It is a time-honored tradition of yearly commitment to change – the New Year’s Resolution. We sit down and make a decision that this year we will begin a regular exercise program or new diet. Or perhaps we will quit smoking or spend more time with our children. Why is it that when we make these ‘resolute’ decisions, so many of these annual promises rarely last? When we resolve each year, what we are really looking for is ‘a dramatic and far-reaching change’. What we seek is a New Year’s REVOLUTION.
Often our New Year’s resolutions ‘revolve’ around actions we want to take or habits we want to change. The focus is always on the action – the Doing. To create a dramatic and far-reaching change, we must first understand that all of our actions come from what we are thinking and feeling… who we are being.
It is a common belief that ‘when I do this…then I will have that…and then I will be happy.’ For example, if I work real hard, I will have lots of money and then I will be happy. The truth is true success and happiness occur in the reverse. When you are happy with an attitude of success …you will do the things that will bring you all you desire. The being always precedes the doing and the having.
To create your New Year’s Revolution, you must first decide what you want, and then, more importantly, determine why you want it. Ask yourself why you want to exercise or go on a diet. Is it to lose weight? Is it to get in shape? But why do you want that? With each answer to why, keep asking why. Dig deeper. Are you trying to get away from or MOVING TOWARD something? Ultimately, you will find that the answer will always lead to a state of being you want to move toward…to be stronger…to be freer…to be happy.
Would you like to know a secret? Come closer…you do not have to do anything to be happy! All you need is to change your focus and decide to be happy. Ultimately, this is the decision that needs to be made…to be happy. It is an attitude. How do you be happy? Ask what it would feel like right now if you were happy. Ask yourself how a happy person would be. How would a happy person breathe…shallow or deep? What would their posture be like? How would they move? What would they be thinking? How else would they be? Once you have the answers to these questions, you have the formula to be happy. If you want to be successful… enthusiastic… compassionate, ask how a person with these qualities would be and be it by putting your attention on how it would feel right now.. You will find that once you develop these qualities, you will automatically do the things that will bring you the things that you desire.
Always start your New Year’s Revolution by developing your be. Before taking action, spend a week, or even a month, being the person who would take that action by putting your attention on the feeling of it already accomplished. You will reach a point when the feeling will be so real you will naturally take the action that will bring it forth easily and effortlessly. It will be a natural expression of who you are. Just as a flower effortlessly releases it fragrant scent and a bird naturally sings its song, so too will you naturally fulfill your New Year’s REVOLUTION.
Have you ever intended to make a change only to find yourself right back where you started shortly thereafter?
Perhaps you had a low back pain and your posture was off and you wanted to change your structure, so you visited a chiropractor? Perhaps you wanted to change a behavior such as quitting smoking or exercising and eating healthier, so you joined a gym? Perhaps you were feeling anxious or depressed and you wanted to change your perception so you consulted a therapist?
Often when making changes such as these, we often find ourselves frustrated that it is so difficult to make the change. Have you ever experienced this? I know I have. Why is this? The answer can be found in a model called The Triad of Change.
The Triad of Change illustrates that in order for there to be a change, three things must be congruent: Structure, Behavior and Perception.
Structure = What we have – our body, home, business, schedule, relationships, finances, etc.
Behavior = What we do – our actions, habits, movements, posture, facial expressions, etc
Perception = What we think and feel – what we are focused on, the meaning we give things, our
thoughts and feelings, etc.
For every Structure, there is a corresponding Behavior and Perception.
For every Behavior, there is a corresponding Structure and Perception.
For every Perception, there is a corresponding Structure and Behavior.
In order to make change in one of these “sides of the triad,” the other 2 sides must be in congruence.
Let’s use the three examples I made at the beginning of this article to illustrate:
Let’s say you have low back pain and your posture is off, so you visit a chiropractor to get help in changing your structure. In order for there to be a change in the structure, there will need to be a congruent change in your behavior and perception. The change in behavior may be more effective bending strategies and doing some stretching. The change in perception may be rather than looking at the pain as something wrong, looking at it as an alert signal from your body to do things differently.
