Somatic Intelligence: What Every Body is Dying for You To Know 1523937750, 9781523937752

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by Suresha Hill, M.S., Ed.S., H.S.E., D.O.M.T.P. Volume 4 – Color Edition

Disclaimer Although these techniques and exercises are very gentle and meant to be done slowly taking every precaution into consideration when incorporating something new into your system, there may be acute or flared up chronic conditions that the movements or positions won’t work well for. It’s a good idea to double-check with your doctor, chiropractor, osteopath, or physical therapist if you have any doubt or concerns whether or not the suggestions will be appropriate for your body at this time. Somatic Education is not meant to replace medical supervision for serious conditions.

Edited by Caroline Hannsen Cover Design by Tamera Haney and Suresha Hill Design and Layout by Jody Levitan with Graphic Assistance by Michigan Yang

All Rights Reserved © 2015 No portion of this text, except for brief review, may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system,or transmitted in any form, by any means - electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the expressed, written permission of the author and publisher: One Sky Productions, P.O. Box 150954 San Rafael, CA 94915

Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. i Preface..................................................................................................................................... ii Forward................................................................................................................................... vi Introduction...................................................................................................................... viii

Chapter 1........................................................................1 Are We What We Learn to Be? What Are We Made Of?.............................................................................................. 3 Tissues and Substances............................................................................................. 3 Cells...................................................................................................................................... 5 Molecules.......................................................................................................................... 7 Atoms and Quarks........................................................................................................ 9 Energy.................................................................................................................................. 9 Biochemical and Chemical Energy.................................................................. 11 Electrical Pathway and Point System............................................................. 14. Primo Vascular Energy............................................................................................ 18 Marmas............................................................................................................................. 20 Chi Fields and the Heart........................................................................................ 22 Koshas and Chakras................................................................................................. 23 Subtle Energy............................................................................................................... 26 Vayus and Nadis. . ........................................................................................................ 26

The Role of Consciousness.................................................................................. 30 The Mind vs. The Brain............................................................................................ 30. The Social Mind........................................................................................................... 36 We Are Many Forms of Intelligence................................................................ 38 Diverse Ways to Transmit Intelligence........................................................... 40 Ego/Personality/Self................................................................................................. 42 Seven Universal Archetypes................................................................................. 45 Soul or Atman.............................................................................................................. 50

Chapter 2..................................................................... 55 Pre-determination or Self-determination

Nature and Nurture.................................................................................................... 55

Impressions Received from Birth...................................................................... 57. The Imprint of Instincts......................................................................................... 60. The Role of Reflexes................................................................................................ 61. Transmitting and Receiving Self-Image........................................................ 64. Self-concept and the Looking Glass.............................................................. 67. Celestial Impressions on Behavior................................................................... 69. The Influence of Coherent Transmissions.................................................. 72. The Effects of Incoherence.................................................................................. 74 Do We Have Free Will?............................................................................................ 77 Impressions in Cellular Memory........................................................................ 79

Chapter 3.....................................................................83 Changing Neurological Tracks Neuroplasticity............................................................................................................. 83 Whose Patterns are We Expressing?............................................................... 86 Being Human is Learned........................................................................................ 88 Reorganizing Long-term Memory................................................................... 90 Learning Adaptations to Stress........................................................................... 92 Are We What We Eat?.............................................................................................. 96

Chapter 4.....................................................................99 How the Body Communicates With Itself Central Nervous System......................................................................................... 99. Neural Pathways...................................................................................................... 100. Mechanoreceptors................................................................................................. 101. Neurotransmitters and the CNS.................................................................... 105. The Influence of Hormones.............................................................................. 107. The Master Gland................................................................................................... 109. The Limbic Brain....................................................................................................... 111. Male and Female Responses to Stress........................................................ 115. Love and Addiction................................................................................................. 116. The Multifaceted Communication of the Heart.................................... 118

DNA - Genetic Expression.................................................................................. 120 DNA and Light Frequencies.............................................................................. 120



DNA and Emotional Expression....................................................................... 122 The Language of ‘Junk’ DNA............................................................................. 123 Wave Function of DNA......................................................................................... 124 DNA and Intention................................................................................................... 125. DNA Is Not In Control........................................................................................... 127. Brain Waves and States of Being..................................................................... 129

Chapter 5................................................................... 133 How to Reeducate the Body How the Mind and Body Learn........................................................................ 133 Early Childhood Stimulation................................................................134 Various Types of Conditioning......................................................................... 136 Safety............................................................................................................................... 139 Motivation.................................................................................................................... 140 Novelty........................................................................................................................... 142 Mirror Neurons.......................................................................................................... 143

How the Mind and Body Unlearn.................................................................. 145

Start with Neutral..................................................................................................... 145 Giving Change Time...............................................................................................146 The Biomechanics of Balance......................................................................... 148 Understanding Your Wiring............................................................................... 149 The Secret to Making Change Stick.............................................................. 151 What Your Body is Dying for You to Know............................................... 152 You are Freedom...................................................................................................... 156

Chapter 6...................................................................159 Deepening Your Relationship

Awareness and Presence..................................................................................... 159 Question What Happens in Your Mind........................................................ 161. What Are Thoughts?............................................................................................... 162 Interviews on Thought......................................................................................... 164 A Story About the Power of Thoughts........................................................182 Thought According to Buddha Dhamma...................................................... 184 The Teachings of Buddha..................................................................................................................184 The Use of Witnessing......................................................................................... 188 Watching Your Thoughts.................................................................................... 189 Watching Your Breath........................................................................................... 190. Contemplating Your Body.................................................................................. 191

Chapter 7...................................................................195 Discovering a New Relationship with Your Body

Tuning In........................................................................................................................ 195 Learning to Discern............................................................................................... 198 Start Sensing Something External................................................................. 199 Learn to Develop Internal Self-Sensing..................................................... 201 Recognize Your Body’s Messages................................................................. 203

Seeing Your Body Through Different Eyes............................................ 204

As Your Transportation......................................................................................... 204 As Your Information Processor....................................................................... 206 As Your Best Friend................................................................................................ 208 As Your Home........................................................................................................... 210 As Your Temple......................................................................................................... 2 1 1 Tying it All Together............................................................................................... 213 Touching Joy............................................................................................................. 216

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acknowledgments Many thanks to my special teachers over the years who have shaped my perception, greatly enhanced and inspired my career, as well as transformed my life, including Professors Dr. Donald Wonderly and Dr. Thomas Hanna, Osteopathic physicians Dr. Jean-Pierre Barral, Dr. Alain Croibier, Dr. Bruno Chikly and Dr. Steve Sanet, and a protégé of Moshe Feldenkrais, Yochanan Ryverwant

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Preface

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here are many different types of intelligence, but we aren’t usually taught what they are. This oversight, or you could call it an undersight leaves many of us in a gap about how to fully function well in the world because a variety of forms of intelligence are needed in order to feel competent in all areas of living. The type of intelligence we think of most often is the one involving the intellect. Modern society focuses on the capacity for someone to process linear and abstract concepts quickly, enabling a form of comprehension that facilitates effective problem solving. The thrust of most schools is to foster and measure the intellect, yet succeeding in life can also include somatic, emotional, and spiritual intelligence. Countless people who score high on achievement or intelligence tests are unsuccessful in achieving their goals and are unhappy, while high school dropouts can become self-satisfied multimillionaires. Robert De Niro, Vidal Sassoon, Simon Cowell, 50 Cent, Billy Joel, entrepreneur Jim Clark, and former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona are just a few intelligent, accomplished beings who didn’t finish high school. I would offer that emotional and spiritual intelligence are also important. They are responsible for a person’s ability to function in a balanced and healthy manner in many types of relational situations and challenges, as well to effectively process and overcome emotional injury. In elementary school, children are given a grade for ‘plays well with others’ but guidance, support or instruction

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on just how to work out or avoid producing issues was rarely offered at home or in school, except for ‘towing the line’. Growing up in Ohio in the ‘50’s I remember many instances of being corrected in a general way with either ‘yes’, this is allowed or ‘no’, this isn’t allowed, and this is a punishable offense (like staying out past curfew). The details for building inner resources involving a conversation about resolving disagreements or inner conflicts didn’t exist in those days, and still don’t exist on a wide scale basis today. We have adopted methods that train behavior rather than teaching resources. It’s possible that this undersight is contributing to the hundreds of millions of prescriptions filled each year for depression or anxiety. The children I worked with as a school psychologist often suffered from emotional or psychological issues that were responsible for their inability to perform well in school. It also worked in reverse: if neurological issues impacted their performance, being treated as an underachiever would create emotional and behavioral issues. Yet the schools were only taught to generate achievers and teach to the test, missing the many forms of intelligence that hadn’t had a chance to shine. If it were up to me, emotional intelligence would be part of every elementary, middle, and high school curriculum, along with freshman and sophomore years of college. ‘Street sense’ is often mentioned as a fundamental type of intelligence in lower income communities, but is rarely heard of in the mainstream. It is recognized in the inner city as a ‘worldliness’ drive or instinct that enables a person to persevere, survive stress and pressure, and adapt without any of the usual advantages that a ‘normal’ family life, adequate income, or higher education might provide. Street sense can trump academia, but doesn’t automatically include emotional intelligence or the capacity for intimacy. Somatic intelligence is also relatively unknown except in a handful of bodybased, therapeutic models. In general, when we think of physical health, we think of becoming stronger or stretching more, and perhaps improving our diet. We aren’t taught to think of how the body communicates expresses its own intelligence. We are mainly exposed to our body’s anatomy and physiology, but the explanations of the body’s anatomy in biology class doesn’t include the aspects the systems that drive the biology. Our physical education classes don’t include an understanding of how the body learns. Those classes teach sports, they don’t address somatic intelligence or knowing that the body has a type of responsiveness that we can be in relationship with. We weren’t taught the body’s language so that we could be in dialogue with it, notice its urgings, and self-organize towards balance.

