NOTHINGS HAPPENING...HOW WONDERFUL! I did mindful observing of my thoughts and feelings for 20 years before I got it. I practiced because people said it would bring enlightenment, those incredible aha experiences that show you a deeper reality or truth. When I began neuroscience research in 2002, I became so impressed with the effects of meditation, I took it more seriously. But nothing happened. Years of research provided me some clues. First, nobody told me how important it was to relax. Second, nobody told me HOW to relax (it turns out deep breathing increases stress, nasal breathing calms the brain, and yawning is the fastest way to trigger the relaxation response). Third, no one taught me how to FOCUS on the flow of consciousness (listening to the sound of a large bell as it slowly fades into silence over 60 seconds is the strategy we now teach to students). In my mindfulness training program, NeuroWisdom 101, the 1st 8 lessons explains the how and the why of these brain-changing strategies. Most of the remaining 50 lessons are far more experiential and consciousness-changing. One day, about 10 years ago, I was going through one of the most stressful experiences in my life (my wife had a small cancer in her eye). My mind was crazy with worry, but I knew that my inner state would cause my wifes brain to resonate to my anxiety. So I forced myself to practice mindfulness, watching without judgment, all my mental crap. As I did this, something wonderful took place: nothing happened. The thoughts came and went, and I stayed calm, even peaceful. It was the greatest gift I could give my wife, and one of the greatest lesson Ive ever learned. I have spent the last 12 years, with Andy Newberg, mapping out the neural correlates of serenity and emotional peacefulness, and my basic lesson remains true: when we feel worried, anxious, self-doubting, or depressed, we think something is happening. We believe we are thinking the wrong way, or doing the wrong action, but those are just neural blips - nothing more than fantasies floating through an imaginative brain. Some are positive, some are negative. But if you practice with patience, taking a mindfulness class or listening to the audio program NeuroWisdom, something may actually happen: out of that nothingness - if you pay close attention - small bursts of insight float into consciousness. These aha experiences change your brain in ways that allow you to alter old behaviors and discover what really brings meaning, value, and purpose to your life. As my Buddhist one said when I complained about the lack of change, Nothings happening? How wonderful! Because thats when, if you take the next step, you can tap into incredible wisdom of your creative brain.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:43:52 +0000
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