Let’s say you want to change a behavior such as exercising and eating healthier. In order for there to be a change in the behavior, there needs to be a congruent change in your structure and perception. The change in structure may be to find a coach who can create and support you in an exercise and dietary routine. The change in perception may be from “I hate exercising!” to “Although its uncomfortable, I’m getting stronger and more flexible …and I love that!”
Let’s say you are feeling anxious and depressed and want to change your perception. In order for there to be a change in the perception, there needs to be a congruent change in your structure and behavior. Have you noticed that when feeling down, that your posture tends to be hunched over, head and neck forward and down? The change in structure may be to change your posture…hold your head up and bring the shoulders back…perhaps working with a NSA practitioner to help you with the change. The change in behavior may be to take deep breaths and get yourself active in something you enjoy such as painting or exercise.
So you can see from these examples, that in order to make an effective change in any other sides of the triad, there must be a corresponding congruent change in the other two sides.
So how do we effectively use the Triad of Change to make substantial, long-lasting change?
Although counter-intuitive, the greatest hindrance to making effective change is that we focus on the area that needs to be change. For example, if we want to change a behavior such as a habit, we tend to focus on the habit and try to change our behavior. If we want to change how we feel (our perception), we tend to dwell on how we feel. If we want to change our structure, such as a our finances, we tend to focus on the finances.
This is our greatest source of struggle. For generally, the side of the triad that we want to change is our weakest link and by trying to make a change utilizing our weakest side is a sure formula for further struggle.
The most effective way to create change in one of the sides of the triad is to focus on and start making change in the other 2 sides of the triad…and the 3rd side you are trying to change will fall into step with them. Usually one of these two sides is your area of strength and the side to focus on first. This is the magic of this model and the amazing thing is when all three sides are at a new level of congruence you tap into a new and previously untapped source of Energy that supports that “new triad.”
So if you want to change Structure (What you Have)change what you are focusing on and what you are doing congruent with the new structure you want to create
If you want to change Behavior (What you are doing) change what you are focused on and the structure in and around you congruent with the new behavior you want to create.
If you want to change Perception (How you think and feel) change the structure in and around you and what you are doing congruent with the new perception you want to create.
Let’s look at some real-life examples
Have you every felt down or stressed out (Perception), so you went for a walk (Behavior) in a Park (Structure) and not only did you start to feel better (Perception) but you had a creative idea that would move you forward. (New source of energy in New triad). This is the model at work! By focusing on the other 2 sides of the triad, the other side you wanted to change….changed, and the new congruence of the 3 sides allowed you to tap into creative resources that were unavailable before.
Have you ever need to move a new apartment or house (Structure)? If you just focused on the new residence you wouldn’t move anywhere. By shifting your focus to the ideals you would like to experience in the new house and how it would feel (Perception), taking action to look at listings, visit homes and then make a choice and actually move (Behavior), before you know it you are in your new house. (Structure). You can also apply this example to finding a new job, relationship, etc.
Have you ever wanted to start exercising or go on a diet (Behavior). Generally, when you failed, you probably were focused on losing weight and attempted it on your own. But those times you were successful, you focused on how the new you you wanted to feel (Perception) and joined a gym or exercise class … or followed some diet regime such as Weight Watcher’s or Atkin’s in the case of diet (Structure).
So Let’s put it to work:
What is something you want to change?
Is it something you have (Structure), something you do (Behavior) or how you feel (Perception)
If it is a Structure, what is a compelling reason to make the change (Perception) and what can you do differently (behavior) that would be congruent with that new structure?
If it is a Behavior, what is a compelling reason to make the change (Perception) and what can you change around you (structure) to support that new behavior?
If it is a Perception, what can you change around you and do that would be in alignment with that new perception.
At A Place for Healing, we support people in their health and wellness goals by implementing the Triad of Change. Network Spinal Analysis (NSA) uses gentle touches on the spine to help develop new internal emerging strategies of breath and movement (behavior) to optimize the posture (structure) of the spine and nervous system and be more effective at adapting to stress (behavior) helping people to feel better and have a more satisfying and fulfilling experience of life (Perception). By changing structure and behavior, we change perception.