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When I gave intelligence and achievement tests to children along with neurological and psychological screenings, the question began to arise as to where the learning difficulties really came from with children who scored low on the tests. I could sense that there were other issues that were intimately connected to their expression of intellect, but didn’t know what to do about it. I could see both the intelligence and defeat in their eyes, and felt that testing them at the height of their disadvantage was unfair and unreliable. Questions arose again while working at a physical therapy clinic as to the underpinnings of chronic pain. We could test the ways that the patients’ bodies were stuck in a limiting pattern, but those tests also didn’t reveal why other than isolating an anatomical restriction or injury. It didn’t view or treat the system as a whole. In our approach to training both the body and the mind, we’ve become compartmentalized. Thankfully, those questions that arose led to the discovery of somatic education and a paradigm shift as to how the body works and interrelates with itself. Research has come a long way in recent decades to establish clear, verifiable relationships between these different forms of intelligence and to show that they are functionally inseparable. We’ve also been making more use of ancient wisdom that knows that well-being and performing well in a variety of circumstances is connected to our relationship to spirit, and to an awareness that can function independently of the mind. The early pioneers of somatic intelligence have discovered that self-awareness is effectively created using conscious movement of the body, and that impressive results in mental, emotional and physical health quite naturally follow. Self-awareness often unfolds into spiritual inquiry, because diving deeply into what the body is begins to knock on and open those doors within. Preventative traditions such as yoga and chi kung exemplify the keys to accessing those doors. The pioneers of more recent discoveries in embodied self-awareness have either done extensive self-exploration, or learned from spiritual teachers, or both. Somatic education and somatic intelligence offer such a vast menu of possibilities that all lead to positive outcomes for a fuller, freer, more creative experience of life in a seat of well-being that bridges and seamlessly enhances the other forms of intelligence. In my case, I know I’d be something short of a basket case if I hadn’t found answers to those burning questions about resolving chronic and acute symptoms in the body and how they might bridge into psycho-emotional underpinnings. After falling down the stairs at a year old, pouring hot water down my arm at 18 months, abusive babysitters for 8 years, being burned by an iron at 2 years-old,

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and getting stitches in my head at 3 following a playground accident, I was just getting started. I then had an umbilical hernia surgery at 3 and a half, nearly lost my teeth after falling down the stairs onto my face at 5, experienced two divorces from two ‘fathers’ by six, had a forceful and traumatic procedure on my nose at 6 and a half, and a tonsillectomy at 9. It seemed like a lifetime of scarring and trauma already happened before I’d made it out of elementary school. A ceaseless curiosity opened about the human condition that inspired studying psychology, how to clear the subconscious of trauma, and ways to prevent creating situations known to be harmful for children at home or in school. The years that led up to beginning study in somatic education included a few martial arts injuries and epiphanies, 5 more sprained ankles, a bulging disc in my back with years of chronic spasm and inflammation, a whiplash from a car accident, and a few more concussions. Just before I met Dr. Hanna I overheard one of my employers who happened to be a chiropractor say to a patient, “Don’t settle for less than 100% recovery!” I loved that idea, took it in deeply, and committed myself to that goal. Existence must have joined me in that commitment and began to open door after somatic door, and gate after spiritual gate to many of the dimensions of healing and integration that are put forward in this book. In fact, I haven’t described or recommended any practice or technique that I have studied and/or experienced myself. My body and mind healed 100%, and the process became an invaluable intrinsic research lab of discovery for how to inspire if not assist my clients to do the same.

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Forward

W. Scott Brown, D.C., D. A. B. C. N. Board Certified Chiropractic Neurologist

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f the 90’s were the decade of the brain, the millennium is certainly the decade of integration of the brain. In 1993, researchers discovered that most of what drives the brain originates from muscle spindles and joint mechanoreceptors. The joints and muscles excite the brain through cerebellar and thalamic relays utilizing gravitational pathways that are nature’s only constant source of sensory firing. These large diameter afferent nerves (slaves of gravity) are always firing as gravity is always with us. When there is no sound, auditory pathways are quiescent; when one is sleeping, visual pathways are quiescent, etc. Through joint and muscle spindle stimulation, afferent information allows babies to progress from crawling to walking, and to process frequent touching (tactile stimulation), thereby allowing development of healthy function. Somatic treatments from acupuncture to massage to manipulation have utilized these pathways for thousands of years. The integration of these sensory modalities has had stunning, and until now, unexplained effects on almost every aspect of human existence including perception, biofeedback, emotion, resistance, metabolism, movement, the autonomic nervous system, and has affected everything from intelligence to immunity. In my opinion, the greatest cause of death in America is iatrogenesis (as a result of medical treatment, which is currently tallied at 1,000 people per day). With huge marketing, financial, and political connections, the pharmaceutical approach has become the default method in

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health care. People are now demanding alternative treatments that address the problem and have no side effects. Causes and cures will always remain a mystery when the frame of reference for observation and assessment interprets symptoms in isolation (allopathic model). Periods of stress, illness, and injury can create numbing, guarding contractions that can close the flow of bio-communication and prevent healing. Through somatic education, the author applies universal principles to re-educate the soma. We know that in some ways the muscles obey the brain, however if we step through the looking glass, with Suresha Hill we will see how the brain also obeys the muscles. This is part of a healthcare revolution that must occur if our children are to be healthy and psychologically well adjusted. Health is a reflection of how society functions as a whole, and I believe society is ready for a paradigm shift. The more ways we can introduce practices which recognize and honor the uniqueness of each individual, which is guaranteed through parental genetic diversity, the easier it will be to self-organize in happier, healthier ways. In functional neurology we strive to balance the hemispheres and other areas of soft neurological lesions. Somatic integration utilizes functional relationships in regards to gait and posture to help the individual compensate and reshape distortional patterns. This allows the patients to self-shape and self-regulate in a type of relearning that allows them to progress at a pace that will not exceed their individual capacity. In a society that has, figuratively speaking, overdosed on stress, this approach has much to be recommended. The author, passionate and insightful, has done her research and presents complex material in a very reader-friendly way. This book is unique in that she expresses compassion for the human condition and offers a way of recovery that is both erudite and simple.

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Somatic Intelligence

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Introduction

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n the late 1800’s and early 1900’s a movement was arising in the culture of embodiment, both in Europe and the United States that was concerning a type of liberating expression and enhancing connectivity and presence in the body. In the 1870’s, although any holistic perspective was considered heresy, Dr. Andrew Taylor Still, the father of osteopathy, was reaching for answers. His wife and six of his children had died from various infectious diseases, none of which conventional medicine had been helpful for. He studied medicine and had been a practicing physician and surgeon since the 1860’s. Still described in his autobiography that on the morning of June 22nd in 1874 he was “shot in the dome of reason” and parted ways with conventional medicine for good. Something opened in him and opened up to him that led to visionary, transformative insights. Still found a way to save lives during an infectious outbreak of diarrhea without the use of drugs in the 1870’s, and twenty years later he opened the American School of Osteopathy. He and his son, a member of Still’s first graduating class, were able to save many lives during a black diphtheria epidemic. Osteopathy was described in its original form as, “A naturalistic, vitalistic, holistic, and drugless approach to health and disease. It is based upon the idea that man is not a collection of parts but a... whole imbued with spirit. The body functions as a total unit and possesses self-healing and self-regulating mecha-

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nisms.” It is little known that the Russians and Navajo practiced a method of bone-setting that Scottish osteopath, Hugh Milne, discovered to be very similar to what was taught where he studied in England. Going back possibly more than 100,000 years, the indigenous bone setters could heal a fractured bone in a matter of hours. The ancient ways always include the interconnection and interrelationship between the spirit of man and that in nature. It is possible that Still’s shift in view was influenced by the time he spent on a Shawnee reservation in the 1850’s, but he also began studying Spiritualism and Magnetic healing in years to come. In June of 1874, he had an epiphany and a vision where the whole of what would later become osteopathy was revealed to him. He stated, “In an instant, like a burst of sunshine the whole truth dawned upon my mind.” In 1883, Still incorporated the ancient practice of bone setting into his practice, calling himself, “The Lightning Bone Setter”, and coined the term ‘osteopathy’ two years later. It is not known where he learned bone setting. One of Still’s most serious students, William Garner Sutherland, continued to dive deeply into the principles and practices of cranial osteopathy, and seeded the ideas of the motion of the cranial bones, along with the concepts of Primary Respiration, which are at the core of osteopathic practices today. Sutherland has used the term ‘liquid light’ for what flows in the cerebral spinal fluid, and likened the Breath of Life to sheet lightning that can light up the system without touching it. Osteopathy maintains that there is “a reciprocal relationship between structure and function.” Therefore, an alteration in structure will generate a change in function which could lead to disease, and a diseased organ with altered function will result in an alteration in structure. The recognition of the subtle deviations by the practitioner can help restore both the structure and function by applying specific manual maneuvers which can promote the self-healing powers of the body. Still’s near perfect knowledge of anatomy melded with his belief in certain healing and self-regulating electromagnetic and spirit-like fluids in the body. This perspective led to the development of treatments that were designed to remove restrictions of blood and nerve flow by correcting bone subluxations and muscular contractions. He viewed disease as an effect of the various derangements from the anatomical perfection intended by God, the “Divine Architect.” Around the same time in Europe and Australia, there was also an awakening to the benefits of conscious embodiment, well-being, enhanced performance, and health. One of the earliest pioneers in Europe was François Delsarte, a Introduction

