The Age of Stress as a Precedent

The cover story of Time Magazine on June 6th, 1983 declared America “In the Age of Stress”. It depicted us as a society consumed by demands for our resources and threats to our well-being.
Since that time in 1983 when the official diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was first categorized by the Board of Medicine and Psychology there has been little effort made to define the parameters of stress, thus leaving us (the lay-person) to define ANYTHING with an overwhelming effect…. as stress.
Because stress is a natural form of physical reaction to our environment, I feel it vital to understand the nervous system, its fundamental (base) response, and its contradictions.
The word “stress” has been so overly used and emphasized, as to describe everything from marital discord to juvenile delinquency, that I find it prudent to discuss the implications of typical (physical) stress vs. the “stress scapegoat”.

Stress has now become a way to blame our fears and psychological malaise on every unpropitious occurrence. These situations could easily be handled if we understood our personal reactions and childhood traumas, and knew the difference between a natural Fight/Flight response or an overly stimulated psyche.

I really wanted to post this up, so you guys could get a close look at something very special starting to happen. We are here (in this time) for a reason… hold on to your bootstraps…. we’re going for the “Big Ride”!!

From time to time, I run across some pretty amazing (simple) practices that I for one, can appreciate. Keeping my spiritual practices simple, consistent, and SHORT….has become my way of staying connected. I like what Dan has to say here (below) and how easy it is to experience a “moment” of what some try to achieve hourly, or even worse….expect YOU to do all the time! Pressure is the worst of all experiences. Take the pressure off…and have a moment.

“Take your keys, a piece of fruit, or any handy object, and go outside. Throw the object up into the air. Staying relaxed and easy, catch it. (Be sure to catch it.) Then come back inside, and continue reading this exercise.

Consider the moment the object was in the air. At that moment you weren’t thinking of what you’d have for dinner or what you did yesterday. You weren’t thinking of anything else, either. You may have been attending to thoughts before you threw it or after you caught it, but during the throw, you were pure attention, reaching out, waiting for the object’s descent. In that same moment your emotions were open, and your body was alert and vitalized–a moment of satori.” ~ Dan Millman from Body Mind Mastery

I would like to take a moment in writing  and reflecting – to recognize – to honor… those having passed from this world, those left to grieve… and those just entering as newborns. (Two of my dear friends mothers have died, and two of my friends have had babies.)

How odd, as I sit and contemplate the meaning of “being” in this world. The way in which birth and death has no bias. The way in which this elegant cycle continues as it has since the dawn of man. The grieving of loss, the celebration of new life. The paradox, and the prodigy all tangled up like silver necklaces in a box together.

I am a fortunate soul, I am loved and I love. Those who intrust me with their darkest hour are my saviors, as they bring me to my own realizations and lighten my load by giving me theirs. We seem to grieve everything so I’ve come to see. We even grieve our electricity being shut off by a storm! And oddly enough, there those who grieve childbirth as much as the loss of a loved one.

Powerful teacher is grief and I am a good student.

But the most immersive moments of our lives is when we grieve and feel alone, for only then will we emerge to find our hands being warmed by another. Only then can you behold the miracle of your own birth.

"Focus on the Apple"

Goals and Objectives for Neuro-Rhythm Audiology

Therapy (Advanced Work)

The objectives for working with your nervous system while studying consciousness, is to create a union with the body for optimal integration.

Our nervous system is like an antenna for it’s surroundings and has been primarily conditioned for threatening situations.It is natural for the nervous system to perceive non-ordinary states of awareness as “unknown territory” which in most cases creates a sympathetic response (a defense response) regarding this unexpected experience.

By training the nervous system to relax during these heightened states of awareness you are giving yourself the highest possibility of outcome for integration.

It is essential for the experience of awakening to be in a relaxed and neutral sate, something that our nervous system does not often feel. The integration of a non-ordinary state of awareness with the living body gives direct experience of a calm and integrated life in all situations.

After you have completed Phase One of the Neuro-Rhythm Audiology work, your experience of stress should have a noticeable detachment. This should not be confused with dismissal. You will continue to feel engaged, but this feeling will have space and a sense of choice as to the length of time you spend in a stressful situation.

Once you have completed Phase One and received your Alpha CD, you should continue to listen to this CD in combination with your choice of Advanced Brain States CD’s. Many of the Advanced CD’s are capable of bringing the brain into a desirable neutral awareness state, as well as keeping the body relaxed and open to the “unknown”.

The recommended Advanced CD’s are as follows;

Two Borderline CD’s – creates a calm state of focus and memory retention

Epsilon, Gamma, Hyper Gamma – Very heightened state of focused meditation, neutrality and openness to the unknown, Self-continuity.

Note: These CD’s are for on-going “core therapy” in combination with Kinesiology as your regular therapy work.