So next time you need to make a change, determine which side of the triad that change resides. LET IT GO and focus on the other 2 sides!
“I originally came to Dr. Barry Weinberg and A Place for Healing because I suffered from vertigo, migraines and lower backaches. Lots of work stress and taking lots of medications.
Since receiving Network Chiropractic care, I’m off my meds…less tension in my back and neck. I’m much more aware of my mind and body. I experience very little headaches. I used to have an episode of vertigo about every other month, but now I’ve had only 2 minor attacks during the year I’ve been coming.
I feel energetic physically and mentally under Dr. Weinberg’s care. I now have peace and am stress free.”
~ Linda Damon
——–
This beautiful testimonial demonstrates what my practice is all about. People who have been to my practice know that I am not about fixing anything or making pain go away. Yet, when the spine and nervous system are free of tension and interference, the body seems to “magically” heal and pain, illness and injury leave the body. People who have been to my practice know that I don’t usually give instruction on nutrition, exercise and other lifestyle habits. Yet, when the spine and nervous system are free of tension and interference, people seem to “magically” know what changes they need to make in their lifestyle and make those changes.
People who have been to my practice know that I am not a counselor, life coach or therapist. Yet, when the spine and nervous system are free of tension and interference, anxiety, depression and fear tend to “magically” fade and they experience more mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
This is what my practice is all about.
Through the gentle, honoring contacts I apply to the spine with Network Spinal Analysis chiropractic care, people connect more with their bodies and develop new strategies to release tension, use tension to create change and become more adaptable to life. Through this process, not only does the body heal, but people experience more well-being in all areas of their life in a way that they never experienced before.
This is what my practice is all about.
Empowering people to heal themselves by finding the message in their pain, tension, illness, or injury and using it as a guide and the fuel to make subtle changes in their life that produce dramatic, positive results.
It is a time-honored tradition of yearly commitment to change – the New Year’s Resolution. We sit down and make a decision that this year we will begin a regular exercise program or new diet. Or perhaps we will quit smoking or spend more time with our children. Why is it that when we make these ‘resolute’ decisions, so many of these annual promises rarely last? When we resolve each year, what we are really looking for is ‘a dramatic and far-reaching change’. What we seek is a New Year’s REVOLUTION.
Often our New Year’s resolutions ‘revolve’ around actions we want to take or habits we want to change. The focus is always on the action – the Doing. To create a dramatic and far-reaching change, we must first understand that all of our actions come from what we are thinking and more importantly, who we are being.
It is a common belief that ‘when I do this…then I will have that…and then I will be happy.’ For example, if I work real hard, I will have lots of money and then I will be happy. The truth is true success and happiness occur in the reverse. When you are happy with an attitude of success …you will do the things that will bring you all you desire. The being always precedes the doing and the having.
To create your New Year’s Revolution, you must first decide what you want, and then, more importantly, determine why you want it. Ask yourself why you want to exercise or go on a diet. Is it to lose weight? Is it to get in shape? But why do you want that? With each answer to why, keep asking why. Dig deeper. Ultimately, you will find that the answer will always lead to a state of being…to be stronger…to be freer…to be happy.
Would you like to know a secret? Come closer…you do not have to do anything to be happy! All you need is to change your focus and decide to be happy. Ultimately, this is the decision that needs to be made…to be happy. It is an attitude. How do you be happy? Ask what it would feel like right now if you were happy. Ask yourself how a happy person would be. How would a happy person breathe…shallow or deep? What would their posture be like? How would they move? What would they be thinking? How else would they be? Once you have the answers to these questions, you have the formula to be happy. If you want to be successful… enthusiastic… compassionate, ask how a person with these qualities would be and be it by putting your attention on how it would feel right now.. You will find that once you develop these qualities, you will automatically do the things that will bring you the things that you desire.
Always start your New Year’s Revolution by developing your be. Before taking action, spend a week, or even a month, being the person who would take that action by putting your attention on the feeling of it already accomplished. You will reach a point the feeling will be so real you will naturally the action that will bring it forth easily and effortlessly. It will be a natural expression of who you are. Just as a flower effortlessly releases it fragrant scent and a bird naturally sings its song, so too will you naturally fulfill your New Year’s REVOLUTION.