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French acting teacher who felt like the ways he’d been taught was ruining his voice. He began a personal investigation of how people moved in a variety of situations while studying anatomical medicine. After believing he’d seen a variety of expressive patterns emerge, he created what he called, “the ‘Science of Applied Aesthetics’ where he examined voice, breath, and movement dynamics, line and form in the ways that they melded with human impulses, mind, spirit, and vital instinct”. Delsarte had pressed open a door to caverns of consciousness and to the deepening ways that these ‘archetypes’ could be expressed more fully. Most of the rich and famous of his time attended his lectures. Middle and upper class women were joining classes founded by Delsarte whose method was later brought to America by Steele MacKaye in the 1870’s where it was labeled, “American Delsartism”. According to Talyor Lake in a dissertation on the subject, it offered women “a language of interiority for experiencing and performing (on stage) a respectable, womanly identity.” Delsarte was originally aiming to help connect an actor with voice and emotional gestures that transmitted the character’s inner state; it was a posturing style of acting that was meant to capture the essence of an attitude in body language. One of his most popular statements was, “To each spiritual function responds a function of the body. To each grand function of the body corresponds a spiritual act.” His initial theory emphasized the wholeness and divinity of the body which, for him in his work with postures, reflected ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’. Yet the transitions between static and dynamic postures were to be smooth and effortless.... a type of somatic koan. Delsarte never wrote a book on his views, but when Genevieve Stebbins, a student of MacKaye, wrote a book on the subject, it became very popular for women in her delivery of this form of bodily expression. Expressed through dance, theater, and gymnastic classes, the original form of Delsartism involved imitating Greek statue-like poses and movements that attempted to assign a type of code for bodily freedom for women in the Victorian era. It evolved to include a type of spatial bodily harmony and control that also embodied specific, patterned, designated emotion and moral virtue as a way of mimicking proper professional appearance. Some interpreted this movement that affected thousands of women across continents as being a ‘means for women’s personal, social, and political change’, while also functioning as an appropriate form of exercise. Her second and third books, ‘Dynamic Breathing’ and ‘Harmonic Gymnastics’ in 1895, along with ‘The Genevieve Stebbins System of Physical Training’ in 1898 became popular Somatic IntelligenceTM

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in many exercise and gym classes across the nation, particularly for middle and upper class ladies. She incorporated yoga breathing into the exercises, which she learned from her Eastern studies that had also included meditation. The initial applications for this method were involving voice and theater along with gymnastics, then American Delsartism branched off and became the foundation for the birth of dance in this country. Isadora Duncan was one of the most revered dancers who studied this method. Duncan praised him saying, “Delsarte, the master of all principles of flexibility and lightness of body, should receive universal thanks for the bonds he has removed from our constrained members.” Along the way, Stebbins began to notice physical health benefits from her practitioners and reported some of the ‘curative’ aspects of her method instead of just the cultural, theatrical, and exercise aspects. The many widespread benefits of consciously connecting the body, mind, spirit, and emotion was beginning to take flight. During the same period, Jacques Dalcroze in Geneva, and Matthias Alexander in Australia were both on the path to physical re-education in the 1890’s. Dalcroze was working as a professor of harmony and solfége (a type of ear training for hearing pitch and musical intervals) in Geneva and had begun to notice that his students couldn’t ‘hear’ what they were composing. As he developed methods to help them with this, he noticed that their bodies began to instinctively and spontaneously move. He noticed that, “The body was conscious of the life and movement of the music”. In watching them he emphasized and expanded upon their movements until he developed a system, the study of music through movement, called ‘eurythmics’ which means “good flow” in Greek. Over the years, his method grew and attracted worldwide attention. In the early 1900’s, The Emile Jacques-Dalcroze Institute was founded and still thrives today in Switzerland. According to Dalcroze, “The body is trained to be the instrument, not only of the performance of eurythmics, but of the perception of music. The body is understood as the original musical instrument, the one through which everyone first realized music in both its senses: apprehending and creating.” He seemed to be the first to cognize the sensory-motor feedback loop wherein he describes the purpose of the movements as being “to convey information back to the mover himself. The movements set up a circuit of information and response moving continuously between brain and body, which, with training and experience, rise to ever higher levels of precision, coordination, and expressive power.” F. Matthias Alexander was also in the creative arts, on the rise as an actor Introduction

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in Melbourne. Eager to understand and resolve why his performances resulted in him becoming hoarse, he studied himself in the mirror to become more aware of how he was using his body that was contributing to the discomfort. He’d become known in Sydney as ‘the breathing man’, and after over a decade of self-observation with successful results, he’d begun teaching his method he’d labeled, “The Work”. His emphasis had been the use of conscious control of one’s body as a doorway to improved health, better general functioning, and enhanced performance. His books were, “Man’s Supreme Inheritance” in 1910, followed by “Constructive Conscious Control” in 1923, and “Use of the Self ” in 1930. Although his explorations were motivated initially for his theatrical aspirations, after a couple of decades of case studies Matthias could attest to the ‘effectiveness of the Alexander Technique in preventing and relieving a wide variety of symptoms’. He was reported to have healed himself completely from a paralyzing stroke he’d suffered in 1947 using his own methods. Alexander was urged to teach his technique after delivering impressive results with his clients over a period of 35 years. He’d grown an impressive list of accomplished and even famous students over the years prior to his death in 1955. Elsa Gindler, based in Berlin, is considered by some to be the grandmother of somatic education and somatic psychology. In the early 1900’s, spurred on by the form of Gymnastic she’d studied in school and motivated to find a way to heal her own illness, she changed her direction of study from the ‘outer shape to inner being’. She ‘gave her complete attention to what was happening within herself at every moment in every activity during the entire day,’ as a way of regenerating her own health. Her exercises became ‘experiments’ where she, like Alexander, began to explore what was happening in the body during certain movements. She encouraged her students to ‘be responsible to themselves in simply finding out how it is, and how it wants to change’. Heinrich Jacoby was a musician and voice teacher who collaborated with Elsa Gindler for a decade in the 1920’s, wherein the power of intention and imagery revealed themselves in the work they were evolving. They were seeking to inspire in their students authentic, rather than imitative movement. Gindler, like Alexander, also felt that the breath was her teacher and she’d spent a lot of time just being attentive to its motion and to its effect on the whole. Gerda Alexander surfaced in the early 1930’s in Copenhagen, very much influenced and inspired by Gindler, Jacques-Dalcroze, and a few others. Also motivated to heal her own illness, she evolved her own form of the work she called, ‘Eutony’. Somatic IntelligenceTM

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Eutony “develops the awareness of space, structure, tension, depth and balance within your own body, and often uses the coined phrase, “well balanced tension.” Her influence through Gindler and her own evolution of the work extended to Wilhelm Reich, Fritz Perls, Alexander Lowen and many dancers, movement therapies, and somatic practices. The underpinnings of Gindler’s work are in her description of how the body works as a whole: “The different functional systems in the living organism cannot be separated from one another. They interlock and influence each other without our being aware of it. Just as in music where the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics and form can be perceived separately leading to a deepened appreciation of music, so can our distinguishing between the individual parts of the body lead to a deepened appreciation of the whole person.” Gindler’s star pupil, Charlotte Selver, along with Moshe Feldenkrais are among the revered list of sensory awareness pioneers who studied with, or were influenced by her and helped to shape and propagate the field of somatic education, or ‘physical re-education’. None of these pioneers wanted to be teachers in the traditional sense of the word, yet each wound up developing his or her own expression of how to create a learning experience for their students. The latter evolutions of the 1900’s were more sensory and experience-based, focusing on the awareness or mindfulness of any movement and the relational phenomena which inspired or enabled it to occur. Feldenkrais, born in the Ukraine in 1918, came from a background of high energy physics, mathematics, science, mechanical, and electrical engineering. He’d also studied with a jujitsu master and, after receiving his black belt, taught and wrote a few books on the subject in the 1930’s. He was fortunate enough to have Marie Curie as one of his teachers while working on his doctorate of science in engineering in Paris, and later worked as a research assistant to Nobel Prize winner, Frédéric Joliot-Curie in France while he was working as a research assistant. After earning his 2nd degree black belt in judo, he studied its principles and wrote the books, “Body and Mature Behavior” in 1949, and “Higher Judo” in 1952. When Moshe was unable to walk after aggravating an old knee injury, he began searching far and wide for a remedy. He’d either met in person, or studied the work of Gindler, George Gurdjieff, Matthias Alexander, and Jacoby, among others. Reportedly, he avoided surgery for the rest of his life although the condition in his knee had progressed to being bone on bone. After moving to Israel to work with the army there in electronics, he settled in Tel Aviv and Introduction

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began teaching his Feldenkrais method in the 1950’s. He eventually developed a ‘highly refined system of learning conditions based upon the functioning of the human brain and the development of human movement’. His work began to take on more of a therapeutic model that was being used for treatment, rather than only for exploration and discovery. Similar to Delsarte and Dalcroze, George Gurdjieff was looking in the early 1900’s for an expression through the body that could help to “harmonize the development of man”. He wanted to integrate and express the unity of body, mind, and feeling in a way that could expand the dancers’ awareness into ‘new areas of experience.’ Known as Sacred Dances, his movements were able to have an extraordinary impact of the dancer’s psychological state. While Gurdjieff was more focused on the development of the whole being, Feldenkrais and his students began to incorporate a different therapeutic model that improved functionality and physiological conditions. Mia Segal was one of Moshe’s first students and became his assistant in the late 1950’s. Yochanon Ryverwant and Anat Baniel were among his first devoted practitioners, each of whom developed into teachers in their own right, specializing in neurological disorders in their private practices. Dr. Thomas Hanna, a philosophy professor and yoga teacher, studied the Feldenkrais method in the 1960’s and quietly developed a very successful practice in the Bay Area. He wrote his own books on the subject in the 1970’s, including, “Body of Life” and “Somatics”. Hanna furthered the direction of Feldenkrais by including innate reflexes as part of what gives the template for the body to form in certain involuntary patterns. He then created specific lessons to help the system unwind and reeducate those reflexive tendencies and maintain a sense of fluid balance. From the artistic origins of music and dance, Delsarte birthed students who gave rise to Gymnastik, whose students created Eurythmics, Eutony, and the Rosen Method, The Feldenkrais Method, Anat Baniel Method and Hanna Somatic Education, to name a few. Some of Gindler’s more widely known students like Wilhelm Reich and Alexander Lowen went on to develop Reichian Therapy and Bioenergetics, both designed to identify and release various layers or types of emotional blocks from the body in order to achieve a fuller, more vital and joyful life. From conscious activation to conscious inhibition, from sensory awareness to muscle control, from cultural mores to expressions of the spirit, elegant movement has proven to have countless health benefits while sensitizing and enhancing the expression of the creative arts, and the art of life. Somatic IntelligenceTM

The sacred rights of mankind are notto be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased. ~ Alexander Hamilton

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Chapter 1

Are We What We Learn to Be?

