What if there was a way to live that didn’t demand that I spring back to my original shape after strain?
What if I didn’t need to recover at all, or to adjust?
What if I could tap into something bigger, deeper, and wider, a way of using my brain that honored and supported the new shape I was growing into?
What if I could live Beyond (outdated notions of) Resilience?
resilience, noun
- The capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation, caused especially by compressive stress;
- An ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change
Merriam Webster
Here’s what was getting to me during the COVID-19 pandemic: Constant change without a size or shape to return to.
That size and shape had disappeared, and my healthcare clients demanded “resilience tools,” so they could “meet the challenge,” and “come back stronger.”
But I could not respond. Everything was closed or closing; the streets were empty; information was scarce; the future was unclear, and there seemed to be no escaping our predicament.
Was pushing harder and “coming back stronger” something I could support? What was all this forced response costing us? Could there be a more merciful way?
I started hearing the word resilience as an archaic, macho call to arms — after all, Marines are resilient! What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger! When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
I Needed Restoration, Not Resilience
In order to find my own way forward, I needed connection and solace, not another admonition. So I started looking around for restoration rather than resilience, and I found what I needed in two practices I already love: Open Focus and frame drumming. We’ll explore and practice Open Focus in Season 1 of our podcast. In Season 2 – due in early 2025 – we’ll explore the ancient technology of trance through drumming and rhythmic practice.
Both of these practices affect brainwaves directly and create brainwave synchrony -– which is the modern, scientific way of saying they induce trance.
Trance is the vacation your brain needs. And when I say vacation, I really mean home. Your brain needs to go back to its home state so your mind can let down its guard and rest, and so your body can heal. Making room for trance is common in many cultures, and a necessary part of being alive. Open Focus is a modern, science-based way of creating a refuge your mind can rest in, anytime anywhere.. We’ll be exploring and practicing that in Season 1 of the podcast and in this blog.
Lower frequency brainwaves -– in the alpha and theta range -– and brainwave synchrony automatically produce mental rest and physical healing. That’s what decades of research showed the late Les Fehmi, Ph.D. He perfected his Open Focus methods using neurofeedback equipment he designed.
Open Focus practice is silently responding to a series of questions that ask you to imagine space in and around your body. Imagining space in this way shifts the brain into a slower synchronous brainwave pattern –- in the alpha and theta range -– which causes your mind to calm down and your body to release the effects of stress – all through effortless pretending. Because the only equipment you need is your imagination, it’s the ultimate portable refuge-maker.
The more time you spend in Open Focus, the more quickly you heal and are able to go through life without accumulating stress, rather than have it get stuck in your mind and body.
Our shortest Open Focus sessions are 10 minutes and, as you practice, you will begin to be able to access Open Focus even more quickly.
Open Focus Goes Well with Meditation
Just one more thing before I go: If your meditation practice needs a boost, consider adding Open Focus to it. Inducing alpha-synchrony will enhance your meditation practice – one thing we consistently hear is “this is what I’d hoped my meditation practice could be!”
Want to learn more about Open Focus? Here’s an intro video explaining its origins and the science behind how it works. You can also check out three pre-recorded Open Focus sessions, or listen to the Beyond Resilience podcast.
If you like what you hear, consider joining me for our weekly Open Focus Friday group sessions, or contacting me to learn more.
I hope to see you soon!