Have you ever had a pain that just wouldn’t go away? An injury that doesn’t seem to want to heal? Any chronic health problem or challenge? It is my intention in this article to share with you a subtle, but powerful solution to this dilemma. And although the solution is simple, I can guarantee a part of you will not want to do it. In fact, a part of you will scream, “NO! I WON’T DO IT.” Let’s explore this.
In any healing process, the first step is awareness. You have to become aware of a problem before it can be changed. If you have a piece of lettuce in your teeth, you can’t remove it until someone points to their mouth and says, “There’s something in your teeth.” In the healing process, this awareness usually starts as a symptom, such as a pain or discomfort.
The next step in any healing process is acknowledgement. You have to acknowledge that there’s a problem. If you ignore the pain or discomfort that you became aware of, what usually happens? It gets worse, doesn’t it? So acknowledgement is necessary. The admittance that “I have a problem and something needs to change.”
Now we come to the next step in any healing process. And this is the key to truly begin the healing. This is the step I referred to earlier. This is the step that you will probably resist and stop reading this article with an adamant “NO!”
The third and critical step to any healing process is ACCEPTANCE.
Once you become aware that there is something happening that needs to change, and you acknowledge it for what it is, to truly start the process of it changing and healing, you must accept it for what it is. You must feel it, experience it and accept that in this moment this is what is. You must accept that your life up to this point has led to this experience. You must accept responsibility that the structure of your life as you have lived it, your behaviors and actions, and your thoughts, beliefs and the meaning you give things led to this experience. And, most importantly, you must accept that you have the power to change it and only YOU can change it.
One of the greatest stories of the power of acceptance is the story of Victor Frankl, author of Man’s Search for Meaning and a survivor of the Holocaust. Victor Frankl was a prisoner in the Auschwitz death camps during the Nazi occupation of World War II. Surrounded by the smell of burning bodies and the sounds of children’s screams, Frankl found himself in an experience where death was certain.
One day, Frankl was taken to a dark room in the basement of a burnt out building, so that the “doctors” could give him a “routine checkup.” Before he knew it, he was strapped to a table and the men began sterilization surgery on him … without anesthesia. As he lay on the table in excruciating agony, he had a realization. These men had the liberty to go where they pleased and do what they wished, but, they did not have the freedom to think for themselves. They were puppets of a dark master, of which they must perform such horrible acts upon another human being. Although they had liberty, he, Frankl, had the freedom to create in his mind whatever picture he desired and think his own thoughts. With this sudden insight, he accepted his situation and began spending all his time with his eyes closed imagining himself running through green fields with his children and grandchildren. He saw himself being free of his horrible surroundings and envisioned himself traveling to America to share his story and newfound wisdom.
Victor Frankl survived the death camps. He traveled to America and wrote his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, which has been a source of inspiration for millions of readers. If Frankl had not accepted his situation, he would have suffered through his experience and probably never survived. By accepting his appalling circumstance and creating a new vision within his mind, Victor Frankl not only lived through it, but healed himself in the process and helped millions of people around the world to accept their situation and heal as well.
So what comes after acceptance? NEXT!!! This is what is, but what’s next? What is your ideal? And your ideal is not to be free of pain or cured of your illness. The ideal is what is on the other side: abundant health, vital energy, full self-expression, living on purpose. Create a vision of your ideal and align the structure of your life, your behaviors and actions, and what you focus on with that vision … and watch the magic of healing, growth and success unfold.
If you want support with this process, please call our office at (954) 202-7477 or email me at drbarry@placeforhealing.com to experience the health and wellness benefits of reorganizational healing and network spinal analysis care.
It is a time-honored tradition of yearly commitment to change – the New Years Resolution. We sit down and make a decision that this year we will begin a regular exercise program or new diet. Or perhaps we will quit smoking or spend more time with our children. Why is it that when we make these ‘resolute’ decisions, so many of these annual promises rarely last? When we resolve each year, what we are really looking for is ‘a dramatic and far-reaching change’. What we seek is a New Year’s REVOLUTION.