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ow much freedom does a human being have, or can a person have? The nature vs. nurture conversation has been going on for quite some time, but from a shift in perspective, both nature and nurture make people products of conditioning. Whether it’s your genetics or inherited traits signaling your characteristics and outcomes, or your experiences determining the same, they are both acceptance that outer influences dictate who or how we are. As we study the human condition, there seems to be something left out about what it is that is being conditioned, and whatever that is begs the question, “Is that who we are, or who we’ve been taught to be?” Somatic education offers something of a paradigm shift in looking

at this question. We are more than operant conditioning, more than our gene pool, and more than the sum of our experiences. Tom Hanna, a doctor of philosophy as well as the founder of Hanna Somatic Education, often talked about one of the fundamentals of somatics being taking a walk through the ‘looking glass’. It’s often used as a metaphor from the book “Alice in Wonderland” about stepping into a new world. The looking glass is also a concept popularized by sociologist, Charles Horton Cooley in 1902, at the same time the somatic educators were developing movement paradigms to open doors to living a more holistic life. Cooley was curious about the impact of society on one’s self-perception, asserting that the personal self seems to be

A naturalistic, vitalistic, holistic, and drugless approach to health and disease.

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2 a function of social interactions, like looking at oneself in a mirror. Somatic education invites us to walk through the mirror, the looking glass, to view and sense ourselves from within instead of from an image outside of ourselves; to become self-determining and therefore liberated. In general, in a variety of ways the public has been taught to live externally instead of incorporating an internal focus where limitless peace and uncaused joy live. Cooley found that the more ‘advanced’ or industrialized a society becomes, the more distant and individualized it becomes. The primary (family/community) social systems break down, resulting in behavior breaking down. This is what the somatic education lineage has been pointing to - recreating a coherent system within the individual, which rebuilds more natural social engagement systems and a more harmonious, healthy, artful way of living as a culture. During the transitions of the ages the assimilation of cultures, many of the aspects of culture that flowered into health were left behind. In the wake of countless technological achievements and the pressures within corporate consciousness that spin at a rapid-fire pace, the inner rhythm was forsaken and health imbalances began to be reflected as a symptom. What was being reflected upon and mirrored was something manufactured and outside of a natural rhythm and flow, literally outside of ourselves. Goals were created that Somatic IntelligenceTM

sacrificed the means. Somatic re-education involves a paradigm shift that takes us back to the ways of our forebears, and of their predecessors. Re-education involves walking through the looking glass, the mirror that we would look into for a reflection of the outer appearance and how that is being received by society, to direct, tacit contact with who we are and how we function inside. The discoveries in the field somatic education are all related to redeveloping awareness of, and connectedness to something more expansive and more natural; to something more primal in its emotional, physical, biological, energetic, and spiritual existence along with the expression of how it authentically is when healthy and balanced. Much of we what see, hear, and emulate in modern society are manifestations of imbalance that have patterned themselves into a habit in our bodies and minds. In that sense, it’s been a natural progression of learning what is unnatural and dis-empowering. It makes us reliant upon external sources of information that we have lost the internal sensors to verify. It should be the other way around, where we sense what’s true and it’s validated externally. When the power for what’s right or true for your body is given to outer authorities, we wind up with the statistics we see today, where hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from manifestations of being out of touch with their bodies and feeling nature. Unlearning can be a bit more challenging, but well worth it.

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What Are We Made of? On a basic quantum level, all the matter inthe universe is essentially made up of stardust. ~ Dr. Chris Impey

Tissues and Substances Many of our base constituents arrived on earth from collisions that happened billions of years ago, according to a growing number of astrophysicists, including husband and wife team, astrophysicist, Karel and Iris Schrijver, who is a physician specializing in genetics. They report that, “All the material in our bodies originates with that residual stardust, and it finds its way into plants and from there the nutrients that we need for everything we do – think, move, grow.” Right here our view of what we are can expand from being products of a sperm and

an egg. The tissues and substances that our bodies are made of originated from distant stars. What information and inclinations accompany that fact? Does the irresistible urge for space travel, a study of the constellations and astronomy for thousands of years provide a window to our unconscious connection? Our affinity with celestial bodies is undeniable, even in its simplest expression by the calm we feel when looking up at the stars, but we seldom think of them as being part of what we are. Karel reports that dying stars Chapter 1

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send out heavy elements like helium, which can be converted into carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, iron, and sulfur, “everything that we’re made of.” He goes on to say that although the origins of life on earth happened billions of years ago, 40,000 tons of stardust fall to earth every year, so the process is ongoing. Their studies of the interrelationships between humans and the solar system led to the discovery that we are dynamic patterns in process, changing all the time. For example, Iris noted that we lose about 30,000 skin cells every minute, and that every cell in our body is changing, dying, and regenerating on a regular basis, giving a literal meaning to our impermanence. Some cells last a few days, while others, like those in the heart, last up to ten years. Our organization is highly functional, adaptive, and intelligent, even in the ways it self-cleans and renews. Most anatomists agree that the human body has around 640 voluntary (skeletal) muscles, countless connective tissue fibers that include fascia, tendons, ligaments, bone and Somatic IntelligenceTM

adipose tissue. There are several layers to these connective tissues that either wrap, fold, or interlace in a matrix to create the incredible strength and motion they express. The constituents of connective tissue are also designed to form protection and to support networks of communication, energy production, metabolism, tissue building, and excretory processes. There are a number of mechanoreceptors embedded within muscle tissue that help monitor the internal responses with the external environment, as well as transmit information within a feedback loop to and from the sensorymotor cortex of the brain. Our bodies house around 85 billion nerve cells with approximately 1000 trillion connections, 100,000 miles of blood vessels carrying blood (a specialized connective tissue), hundreds of lymph nodes, around 10 liters of interstitial fluid, and about 650 ml. of cerebral spinal fluid is produced each day. The fluid systems help to regulate temperature, hydration, lubrication, digestion, excretion of waste, distribution and absorption

5 of oxygen and other nutrients, while acting as protection, a solvent, and a transportation milieu. Two thirds of the body’s fluids are intracellular. They account for approximately 70% of our body weight, and are comprised mainly of water, electrolytes, amino acids, proteins, glucose, fatty acids, enzymes, hormones, inorganic substances and blood cells. Other specialized fluids in our bodies include milk, lymph, cerebrospinal fluid, sweat, tears, amniotic fluid, and aqueous humor of the eye. Each and every

fluid is critical to the smooth operation of every other system. There are dozens of chemicals, and elements that have irreplaceable responsibilities for the healthy functioning of our bodies. Within that, the main elements (99%) humans are made of are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, sulfur, nitrogen, and phosphorus. If a scientist is every looking for the possibility of life as we know it on another planet or on the moon, the presence of carbon or water as affirmation of that possibility.

Cells Cells are the basic, fundamental structural and functional units of the body. There are around 200 different types, each with dedicated roles to play individually, and in concert with other cells. For example, there are egg and sperm cells, muscle and nerve cells, organ cells, hair cells, cells for vision and hearing as well as subgroups

within each basic category. Some replicate very quickly on a regular basis, like skin or stomach cells, which regenerate every seven days while bone cells can take 7 to 10 years to remodel themselves. The intestinal tract, like some muscles, may last for up to fifteen years, heart cells can take most of one’s life to renew, and certain cells, Chapter 1

6 like teeth or female eggs are mostly non-renewable. The substances we are composed of can be reduced into their cellular make-up which has several things in common. Each has a double-layered cell membrane made of protein and lipids that can also be considered as a type of ‘brain’ that senses, processes, and exchanges information and substances. It is a self-contained, fullyoperational, living entity. There is protein-based, lattice-like cytoskeleton that supports the shape and functions of the cell, an endoplasmic reticulum that contains a network of elongated sacs that store and synthesize proteins, ions, lipids, steroids, and ribosomes. There are millions of ribosomes in each cell, either floating in the cytoplasm, or attached to the endoplasmic reticulum, or to tRNA – the transfer RNA. Ribosomes are continually making proteins from amino acids as they translate info from the mRNA (messenger RNA) in the nucleus and link amino acids accordingly. Substances generated by the endoplasmic reticulum become fused with the golgi apparatus and stored there to be converted into different substances for future use as needed. There are lysosomes containing enzymes that perform digestive functions in the cell that also eliminate waste. Lysosomes are responsible for destroying dead or worn out cells, but on the occasion of certain disease processes, they may break down living cells as well. Perioxisomes inside a cell have dozens of enzymes that Somatic IntelligenceTM

break down fatty acids, amino acids, and uric acid. The decomposition of fatty acids leads to the production of hydrogen peroxide in order to neutralize toxic substances within the cell. The mitochondria store and produce energy in the form of ATP for the cell, and can replicate themselves according to the energy needs of the cell, as in the case of muscle cells that are used frequently. Finally, there is the cell nucleus which some consider to be the controller of the cell. It contains proteins along with the blueprint - genes and chromosomes - for the reproduction of each type of cell as mapped out by the DNA and transcribed to the RNA. The blueprint maintains the ancestral or historical data from a family lineage and expresses that information according to patterns that science is still hoping to discover. Genes that we are currently aware of make up approximately 3% of DNA, numbering between 20,000 and 25,000 in humans. Like notes on a scale that are combined in a myriad of ways to create many types of music, there are four chemicals at the base of DNA that are paired with one another (adenine with thymine; guanine with cytosine) to create the genome that we experience as many different forms of life. In a later chapter, we’ll look at how thought and intention influence the action or expression of the substances we’re comprised of, including our DNA. It will dive into the mystery of the many forms our thoughts or consciousness may have, and how

7 they can influence the tiniest substrate of how our organisms interact. These interactions are the underpinning of how healing works; of how change happens. It is a reflection of

the dynamic potential that our conscious awareness and participation in what our bodies are doing can have. We just need to get in on the conversation with our bodies.

