removal of pesticides, antibiotics and toxins from our food and water.
  • Care of Children: A much higher level of prenatal care. Compared with the rest of Europe, we are way behind (Sweden is the most advanced). Attention to quality of children’s diet and to nourishing the imagination as well as the intellect.
  • Educate Women to be aware of their own specific value and the importance of their contribution to the culture. Articulating feeling values without fear or shame.
  • Educate Adolescents in awareness of the responsibilities of relationships and of the parent towards the child. Teach them the psychology of the child; its dependency; its sensitivity, its potential for emotional growth. Teach them about the complexities of neuroscience so they understand how their emotions affect their bodies and vice-versa. Ask them to invent ways of caring for the environment.
  • Teaching Methods: integrate right-hemispheric consciousness with the linear consciousness of the left hemisphere – opening to the creative power of the image. Balance in the curriculum between developing the capacity for logical thought and creative imagining and participation. This poem by a 12 year old boy at school in Southampton shows how a teacher can provide the environment in which a child can dare to express his true feelings:

I hear my inner voice talking to me,
Explaining, encouraging,
Opening the part of me that I thought was lost.
In this world of cruelty and fear little lights are burning.
Everyone has a flame inside their hearts,
If only they had the courage to find it.
The light can trickle out through a hole in your mind.
When the inside is out
You are transformed and revealed.
There is no need to be afraid,
But be curious
As you will probably never know
where the force is coming from. – Daniel Webster

Each of us is called to focus on rebalancing the masculine and feminine in ourselves and in our culture. This could affect a profound alchemy in our lives. Women and men could both participate in a process of transformation which could bring into being a new cultural focus whose emphasis is no longer on power and control but on relationship, balance and connectedness.

The phrase “the conquest of nature” could be replaced by the awareness that humanity and nature participate in a deeper and still unknown reality that embraces them both.

Millions of people have no choice. Those of us who do have a measure of choice could rise to the immense challenge of defining and living a new and responsible role in relation to each other and our planetary home.

YOUR BODY IS A PROJECTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS AND THOUGHT

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By Dylan Charles

Source: Waking Times

At the cutting edge of science and technology today is artificial intelligence and robotics, which are being driven by ever-increasing computational speeds made possible by quantum computing. When the capacity of technological computation rivals the speed of our capacity to think and process information as humans, then we will reach the singularity and a superintelligence will emerge in our society, triggering runaway technological growth.

While this is coming in the very near future, we are also now learning how this very type of quantum creative power is already at play in our world via the interplay of human consciousness and the material world. In the early 1900’s, the famous double-slit experiment demonstrated that material objects can actually change their composition based on what is being held in consciousness when said objects are observed.

In other words, the world around us is being created moment by moment, and our expectations of what the world should be is what gives it form. In order to alter its form or to change course, we can use the directed focus of the mind to envision and feel something different for ourselves, and in time and through repetition, this reality will eventually take form. The feeling is the key.

This is something we do all the time. The best example of this, perhaps, is the human body, which can by some measures be considered a projection of human consciousness. We see this everywhere. For example, just look at people’s bodies and consider their health, and you’ll be able to get a fair idea of what type of thought patterns and belief systems are at work in the everyday silence of their own minds.

The best example is someone with radiant health, high energy and intense vitality. This person didn’t get to be this way by happenstance. The patterns of thought in their mind support their belief that their body can be a radiant storehouse of health. This, in turn, supports the development of habits which create such well-being. This type of person engages in clean, clear thinking about their health and body, and the result is this very type of body. They intentionally feel how they want to feel.

On the other hand, a person with an out of shape, obese, or disease-ridden body undoubtedly engages in thought patterns and beliefs about health which support such poor health. They never believe that they can be disease free or of ideal weight, and so their thoughts reinforce habits which deteriorate their health. Inside this person’s mind is chaos, confusion, fear, self-loathing and other patterns which create dis-ease.

There is more to this, though, if we consider the possibilities unfolding in the realms of quantum physics and superintelligent technology. We are beginning to get a clear idea of what the quantum field actually is and what it can do. It appears to be waiting for us to purposefully interact with it.

The quantum world is waiting for us to make a decision so that it knows how to behave. That is why quantum physicists have such difficulties in dealing with, explaining, and defining the quantum world. We are truly, in every sense of the word, masters of creation because we decide what manifests out of the field of all-possibility and into form.