Often our New Year’s resolutions ‘revolve’ around actions we want to take or habits we want to change. The focus is always on the action – the Doing. To create a dramatic and far-reaching change, we must first understand that all of our actions come from what we are thinking and more importantly, who we are being.
It is a common belief that ‘when I do this…then I will have that…and then I will be happy.’ For example, if I work real hard, I will have lots of money and then I will be happy. The truth is true success and happiness occur in the reverse. When you are happy with an attitude of success …you will do the things that will bring you all you desire. The being always precedes the doing and the having.
To create your New Year’s Revolution, you must first decide what you want, and then, more importantly, determine why you want it. Ask yourself why you want to exercise or go on a diet. Is it to lose weight? Is it to get in shape? But why do you want that? With each answer to why, keep asking why. Dig deeper. Ultimately, you will find that the answer will always lead to a state of being…to be stronger…to be freer…to be happy.
Would you like to know a secret? Come closer…you do not have to do anything to be happy! All you need is to change your focus and decide to be happy. Ultimately, this is the decision that needs to be made…to be happy. It is an attitude. How do you be happy? Ask what it would feel like right now if you were happy. Ask yourself how a happy person would be. How would a happy person breathe…shallow or deep? What would their posture be like? How would they move? What would they be thinking? How else would they be? Once you have the answers to these questions, you have the formula to be happy. If you want to be successful… enthusiastic… compassionate, ask how a person with these qualities would be and be it by putting your attention on how it would feel right now.. You will find that once you develop these qualities, you will automatically do the things that will bring you the things that you desire.
Always start your New Year’s Revolution by developing your be. Before taking action, spend a week, or even a month, being the person who would take that action by putting your attention on the feeling of it already accomplished. You will reach a point the feeling will be so real you will naturally the action that will bring it forth easily and effortlessly. It will be a natural expression of who you are. Just as a flower effortlessly releases it fragrant scent and a bird naturally sings its song, so too will you naturally fulfill your New Year’s REVOLUTION.
This Saturday my family and I are moving to our new home. Besides getting married and starting a new business, moving residences is probably one of the biggest changes one can have. Yet, when you have effective strategies for change, this big change can be made smoothly. One of the greatest strategies for change is applying the Triad of Change from the Reorganizational Healing model as discussed in an earlier blog.
The Triad of Change encapsulates all areas of life and demonstrates what needs to be in congruence for change to happen.
The three components of the Triad of Change are:
Structure – What we have – Home, Body, Business, Finances, Relationships, etc.
Behavior – What we do – Our daily actions and habit
Perception – What we focus on – Our thoughts, feelings and the meaning we give things.
We also discussed previously that when you have a challenge and/or want to create change in one of the aspects of the Triad, rather than trying to change that aspect, focus on the other two.
So I’d like to use our move as an example and demonstrate how we applied the Triad of Change. You will see how common sense this strategy is.
The change we wanted to make was in Structure – our Home.
So to make this change we focused on Perception and Behavior.
First, we made a list of all the qualities of our ideal home and how it would feel to be there. Every day, we would look at the list and really feel how it would be to live there….as if we were already there. That’s Perception.
Then we took the appropriate actions (Behavior) to find the home. Got a realtor. Visited homes. Etc.
Before we knew it, we’re packing and moving to our new home – Structure.
That’s how it works and you can apply this to any area of life you want to change.
If you want to change how you feel about something (Perception) – Focus on Structure and Behavior
If you want to change a habit – Focus on Structure and Perception
If you want to change something you have – Focus on Perception and Behavior
At this point, the healing experience has become a very real and integral part of your life. It is no longer something that you desperately seek nor is it a new idea in your consciousness. Through all that you have experienced, you have come to realize that healing is not something that someone must do to you or the consequence of any specific action, therapy, or diet program, but is instead an aspect of life that never stops, never leaves, and is your constant companion. You no longer need affirmations to remind you of its presence, and you no longer must visualize your healing vision. These affirmations become your constant inner dialogue and your visualizations never leave your mind’s eye.