Molecules Molecules are groups of two or more atoms that stick together by a covalent (chemical bond through shared electrons) or ionic bond (chemical bond through oppositely charged ions - an electrostatic attraction). It is the “smallest particle in a chemical element or compound that has the properties of that element or compound”. A compound is a molecule that contains at least two different elements. For example, two hydrogen atoms bond with an oxygen atom to create water molecules using a covalent bond. Some of the earliest molecules that are the foundation of life are carbon-based, which have

unique properties enabling them to bond with up to four other atoms. In three different shapes or structures, these molecules form a straight chain, a branched chain that has a perpendicular branch, or ring formation which looks like a hexagram. Up to 99% of the atoms in the human body are either hydrogen (66%), oxygen (25%), or carbon (10%), with nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur being the next most popular. Carbon bonds easily with other carbon atoms so are the “perfect building blocks for large organic molecules”, according to biochemist, Matthew Pasek, “allowing for complexity.” He Chapter 1

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(Branched Chain)

(Straight Chain)

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describes nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen as, ”having acid-base effects enabling them to bond with carbon to form amino acids, fats and lipids along with the nucleobases that produce DNA and RNA”. The sulfur group helps to catalyze reactions due to their surplus of electrons, and the phosphate group can store enormous amounts of energy. The number of molecules in a relatively small person weighing around 100 lbs. is astronomical – approximately a billion times a billion times a billion, or a number nearly impossible to count since it depends upon the size of the person and how hydrated they are among other things. There are four main types of carbon-based molecules in living things: 1) carbohydrates, which include glucose and starches that have a ring shape and are made of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; 2) lipids that include fats, oils, and cholesterol, many of which contain fatty acids; 3) proteins, which are created from amino acids and nucleic acid and, 4) nucleotides comprised of sugar, phosphates and nitrogen to create nucleic acids which are the precursors to DNA and RNA. Carbohydrates may be part of the cell structure, and are broken down for energy. Indigestible carbohydrates

act as fiber to assist in the digestion and elimination process. Lipids are also broken down for energy, and are used to form the cell membrane as well as to make hormones, create insulation, and store energy. Certain lipids support immune function, assist in transporting, messaging, and signaling processes as well as in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K). Lipids are much more important than originally thought just a few of decades ago. There are approximately 10,000 types of proteins just in the liver, many of which are enzymes, Nucleotides store information, generate and transport energy, and act as chemical messengers, both as an intracellular second messenger and an extracellular first messenger. There are regulatory nucleotides that affect the production of certain substances including protein synthesis. Many nucleotides act as coenzymes, which are organic molecules that assist enzymes in catalyzing specific reactions necessary for biosynthesis, metabolism, or degradation. No matter how small you look when examining the inside of a cell, you will find intelligent organization, motion, encoding, decoding, and specificity of purpose that is interdependent and interconnected down to the tiniest known particle.

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Atoms and Quarks When we continue exploring regions of ourselves smaller than the molecule, we find the atom and what it carries inside of itself that is even smaller. Around 300 B.C., one of the six Hindu schools of Vedic philosophy called Vaiśeşika, (which pertains mostly to physics and metaphysics) described the characteristics of the atom as such: “All objects in the physical universe are reducible to paramãņu, or atoms, and one’s experiences are derived from the interplay of substance, (a function of atoms, their number, and their spatial arrangements), quality (guna), activity (karma), commonness, particularity, and inherence (the inseparable connectedness of everything). It is indestructible (anitya), indivisible, and has a special kind of dimension, called ‘small’ (aņu).” This philosophy teaches that, “Knowledge and liberation are

achievable by complete understanding of the world of experience.” Democritus, a Greek scholar who lived between 460 and 370 BC, described atomic theory as such: “All matter consists of invisible particles called atoms; atoms are indestructible, solid but invisible, homogenous, and differ in size, shape, mass, position, and arrangement.” About 1800 years later in the 1590’s, Dutch inventors Hans Leppershey and Zacharias Janssen developed the telescope and the microscope. One can’t help but wonder if not marvel at the fact that ancient philosophers and scholars understood the substances that underlie all of matter well over a thousand years before these particles and elements could be seen using magnification. Subatomic particles inhabiting the atomic, such as the Chapter 1

10 electron were discovered 300 years later by J.J. Thomson, the proton in 1919, and the neutron in 1932 by James Chadwick. In the 1960’s, Murray Gell-Mann was awarded the Nobel Prize for his description of the Eightfold Way in delineating the order of the currently smallest known particles as the family of quarks and sub-quarks. It is a fascinating observation that down to an ‘object’ that is 10,000 times smaller than the space between an electron and the nucleus of an atom, there is still an electrical charge; there is still energy. With the use of particle accelerators and colliders and specially designed supercomputers that can analyze data ‘by representing spacetime with a four-dimensional lattice of discreet points as seen on a crystal, behaviors of these tiny particles can be deduced’. Although they have become accepted just in the early part of the

Somatic IntelligenceTM

21st century as being the building blocks of life and all of matter, subatomic particles don’t behave the same way larger particles do, so finding ways to assess how they function has been challenging. They are housed inside of other particles so they can’t be separated from the protons they live in to be independently observed. Still, it is already apparent to researchers that instead of the force between them becoming weaker with distance, it becomes stronger. Professor and Nobel Laureate, Dr. Jerome Friedman, states that the rapid motion of quarks is what gives us half of our mass, that the space between quarks is filled with fields, and the “fields holding two adjacent quarks together is equivalent to fifteen tons of force.” The pressure of these fields within an object is what retains its solid form, apparently, but it does so with the power that arises from the energy of its constant motion.

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ATP

Adrenaline

Biomechanical and Chemical Energy A major component of human beings is energy. Within each of us are countless producers, converters, transporters, receivers, and storage facilities just for different types and ‘grades’ of energy. We have as much energy in a single fat cell as a one ton battery. Researchers are currently trying to find a way to harness the kinetic energy from people to power electronic devices, since humans apparently can generate 50 watts of electricity per hour during moderate exercise. ‘Sustainable’ gyms have already been in place since 2008 that store the energy produced on stationary bikes and treadmills to power the electricity in buildings in Hong Kong, Australia, and Oregon, while Sweden is using the body heat from commuters on a sub way train to warm the buildings next door through a radiant heating system. Adenosine triphosate, (ATP) is the ‘go to’ unit of energy the body uses for many of its activities. There

are three types that are available to use, and each one burns a little faster than the other. ATP-PC (phosphocreatine) is stored by the tissues and muscles for immediate use, quickly replenished with demand, but is also quickly used up (within seconds). Glycolysis is also a fast reaction that takes slightly longer but is very efficient in its intracellular production of ATP and pyruvate. Producing energy using glycolysis is not so efficient, however, and if the potential energy created isn’t used, lactic acid can build up in the blood. The lower the intensity of the workout, the less lactic acid will be produced, which also means that if a person is more fit, the workout will be less demanding on the system and will also generate less lactic acid. These processes are both anaerobic. The third and best system to produce ATP is through the aerobic system within the mitochondria of each cell. Each cell uses oxygen to burn Chapter 1

12 glucose and make ATP, which comes from the respiratory and circulatory systems. A significant amount of energy is produced by the body from the foods we eat after they are broken down by enzymes and acids in the stomach and turned into glucose. About 75% of the energy from food is used to sustain basic bodily functions, and 20% of that is used by the brain. Carbs use the glycolic system, and proteins must be broken down into their individual amino acid forms and separated from its nitrogen before the remaining carbon molecule can be used for energy, either in the glycolic or aerobic system. The triglyceride part of fats is broken down into fatty acids and glycerol, each of which contain carbon molecules that can be used to form ATP. A healthy cardiovascular system will provide the longest lasting source of physical energy, and will replenish the other forms that are more quickly extinguished. Although there is likely much more to be discovered about what happens at the sub-atomic level, Russian scientists showed in the 1990’s that a torsion field exists (investigated by Einstein in the 1920’s) and that it is comprised of energy moving in a spiral. Dr. Korzyrev found that human thought and feeling generate torsion fields. Kozyrev, who published his first scientific paper at age seventeen, theorized that the torsion field that may be responsible for the spiraling shape we see in the nautilus shell and in the human body that reflects the ‘golden mean’ ratio of 1 to 1.618, and travels through the universe Somatic IntelligenceTM

faster than the speed of light. Kozyrev noticed that, “in the presence of this energy flow, objects that are rigid and elastic show weight changes, whereas flexible, elastic objects show changes in their elasticity or viscosity.” Japanese researcher, Masaru Emoto demonstrated years later how the configuration of crystallized water was reflective of the energy in emotions, thoughts, messages or music, and even in prayer. Kozyrev rediscovered Tesla’s non-electromagnetic energy traveling in spiraling waves and labeled them torsion waves. Scientists are working under the current theory that these waves carry information that does not degrade over long distances. Einstein and Cartan’s work in 1913 supports the torsion field theory with their discovery that electrons demonstrate either a right or left-handed spin that can be predicted depending upon their location. We can conclude that science is beginning to confirm that we have the ability to have an effect in our body as well as over long distances with our consciousness, with our thoughts, and our energy. Energy is crucial to the maintenance of life and a fundamental aspect of what we’re made of. Without the proper production, absorption and flow of energy, health is most certain to decline. Most of the energy we use day-to-day comes from the chemical transformation of food, the mitochondria in the cells, and from the flow of oxygen. Scientists have just discovered that mammals can also receive waves of light from the sun, and from

13 the metabolites of chlorophyll in our diets, which then travel into our mitochondria where they can be transformed into ATP. Melanin found in mushrooms and in dark skin can also convert energy from the sun into ATP while deflecting harmful radiation and expelling it as heat. Other types of energy such as electrical, electromagnetic (Becker and Oschman), and the circulation of life force (prana, chi, or ki) have also been studied, along with specific energetic frequencies that catalyze healing. These are different from the biochemical forms of energy like adrenaline, even though the meridians may contain biochemical forms. As you may have already noticed, there are several different types, layers, and dimensions of energy that make up who we are, what we’re composed of and how we function. There is another, perhaps most subtle or foundation form of energy that is being studied again called zero point energy. The Faraday cage experiment by Dr. Hal Puthoff in the early twentieth century confirmed Dr. Nikolai Kozyrev’s assertion that what he called, ‘aether’, or zero point energy, is “an invisible, conscious energy that all energy is formed from.” In an airless, vacuum space that was at absolute zero of -283º  C, there was found to be an enormous amount of energy that was not electromagnetic. It’s the ground substance

of all other energies. We have gained a great deal of knowledge about the known biochemical and biomechanical forms of energy created, stored, and transmitted by the human body, and are gaining interest in the more sublime, non-chemical, non-electrical, nonthermal forms. Nobel laureate, Dr. Peter Higgs, one of the most widely accepted theoretical physicists on the topic of zero-point energy, concurs that the meaning of what we used to call a ‘vacuum’ has changed. The field in and from which everything else arises is not empty - it is not nothing. The background field, which pervades the universe and all of our cells, is described by Dr. Higgs as, “just the lowest energy state that you could possibly have in which there are no particles around, but there may be something around, and that something can be a background field of some sort which pervades the universe. The field is in interaction with everything that goes through it, and is responsible for generating the masses and mass differences of the other particles simply because the background affects the way the waves propagate. But then, the field itself can be excited…” From a certain point of view, this could be a way of saying that there is a feedback mechanism in place between the Creator and creation.