The thing is, the quantum level of reality isn’t a local and insignificant aspect of creation. It is all around us, and it is the most fundamental level of creation aside from the unified field itself. The human energy field is interacting and influencing the quantum field all around us at all times and the energy of our beliefs and intentions are infused into our energy field because they are defined by the energy of our thoughts and emotions. ~Brandon West

Final Thoughts

This may sound to some like a woo woo way of looking at the world, but there is immense practicality in this world view for improving your life, your health, your relationships, and your overall happiness. The takeaway here is that you must take control over your own mind, and plant thoughts that support the projection of a healthy body and life. As Dr. Joe Dispenza notes, you’ll need to decide what you want, then put your attention on creating that reality.

“Whatever it is that is your vision, you’re just going to have to be passionate enough to invest your attention and your energy into that future over and over again, till all of a sudden you start seeing feedback in your life.” ~Dr. Joe Dispenza

3 QUESTIONS YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO ASK ABOUT LIFE IN A SICK SOCIETY

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By Dylan Charles

Source: Waking Times

In a society this controlling, it’s no wonder so many people can’t let go of their grip on false realities, and pressure others to conform to their point of view. In my work as a self-mastery coach I help people see what false realities they’ve made for themselves, and help them let go of their grip on useless beliefs.  ~Dylan Charles

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” ~J. Krishnamurti

Society is directed by a never-ending mainstream narrative which is always evolving, and always reaching new dramatic peaks in sensationalism and hype. They fill your mind with topics they select, they keep your attention on these topics, and they invite and encourage you to argue amongst each other about these topics. In this way our collective attention is permanently commandeered, preventing us from diving too deeply into matters which have more than a superficial impact on day-today life.

Free-thinking is the ability and willingness to explore of ideas and areas of the mind which are yet undiscovered or are off-limits. It is a vanishing art that is deliberately being stamped out by a control system which demands conformity, acquiescence and obedience of body, mind, and spirit.

For your consideration, here are three questions you’re not supposed to ask about life in our profoundly sick society.

1. Who owns the money supply, and the world’s debt?

Pretty much the entire world is in financial debt, an insidious form of slavery which enables the exploitation of human beings and of all things in nature. It’s maddening when you think about it. The United States alone supposedly owes some $20 trillion, while the world at large owes a shocking $215 trillion?

But to whom, precisely?

Money is just a medium of exchange which facilitates transactions between people. In and of itself it has no intrinsic value as we could just as easily use sea shells instead of dollar bills and still be able to get things done. But today’s money is the property of private third-parties who rent it out to national governments, who then use the labor of their citizens as collateral against these loans. This is a highly refined form of slavery, which has already put future unborn generations of human beings in debt.

But who, exactly does the human race owe? Who are our debt-slave masters?

2. Who owns your body?

Ownership means having the explicit right to use, control and dispose of something in the manner of your choosing. The one thing you are born with that you take with you to your death is your own body, but do you own it? If not you, then who does own your body?

If this question were already settled in our society then there wouldn’t be ever-increasing pressure on those who choose to refuse vaccines. Children battling cancer and other serious illnesses wouldn’t be forced to take chemo and radiation under penalty of law and under threat of being taken from their parents. Water wouldn’t be fluoridated without our consent. Natural medicines wouldn’t be outlawed under threat of fines and prison time.

We are rapidly approaching a time when people will be required by law to take psychotropic medications as citizens were in Aldous Huxley’s dystopian classic, Brave New World.

Do you own your body, or does it belong to the state?

3.  Why is the exploration of consciousness restricted and illegal?

The most effective prisons are not material, but are constructed inside the mind. Perception, opinion and understanding are all dynamic concepts, not at all static. These can all change in the blink of an eye just because a new idea or experience resonates with you in a special way. Our evolution depends on our ability to expand the frontiers of what’s possible, and when the mind is held in confinement by an entrenched system and powerful cultural paradigm, progress, even happiness, is stunted.

In this societal trap you are given free rein to debase your consciousness and your spirit with alcohol, dangerous drugs, pharmaceuticals, television, pornography, theatrical violence, and then some, yet many natural medicines which elevate consciousness and provide a window into the soul are illegal.

“This is the way freedom is hijacked—not all at once, out in the open, but stealthily, little by little, behind closed doors, and with our own agreement. How will we be able to resist when so many of us have already willingly handed over the keys to our own consciousness to the state and accepted without protest that it is OK to be told what we may and may not do, what we may and may not explore, even what we may and may not experience, with this most precious, sapient, unique, and individual part of ourselves?