You have read the books, you have studied the words, you have followed the instructions, and now it has become as familiar to you as breathing, eating, and sleeping. Healing is not something that somebody does to you, or even something that you do to yourself. It is merely something that you do, just as your heart beats and your lungs breath. You now understand, through your own experience and your daily increase of awareness, perception, and consciousness, that healing is not simply the relief of symptoms and remission of disease, but the constant process of growth, evolution, and learning. As your perception continues to become more refined, and your ability to respond more appropriately to changes in your outer and inner environment becomes more effective and efficient, learning and growing become more of your regular daily experience. You begin to more effectively manifest physically your intentions, more harmoniously interact with others, and experience greater levels of contentment, joy, and peace. Your disease, condition, or other expression of disharmony that once caused you so much distress, no longer holds a place in your consciousness and is seen as a consequence or effect of past causes (thoughts, words, and actions.) Instead, your consciousness is filled with your vision and you begin to witness the universal principles, which were once fantastic, and perhaps fictitious, concepts in your daily life.
You have emerged into the Process of the Heart called Affirmation. In this stage of healing, your encounter with every moment of every day reminds you of and affirms the truths, principles, and laws that govern the universe. You no longer need to remind yourself of these things, for the universe begins to speak to you throughlife.
As such, your language begins to change. You find that you no longer speak of lack or detriment, but instead spread only words of wisdom, healing, and truth. Your affirmations flow from you as natural as your regional dialect and cultural slang. You have freed yourself from the prison of false beliefs, denial, and doubt, and have become one of the few who sees through rose-colored glasses and always has a cup that is half-full, rather than half-empty.
As you observe yourself in this constant state of affirmation and allow yourself to receive the voice of the universe through everything you see, everything you hear, and everyone you meet, you greet all experience with open arms and realize that we are all one.
In the next entry, we will explore the sixth “Healing Process of the Heart” – Atonement
One day I was in the forest. I walked along enjoying the beauty of nature around me. Lost in the serenity of the moment, I haphazardly walked into a small opening in the woods where a mama bear was frolicking with her three cubs. She saw me. She was not happy to see me. She reared up on her hind legs, flashed her sharp fangs and pointy claws in my direction, and roared She began to run towards me.
This is a wonderful example of STRESS – a sudden change in my outer environment (an angry bear running towards me) that, if I don’t do something, will create a major change in my inner environment (I would quickly become food for mama bear and her cubs). In order to ensure my survival, my body and mind must express the seven attributes, or Response Abilities, of health, so that I may respond appropriately to this stress.
Step One: I just perceived a sudden change in my external environment – I see and hear the bear. I passed the first test.
StepTwo: I must adapt to this change. There are certain conscious and unconscious changes that must occur in order for me to retain my current level of health. On an unconscious level, several things happen: My adrenal glands start pumping adrenaline into my bloodstream giving me a sudden burst of energy. My heartbeat begins to race and my blood pressure skyrockets increasing the supply of oxygen and other nutrients to my muscles and vital organs. My digestive system turns off (possibly emptying in the process), for digestion takes a tremendous amount of energy, and at that moment I require the energy for other needs. The pupils of my eyes dilate, or get bigger, so I can see more and see farther. I start sweating and my mind starts to race and that’s where the one conscious decision comes in: Fight or Run Away!?.
I choose to run away. The bear takes chase. I climb quickly up a tree. The bear shakes the tree with her mighty paws, her teeth glaring in the sunlight. Unable to shake me loose, the mama bear soon loses interest and she and her cubs prance off into the sunset, leaving me trembling in the tree. I passed test two. My body and mind adapted to the stress I perceived, and I survived, retaining my current state of health.
For the purpose of demonstration, let us pretend that I did not pass the next step – I do not Recover from the adaptation to the stress once the bear goes away. Let us jump ahead twenty years into the future. Picture me sitting at home, forty pounds overweight, sitting on the couch eating nachos and drinking a cold beer. I am channel surfing with my eyes fixed on the television, my feet propped up on a table. Can you picture it? Sound familiar? Sound like someone you know?