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Energy Kundalini is that treasure within you which has been left unused, untapped. You could use that energy to transform this into a completely different dimension altogether; a dimension that you cannot imagine. Just small part of it is functioning. If the whole of it becomes available to you, if it is properly plugged in, there is no limit to what you can do. ~ Swami Vasudev This ancient symbol depicts the spiraling path of the dormant kundalini energy as it awakens and passes through the ida and pingala nadis to the slight right and left of the spinal cord, passes around the seven main energetic centers or chakras, purifying coarse frequencies as it moves toward the highest center where man meets the godhead. While static, this energy Somatic IntelligenceTM

vitalizes the body; when awakened the “electric, fiery force proves to be of a spiral undulatory nature, and hence the symbolic description of ‘serpent power’”. Ancient adepts chose this symbol of wisdom for many reasons, one being that the snake can glide invisibly, shedding its skin regularly to renew itself, and that its venom can be used both to heal or to destroy, as can

15 the righteous or degraded use of wisdom. It is the symbol for Aesclepius, the God of Healing, as well as the staff of Hermes, the messenger of Greek god Mercury who was the messenger of the gods and protector of merchants and thieves. It was also used as the astrological symbol for commerce. Kundalini energy is widely known from its roots in the Hindu yogic spiritual traditions whereby it becomes activated by years of devoted spiritual disciplines or through shaktipat – or a transmission of energy from the spiritual teacher. At times, people from all over the world practicing a variety of other spiritual or religious traditions can have a spontaneous awakening of this energy. There have also been many instances where an awakening happened uncaused, without the person having any religious or spiritual affiliation, in which case it can be confusing if not disturbing. Strong experiences like childbirth, car accidents, emotional trauma, strong love relationships, and even physical abuse can trigger the process. Coiled at the base of the spine, it can remain dor-

mant throughout one’s life, but once awakened, depending upon the state or clarity of a person’s subtle bodies and energetic channels, glorious experiences can result. According to Gumukh Khalsa, in his book, “Kundalini Rising”, as this energy ascends through the energetic channels alongside the spinal cord, “it is not unusual for individuals to experience sudden psychic or healing abilities, a much deeper quality of presence, and intuitive responses to formerly stressful situations. As presence increases, the senses become more alert and the body feels more alive and harmonious, with increased creativity and clarity of mind.” It is cleansing and transformative as it rises up through the central nadi and its chakras (energy centers or spinning energy wheels), coming ever closer to the crown jewel or crown chakra and the merging with its Divine origins, ending the illusion of separation. Ironically, this Divine energy is binding when turned towards the world, yet liberating once it returns to its own source.

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Electrical Pathway and Point System

They formulated exercises to promote energy flow to harmonize themselves with the universe.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

On top of the generation of energy biochemically in every cell of the body, there is an intricate network of energetic pathways, points, and centers throughout the system. Thought to originate as long as 8,000 years ago from Taoist traditions, it’s believed that acupuncture was first applied with sharp stones, called ‘bian stone’. It became more widely known through the Yellow Emperor, Huang Di around 2600 B.C., whose conversations with his minister and physician, Qi Bo, were transcribe into a text, the Nei Jing between 305-204 B.C. It isn’t commonly known that India and China shared information on these topics and that acupuncture was also practiced in India. There are on average around 359 points on the 14 common meridians, and other points that aren’t on meridians. When Huang Di noticed that peo-

ple used to live beyond 100 years without showing signs of aging, but later changed to aging prematurely - living 50 years ailing with diseases - he asked Qi Bo if there had been a change in the environment or if they had lost the correct way of life. Qi Bo is reported to have answered, “In the past, people practiced the Tao, the Way of Life. They understood the principle of balance as represented by the transformation of the energies of the universe. They formulated exercises to promote energy flow to harmonize themselves with the universe. They ate a balanced diet at regular times, arose and retired at regular hours, avoided overstressing their body and mind; and refrained from indulgence of all kinds. “They maintained well-being of body and mind; thus it is not surprising that they lived over one hundred years. The accomplished ones

17 of ancient times advised people how to guard themselves against diseasecausing factors. On the mental level, one should remain calm and avoid excessive desires and fantasies, recognizing and maintaining the natural purity and clarity of the mind. When internal energies are able to circulate smoothly and freely, and the energy of the mind is not scattered, but is focused and concentrated, illness and disease can be avoided. They had compassion for others and were helpful and honest, free from destructive habits. They were able to stay centered even when adversity rose. They were active, but never depleted, leading a calm, just existence without jealousy or greed. The immortals kept their mental energies focused and refined, and harmonized their bodies with the environment, so they did not show typical signs of aging and were able to live well beyond their biological limitations.” Acupuncture points have been shown to have reduced electrical resistance where they enter the body, perhaps enabling greater energetic receptivity at these sites. According to Dr. Robert Becker, the electrical characteristics of the meridians facilitate a type of semiconductor amplifier of direct current flowing along the perineural system. Becker noted that the current had a positive charge closer to the trunk of the body, and became more negative towards the periphery. In 1975, Dr. Liu YK reported the correlation between the location of certain acupuncture

points and the points where a motor nerve enters the muscle, similar to the location of ‘trigger points’ a body of work coined by Dr. Janet Travell. A few other researchers corroborated the existence of the meridians, each in a unique way. Dr. N. Watari of Beijing in 1987 found a fourfold increase in meridians around blood vessels, and Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama, conducted five experiments that each showed a galvanized skin response when using electrodes along the triple warmer meridian. In 1991, Russian scientist, Dr. Vlall Kaznachejev was able to produce evidence of two things: one, was that diseases can be transmitted between cells electromagnetically by photons; and two, that meridians can conduct light frequencies. When Kaznachejev traced the path of the meridian system along with specific points along the way using beams of light, he noticed that white light traveled the fastest, followed by red then blue, with the green moving the most slowly and traveling the shortest distance. Replicating Kaznachejev’s study at the National Research Institute for Clinical and Experimental Medicine in Moscow, Dr. Gregory Reiport and his team began using the light therapy in the meridian system to treat anxiety, depression, and addiction. Reiport confirmed that the acupuncture system was a ‘light distribution system’ that readily conducts light held within 1 to 2 millimeters of the acupuncture point. Chapter 1

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Primo Vascular Energy System Although the electrical aspects of what our bodies are made of is not being emphasized here, most every cell, chemical substance, and system, including our skin carries a positive or negative charge that has the capability of generating or transmitting electrical or energetic activity. Both Korean and French researchers (Darras and De Vernejoul) ran dye and isotopes through meridians and located a system of ‘tubules’, both superficial and deep, along the specific pathways laid out by the maps of Chinese medicine. In the last decade or so there has been some excitement about the possibility of a primo vascular system - a third circulatory system that may or may not be identical to the meridian system, but that has electrical current characteristics. Magnetic Resonance images have shown the muscular system, celluSomatic IntelligenceTM

lar membranes, DNA, proteins and various types of collagen may function like a freely moving liquid crystalline structure, meaning that they have a 3-D organization with a ‘large measure of transitional order’. It also means that they undergo rapid changes when exposed to electromagnetic fields, a feature that verifies the impacts of electronic devices on our bodies. Biologist and author, Dr. Mae Won Ho, along with other researchers in the U.K. propose that the liquid crystalline structure of both fascia and the meridian system facilitate extremely fast ‘superconductor’ communication that is faster than neuronal conductivity. They found that the ‘aligned, collagen liquid crystalline continuum in the connective tissue of the body with its layers of structured water molecules support rapid semi-conduction

19 of protons.’ The better hydrated the connective tissue is, the faster the conductivity is, as the current theory finds the transmission happening via the bound water on the surface of the collagen molecules rather than on the collagen itself. This type of ‘jump conductivity’ on the hydrogen bonds of the water supports the capacity of the body to work as a coherent whole within this electrical, energetic, interconnected field of ongoing communication and rapid-fire responsiveness (The Acupuncture System and the Liquid Crystalline Collagen Fibers of the connective Tissues, AJCM, MaeWan Ho, PhD, The American Journal of Complementary Medicine, 1999). Korean researcher and director of the National Acupuncture Meridian Research Institute, Bong-Han Kim, established the presence of a ‘Primo Vascular System’ in the 1960’s. Seoul National University recruited Kim’s help in 2002 in order to replicate his research. They were able to both confirm the existence of PVS in several organs, and to discover new features of this pervasive system. The system is composed of a branching web of interconnected ductules that have an external, epithileal and argentaffin cell membrane, an outer layer made of membranous cells, and an interluminal space. They are found within and on the surface of nerves, blood and lymph vessels, around internal organs,

and free-floating within the parenchyma (ground tissue or functioning part of an organ) of organs, in cerebral spinal fluid, in the central and peripheral nervous systems, as well as within the nucleus of each cell. Within these ductules are nitrogen, lipids, sugar, hyaluronic acid, 19 free amino acids including essential amino acids, over 16 nucleotides (building blocks of DNA and RNA), as well as chromaffin granules which contain adrenaline, proteins, hormones, and peptides. These ductules possess bio-electrical activities which transmit in waves from 1 -3mm per second, and have a spontaneously occurring longitudinal, oscillatory motion when stimulated that can be either continuous or periodic. The substances within these tubules flow between the skin and deeper structures through multiple pathways interconnecting the various systems in the body. They also possess stem cells and immune cells, found to be highly concentrated around tumors or cancer cells. Ongoing studies are being done to establish if these tubules and the meridian system are in fact the same system. The delivery of the biochemical and electrical forms of energy and nutrition in the body, as well of as the subtle energy delivery systems are thorough, intricate, and specific. Interruption of the amplitude or reach of these systems is injurious to health, strength, and balance.