If we are willing to accept that then we can be persuaded to accept anything.” ~Graham Hancock

The Power of Presence, How “Living In The Now” Can Change Your Life

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By Allie Stark

Source: Collective Evolution

Presence is the powerful practice of being in the moment.

It is created through an acute awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings, and emotions, and in our modern day society, being present doesn’t always come easily. The overstimulation and distraction that come from technology, social media, work, family life, social engagements, and the never-ending “to-do” lists regularly take us out of the now and into a memory from the past or a fear about the future.

Cultivating the power of presence comes from creating the space to observe one’s mind and one’s self. This skill of observation allows us to look at our own lives and the lives of others without attaching judgment or analysis. Using this awareness, we become mindfully attuned to all that is around us through our five senses (smell, touch, taste, sight, and sound) as well as our physical sensations — you know, those signs from our bodies that we often tend to ignore.

Our bodies are equipped with a natural mechanism called the “stress response,” also known as the “fight-or-flight” response, which was first described by Walter Cannon at Harvard. When we encounter something that feels like a threat, the amygdala in the brain experiences the emotion fear. The brain then communicates to the hypothalamus, which communicates to the nervous system, which signals to the adrenal glands to release the stress hormones cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. This assembly-line-like process of the sympathetic nervous system is a crucial part of our body’s internal self-protection mechanism. The only problem is that we are not physiologically designed to be frightened often.

In today’s world, many of us live in overdrive and operate in a constant state of “flight or flight.” This state can be a result of feeling the fear of imagined threats: financial security, societal achievement, the steadiness or demise of a relationship, a perceived health threat, the loss of a loved one, etc. Operating from this place, it is no wonder that many of us feel the perils of stress and anxiety on a daily basis. We struggle with migraines, digestive issues, difficulty breathing, lack of concentration, fatigue, depression, and innumerable other physical ailments because our body is actually attempting to flee the scene of a real threat (car crash, lion chase, assault, etc.) that simply isn’t there. 

The opposite is also true. When we practice deep breathing and mindfulness, we encourage our body to employ the “relaxation response,” our body’s counterbalance to the stress response as defined by Harvard professor Herbert Benson. Being in a state of relaxation, your body will experience physiological symptoms of ease, openness, and balance.

A few days ago, I unintentionally experimented with the topic of presence when I accidentally left my phone at home. Even though I am generally good about creating intentional space to be phone free, something felt different. Normally, I choose to not bring it on a walk, I choose to keep it in my purse during dinner with a friend, and I choose to put it on airplane mode when I am writing or working during the day. Yesterday was the middle of the work week and if I had been asked whether or not I wanted to bring my phone along for the day, my answer would have unquestionably been “yes.”

Climbing up the stairs to the train platform, my hand impulsively reached into my bag in search of my phone. I was subconsciously looking for a meditative distraction during my morning commute. Remembering that it wasn’t there, I closed my eyes, took five deep breaths, and boarded the train car upon its arrival. Within moments of taking my seat, three street performers made an announcement, turned up their boom box, and had at it with their superfly dance moves. I was engrossed and totally present: wide eyes, big smile, heart beating in my chest.

Over the course of the rest of the day, I made note of a few other observations that I could have missed if I was in the phone zone:

  • A gathering of beautiful purple flowers on the sidewalk that had fallen off a tree
  • The smile from a saxophone player on the street
  • A little girl selling brownies in front of her house (although there weren’t many left because she was eating them when she thought no one was looking!)
  • The way the breeze felt on my skin between the high-rises

Upon noticing each of these observations I felt the tension in my body dissipate, I smiled effortlessly, and my body felt calm and at ease. Being fully involved in the present moment, I didn’t have the time to become entrenched in thoughts about the past or fears about the future. I was simply aware of what was going on in the now.

Now let’s be realistic. I know that we live in a technology-focused era and that our phones and our computers are significant tools for work, connectivity, and enjoyment.

They serve a purpose, and an important one at that. We also live in an age where anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness in the U.S., affecting 40 million adults in the United States age 18 and older, or 18% of the population. Countless studies have begun to explore the effects of mindfulness on reducing anxiety and depression, with many of the results from these studies suggesting that mindfulness-based therapy is a promising intervention for treating anxiety and mood problems in clinical populations. If pills, therapies, and medical advice aren’t curing our ailments, it seems foolish not to give mindfulness a shot.

If nothing else, maybe we will get the opportunity to notice small and simple details throughout the day that put a smile on our face.