My adrenals are still releasing tremendous amounts of adrenaline (anxiety), for which I “treat” with valium at night and a cup of coffee in the morning. My heart rate tends to be high, and my blood pressure is through the roof (hypertension), for which my doctor prescribed a medication to keep under control. I wear glasses to correct my vision because since the “mama bear incident,” as it is now called, I still tend to be farsighted (myopic). I have trouble eating heavy meals, because my digestion system has difficulty producing enough acid and enzymes to break it down (indigestion, irritable bowel, Crohn’s disease). What happened here? What happened was my body perceived a stress to which it appropriately adapted, but never recovered.
At this point, my body is still responding to a stress that happened twenty years ago! My body and mind are still being chased by a bear, even though the incident is twenty years in my past. This is the cause of most disease. (The remainder of which correspond to the loss of one or more of the other six attributes of health.) My body lost its adequate Response Ability, therefore each stressful experience adds to my dis-ease and reduces my ability to respond appropriately to stress. Whatever illness, disease, or condition you may “have”, if you look back at your life with honesty and open-mindedness, you will find some past physical, emotional, or chemical stress, or an accumulation of such stresses, that you have experienced, and either didn’t effectively adapt to, or you adapted to and never fully recovered from.
We will continue to explore the Cause of all Disease, the Seven Response Abilities and the “Mama Bear” incident in the next entry.
Ancient Chinese wisdom says that when the wind blows strong, the mighty oak which stands firm, will topple, yet the flowing reeds will live to see another day. Likewise, when we experience change, we must “go with the flow.” “Ride the tide.” We must adapt. For if we stand firm, resisting the change, like the mighty oak, we will fall. If instead, we bend like the gentle reed, we will live to see another day…and become stronger and wiser in the process.
Our bodies have a remarkable ability to adapt to change, that, is to change itself internally to best survive a change on the outside, receiving the fullest benefit from the experience. Left on its own, the human body would survive through tremendous trial and tribulation because of its wonderful adaptive mechanism. Infants who usually would be considered unfit to care for themselves, have been found lost in the woods or trapped in a well, alive and thriving after days, and even weeks, without food and water. Whereas these conditions may not be optimum for the health and well-being of a child, their resilience and adaptability is demonstrated in such situations.
The most primitive and best known example of our adaptive mechanism is the fight or flight response. This unconscious animal response occurs when the human animal is placed in danger. The body automatically prepares itself for one of two adaptive responses: to either confront the danger or run away. Whereas our civilization has eliminated much of our need for this response, it still stands, and protects us in times of physical challenge or emotional contention.
When such a situation arises, a number of internal adaptations occur. Our adrenal glands release adrenaline into our blood stream giving us a burst of energy. Our digestive system slows or stops completely to reserve energy resources. Our eyes dilate, pupils open wide, so that we can see further, more, and in less light. Our blood pressure and pulse rate increase sending more blood and oxygen to all the cells of our body, especially the muscles. All these responses are created in order to prepare us for action and increase our chances of survival in a challenging situation.
Whereas in the past our adaptive mechanism was responsible in determining whether we live or die in a given situation, and may even perform the same function today, due to our development of civilization, society and culture, these important responses to change may hold a more subtle, yet profound, function: To allow us to get the most out of any given situation, especially in the areas of healing, growth, and further evolution of our species.
If we are able to adapt to a change in the environment in such a way as to become stronger, smarter, or more sensitive, we can become more advanced as a species and achieve higher levels of awareness, accomplishment, and healing.
In order for us to reach our highest levels of health and healing, we must ensure that our bodies and minds are capable of effective and efficient adaptation to change in the environment. By becoming more sensitive and more perceptive, we are more prepared and forewarned so that we can make such changes. If this Response Ability to adapt or change ourselves in relationship to the outside environment is not functioning optimally, the perception is futile. For if we perceive a possible danger and are unable to respond to it, what use is the perception? It is like a starving man looking across a great cavern at an apple tree…in eyeshot, but out of reach. Unless we can adapt effectively to the changes that we have perceived, the perception holds no purpose and serves only to frustrate.
Understanding the important function of perception and adaptation, in the next entry we will look at the next Response Ability…the ability to recover.
A Place for Healing 