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Traditional System of Indian Medicine. One of the Varieties of Alternative Medicine.

Marmas Another energetic system that has the ability to monitor and coordinate functions within the body are the marmas, originating in East Indian traditions. Ancient healing systems have had a long time to develop and are quite detailed in their perception of how and where energy flows. Dhanvantari, the father of Ayurveda, was believed to be an avatar or incarnation of Vishnu and physician to the gods. He is mentioned in an ancient sacred text, the Vedas. This 5,000 year-old holistic practice seeks to maintain harmony in the person as an approach to a balanced, healthy life. The name Ayurveda means ‘science of life’ in Sanskrit. There were originally two branches of Ayurvedic medicine: the preventative, promotive, and preservative branch, and the curative branch. Modern expressions of this ancient tradition include the recogniSomatic IntelligenceTM

tion and recommendations based on the three bodymind types or doshas, herbal medicines, eating and lifestyle matching, rejuvenative practices, and hands-on treatments with Ayurvedic oils. Some still practice based upon the surgical methods taught in classic Ayurveda - Sushruta Samhita - and use the ancient medical texts as part of their study, which delineates the value of life and the Ayurvedic definition of health. The Sarangadhar Samhita, one of the earliest classical Ayurvedic texts, also includes pharmacological formulations and is famous for its early mention of pulse diagnosis. Teacher and lecturer in this ancient science, Vasant Lad, states, “Just by doing pranayama you can heal many disorders stuck deep in the connective tissue. It has great healing power and great medical value. Every yoga posture has a unique psychophysiology. Every posture has a

21 unique therapeutic value, and that can be studied through self-observation, self-inquiry, self-investigation, and self-healing. Ayurveda has been talking about toxins for 5,000 years. Ama means ‘raw’ (anything that remains incomplete), meaning undigested thought, feeling, and food. Any thought, feeling, emotion or food that is not assimilated becomes toxic, morbid metabolic waste.” The spiritual side of this system incorporates diet based on constitution, meditation, mudras, breathing practices, yoga postures, and cleansing programs that support health and the development of our more spiritual nature. The ancient text of the Sushruta Samhita describes the marma system. Marmas, according to Jadranko Miklec, are ‘fundamental junction points of the physiology and are actually the junction points between consciousness and matter.... like the cosmic switchboard in the human body’ where the connection is the most readily accessible. Their role is to distribute the prana from the chakras and nadis throughout the body resulting in balanced, integrated physiological functioning. There are 107 marmas in the body, most of which are in the head

and face, and many of which are blood vessels. The mind is considered to be the 108th marma, or the omnipresent Pure Intelligence that regulates the life of the body and the universe. The inference, then, is that a great deal of the energy available to the system is dependent upon the actions or activity of our mind. Marma means ‘key point’. They are the points where there is a junction between energetic systems with muscle, veins, arteries, tendons, or bones, and can be very tender when restricted. These points are so sensitive and critical to health, they were often protected in battle by early kalari warriors who knew that a targeted blow could cause death to them or to their horse. On the other hand, they were also used to stimulate healing to injuries sustained in battle. No one has delved into the overlap of this system and the Chinese or Japanese energetic systems, although it is known that acupuncture was also found in India. Each culture developed movement systems to support the regulation and flow of these energetic systems – yoga and Taosit practices in India and China, and t’ai chi and chi kung in China.

Fundamental junction points of the physiology and are actually the junction points between consciousness and matter.... like the cosmic switchboard in the human body.

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Chi Fields and the Heart Teachers of the internal martial arts of t’ai chi and chi kung would describe these energetic pathways as transmitting chi, or life force, from the universe, from the earth, through the body, around the body, and back out again in a constant flow. Movements and static postures in the internal martial arts are designed to optimize the flow of life force energy. Chi fields have been tested and seen to emanate an electromagnetic field along with infrared light, ultraviolet light, visible light, and waves in the spectrum of brain waves such as alpha, beta, and gamma. There are also ancient methods to store chi and generate it for healing. In fact, there are ‘no medicine’ hospitals in China that only use acupuncture or chi healing, and some doctors that use these methods to keep their patients well, along with treating them if they fall ill. Dr. Rollin McCraty, founder of HeartMath Institute, has done extenSomatic IntelligenceTM

sive research on the electromagnetic fields emanating from the brain and heart. The heart’s capacity to coordinate, integrate and function as a brain in its own right has been known for over two centuries, but it’s only been recently that the field of neurocardiology has gained momentum. The heart communicates with the brain and body through neurological, biochemical, biophysical (pressure and sound waves) and energetic signals using electromagnetic field interactions, and is capable of inducing and maintaining a state of balanced organization throughout the body using its own inherent coherence. McCraty’s team of researchers have established that the heart’s measurable variance rate that determines its coherence differs from a state of relaxation or meditation. They are convinced that the heart’s field, which permeates every cell and extends outside the body as far as 10 feet, trans-

23 mits a great deal of information to the body’s many systems while acting as a ‘modulated wave carrier that encodes and communicates from the systemic to the cellular levels’ as well as carrying information between individuals. Dr. McCraty believes the heart’s

potential for acting as a global coordinator and point of reference for the processing of experiences is further enhanced by its capacity to act outside of time and space, gathering intuitive information about events that haven’t happened yet.

Koshas and Chakras According to Hindu and Vedanta philosophy, in addition to the dense physical body there are subtle bodies (koshas or sheaths) that are stacked inside one another like the Russian dolls. Maya means ‘appearance’ in Sanskrit, whereby the increasingly more subtle sheaths operate as layers that facilitate engaging with the world, yet appear like a veil over the pure, true self. The physical body itself is called Anna-

maya kosha, or food body. The Annamaya kosha is the densest, is subject to birth, existence, change, decay, and death and is the seat of pleasure and pain. The entire food body springs out of the initial development of the cerebrospinal system with its central nervous system. It contains a network that connects to the organs, glands, and tissue fields, giving nourishment and electrical power to their funcChapter 1

24 tions. Along that same central axis are the psychic centers called chakras that are related to specifi c glands and nerve plexus. Pranamaya kosha is the next layer, considered to be the vital energy body which pervades the physical form and provides forces that perform the functions of the body (i.e. circulation, digestion, excretion), manipulating the body from within and driving the organs of action such as movement of the limbs. Yogic experts will say that “Breath is the physical counterpart of the mind. All neuromotor activities, all sensory and motor functions are performed with the help of the breath” which is why the pranayama exercises in yoga are used to help balance and calm the body, mind and its internal dialogue. It is reportedly mistaken for the self that lives within the physical body. Manomaya kosha is the next subtle sheath which houses the intellect, contains and processes thoughts, perceptions, and emotions, gives suggestions, operating as the seat of volition. It permeates the vital sheath and is the inner self seated in the mind. Manomaya kosha contains the organs of knowledge via the ears, eyes, skin, tongue and nose. The brain is the tool of the mind, but this sheath is vulnerable to illusion and subject to doubts, so can become confused. The intellectual sheath also can function very well in receiving clear instructions from the deeper wisdom body. More subtle than the mental sheath is Vijnanamaya kosha, or the Somatic IntelligenceTM

wisdom body, which lies underneath the mental processes. Here is where discrimination, interpretation and discernment can take place whereas the intellect can gather and sort data. Memories and ego consciousness in its most naked sense of ‘I-amness’ are contained in this sheath. According to the Sanatan Society, an organization focused on spiritual yoga, the ego is the “tool of consciousness which links all events in life together,” but if the self gets intertwined and overly identified with the memories or genetic impressions the positive influences may become lost. This is the layer that has the wisdom to seek Higher truth and can inspire to know one’s true essence. In both Hinduism and Buddhism, the Anandamaya kosha or bliss body is the most subtle, interior sheath that is just next to one’s true essence, soul, or Atman. Although it is the seat of uncaused joy and peace, it is still a veil over one’s innermost free nature that is the pure light of consciousness. Similar to the koshas, the chakras have energetic functions that progress from the more basic levels of survival in the lower centers to the crown chakra at the higher center that connects to our eternal nature when it opens and flowers. The nadis that flow up the center of the body and through the chakras will be discussed after describing the function of the chakras, all of which are inseparable and intertwined. Each chakra influences not only our physiology, but also to various aspects of human behavior and development. The lower centers re-

25 lating to “fundamental emotions and needs” carry a more dense vibration, whereas the upper chakras relate to higher mental and spiritual faculties and emit more subtle energies. As it is with the many other energetic systems the human body has, the openness and flow of energy through the chakra system also helps to determine our state of health and balance. Many meditations and yoga practices revolve around maintaining the awareness and openness of these centers, as well as in serving to raise the vibration from the lower to the higher centers. Modern medicine and alternative practices alike are now beginning to acknowledge and incorporate the power of the mental processes in the prevention and restoration of health. It’s becoming increasingly obvious from a variety of perspectives that the body and its mind are responsive to mental processes, and that mental processes are also acquired. This is one of the reasons it’s so important to examine

them and not assume that just because they’re in you, that they belong to you, or that they need to remain a part of you. The reason that the placebo effect works is because the mind is engaged in delivering results based upon expectation. Researchers have found that both negative and positive results can occur when subjects are given empty pills, meaning that the symptoms themselves are a part of the web of mystery surrounding cause and effect. In other words, when given a pill filled with sugar or cornstarch, a control group can either alleviate or produce symptoms. The mental body is high on the scale of what has influence over the flow of energies, and the flow of energies is high on the scale of what maintains, vitalizes and uplifts our system, as well as our mental state. Gaining awareness and insight into mental processes comes later in the text, as it is fundamental to well-being, and realizing that it is also responsive to external factors is liberating.

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Subtle Energy The Pranic Body

Vayus and Nadis Some Eastern energetic systems from India speak about five divisions of the life force and a network of chakras and 72,000 nadis that also carry forms of energy throughout the body. The Udana vayu is considered to be the upward moving breath, directing the ’flow of prana from the lower to the higher planes of consciousness.’ Located primarily between the heart and the head, it is also the force that shifts the mind from waking to sleep, and to higher planes after death. This is the same energy that flows through the central channel that awakens enlightenment, rules the throat center ‘manifesting as speech, governing growth and metabolism through the thyroid and parathyroid glands.’ Somatic IntelligenceTM

There are yoga (meaning ‘union’) practices to awaken and balance the subtle energies or vayus. For example, downward dog and other upsidedown asanas which are encouraged at the end of a workout support the upward flowing energy of the udana vayu which is helpful for bringing subtle awareness, and is conducive to meditation or sleep. Samana vayu is equalizing or homeostatic, and governs the navel center. Apana vayu is active below the navel and is a descending energy that supports elimination, reproduction, childbirth, and the immune system. Viyana vayu pervades the entire body and is connected to the peripheral nervous system supporting circulation, and the

27 Prana vayu governs respiration and sense perceptions. While there are over 100 important nadis, fourteen of them are related to the body’s internal organs and glands, and three are considered the most important. The Ida nadi, translated as ‘comfort’ in Sanskrit, is cooling, carries feminine energy and runs to the left of the central canal. Associated with lunar energy, it “nourishes and purifies the body and mind, controlling all of the mental processes”. Pingala, Sanskrit for ‘tawny’, is to the right of the central channel, running from the right testicle to the right nostril. It carries masculine energy, is associated with solar energy, is heating, and “adds vitality, strength, and efficiency”. It governs the right side of the body and the left side of the brain, controls all of the vital processes and is extroverted. When the wholeness of pure undivided consciousness begins to birth itself into manifestation, dualistic principles of the masculine and feminine appear that are complimentary, balancing the opposing forces. As they become more dense energetically, they flow through the channels, purportedly also manifesting into properties of the right and left brain, as well as masculine and feminine sides of the body. Sushumna, the central channel is the most important of all the nadis and flows inside the central canal of the spinal cord while the other two run on either side of the surface of the cord. Sushumna is the sustainer of the universe as well as the path of the uni-

verse and timeless immortality; the connector to the Godhead. While the seven main energy centers or chakras are along the central channel and are known to be adjacent to major nerve plexus and glands, there are also several minor chakras in the hands, feet, and joints. These centers provide energy for the systems they’re connected to, and also carry certain characteristics or attributes similar to the properties of the meridians. Some practitioners have seen seven layers within each of the seven centers that, when blocked, have an impact on personality and well-being. According to Shyam Bhatnagar, instructor in Chakra Psychology, our consciousness goes wherever we become injured, creating reactions that live in the subconscious and manifest in daily life. For example, when the life force is descending naturally as an infant is being born, if doctors try to force the process by cutting the cord too soon then forcing the child to inhale before it’s ready, it could result in a forceful, aggressive personality. Dr. Bhatnagar reported that each chakra has seven stages, and if the life force is allowed to pass freely through the nadis at each stage, the child will be more joyful and balanced its entire life. The energetic system is very sensitive, intricate and specific, as are the characteristics of each stage. There are 147 stages. As the energy descends through the 7th stage of the 7th chakra on the right side – the male, direct, aggressive side – if the baby is not allowed complete Chapter 1

28 freedom in its feeding, whether breast feeding or solid food, and can’t play, make a mess, and take its time, the energy at that stage will be blocked and as an adult could remain insecure about survival. If a block occurs as the life force descends through the 5th stage of the seventh chakra around 5 to 9 months for girls, caused by being forced to sleep alone while crying themselves to sleep in a feeling of abandonment, she could grow up hating her mother. There could be a sense of ‘not having a voice’, and the development of oral issues like smoking, or a raspiness in the voice. Bhatnagar feels it’s unhealthy to leave a child alone, including being expected to play alone if they’re under seven months old unless the baby is already fast asleep. Carrying the child for the first few years has immense benefits for he personality. Fearlessness in children comes from being connected to the Shakti in the mother as she carries the infant or toddler on her hip so the 1st chakra is grounded through the mother. A few other examples taken from various early stages of development include the stubbornness or fear of accomplishment that can arise if objects are often forcefully taken from the child’s hand as the energy passes through the 3rd stage of the right channel. A child will begin to internalize a self-concept according to the facial expressions of the parent during the second stage, when the life force travels through the genital counterpart of the 7th chakra. If exploration Somatic IntelligenceTM

is criticized or punished, it will reflect in a disapproving self-image rather than being connected to sexuality since sexual feelings are not enlivened at that age. Energy then begins to rise through the left (female) channel between 3 and 3½ years old. Children begin to be able to accept responsibility for their actions as well as accomplishments at this stage, when the energy rises through the 1st stage of the 1st chakra. A large amount of one’s ability to feel comfortable and capable physically and socially happens if there are no blocks at this level. Bhatnagar reports that experiences are stored in the left channel. Nearly every nuance of who we become in our personalities has a psycho-emotional relationship to the flow of energy through the subtle channels alongside the spine. A tremendous change that affects our entire life has already happened within the first layers of the first energy centers if they become blocked. When the blocks are opened again, those less than optimal tendencies can diminish if not vanish. Within this ancient system lives the understanding that energy carries attributes and characteristics that can be transmitted, received, and expressed. Another set of attributes and even physical symptoms will manifest if that energetic flow is restricted. In general, the right (solar – masculine) fiery channel, pingala, controls vital processes, whereas ida, (lunar – feminine) the left channel is more cooling and controls mental processes.

29 If we are ever lucky or devoted enough to arrive at the place of balance within these energetic systems that life force begins to rise up through the central channel, the sushumna nadi, many suprahuman abilities can emerge. Herein could be another place where the idea that we only use 10% of our ‘brain’ could emerge. We have tremendous capacities within our energetic systems that are oddly scoffed at by medical professionals who are used to viewing people in their reduced capacity. The senses all become opened to more subtle perceptions in what we are capable of seeing, hearing, intuiting, perceiving through touch, or sense at levels of elements or energies. A measure of control over these sense abilities also arises wherein these elements, energies, sounds, or visions can be used to heal. Ultimately, union with the Godhead can occur if both awakening the kundalini energy and enabling it to rise through the central channel happen. Numerous healing methods, meditation practices, and yoga techniques are designed to clear or purify these centers so that a higher, freer consciousness can emerge. There are disciplined practices to inspire the life force to enter the central channel where the seven main energy centers

are, but it generally takes years of dedication and purification. Nonetheless, there is a recognition in the Eastern health traditions that there are subtler types of energy as well as subtle bodies within all human beings. Most will agree upon the physical and mental health benefits that subtle energy has, and some use subtle energy exclusively in healing by facilitating its flow in their clients to reinstate health and balance. East or West, by examining the substrates of what we are made of, what will be discovered along with the other substances, is an enormous amount of many different forms of energy. In general, Western medical points of view of the body ignore energetic sources of dysfunction. Traditional Eastern understanding is that the open flow of subtler forms of energy and life force are the main source of health, balance, and organization of the anatomical aspects of our physiology. Traditional Western medicine focuses on anatomical dysfunction as the cause of reduced biochemical energy, and doesn’t consider that subtle energy supports the function of the organs and glands, nor does it recognize that subtle energetic processes facilitate the generation and delivery of biomechanical energy.

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30 Your body is a fiction. Every cell is made up of two invisible ingredients: awareness and energy. You cannot take advantage of this miracle unless youare willing to completely reinvent your body, transforming it from a materialobject to a dynamic, flowing process. ~ Dr. Deepak Chopra

Consciousness We are made up of and enlivened by consciousness. There are differing definitions, spiritual associations, academic and philosophical discussions about what consciousness is. On a purely physical level, scientists or biologists might declare that it is that which reaches our conscious mind in the cortical regions of the brain, and that the thalamus is the transition space where the shift to cortical awareness happens. But how, since consciousness itself is not physical matter? Sri Aurobindo, a spiritual teacher, states that, “The unconscious is that for which there is consciousness, but no awareness. The unconscious never sleeps; the unconscious seems to be conscious of all things all of the time. Just as the higher consciousness is superconscious to us and supports all of our spiritual possibilities and nature, so the subconscious is the basis of our material being and supports all that comes up in the physical nature.” Somatic IntelligenceTM

Deric Bownds, author of The Biology of Mind, concurs that, “Our conscious awareness is a small fraction of the many operations going on in our brains, and the bottom line is that we must be disabused of any notion that ‘our’ thoughts reflect, in any direct sense, the real operations of our minds.” The brain, mind, consciousness, and ego/self are separate entities that, when discerned, afford a fresh independence from many of the stressors and problems associated with false identification. A sage might say that it’s the identification that creates the sense of an ‘I’, and that there actually isn’t one. A central part of the teaching of the great sage, Ramana Maharshi, is the inquiry into the question, “Who am I?”, as it was this inquiry that revealed the truth of his divine nature beyond the individual ‘I’ when he was sixteen years old. It then begs the question that Bownds and others ask, “If the self or

31 “I” is different from the stuff of the brain, what is it? Is it some special kind of mind stuff or essence distinct from the physical matter of which you are composed?” Bownds goes on to say that, “Dualists have the problem of explaining how mind, as a nonphysical entity with no mass or energy could interact with the physical stuff of the brain.” The dualistic point of view still abides in some followers of 16th century mathematician and philosopher Rene’ Descartes, whereby the ‘active ingredients of the body or ‘mind’ would be those that conform to the laws of physics, according to their understanding 450 years ago. Nonetheless, consciousness is the paradoxical, koan-like presence that is guiding or facilitating the system back into balance, into self-recognition and self-regulation through meditation or practices like somatic education. Tests and scans may be able to locate or measure the areas of our mechanism that are being activated in any given task, but these tests have not yet been able to locate who or what is the activator. What life is, and what consciousness is, is a grand mystery, like a rabbit hole that gets deeper and deeper without end. Although the answer may not be a tangible object or a concept one can grasp; it may be something beyond the senses that one cannot feel in the normal sense of the word; yet asking the question and inquiring toward the answer is life-altering. An Indian mystic who was called ‘The Mother’ stated that, “The individual consciousness extends far

beyond the body; this subtle physical is constituted of active vibrations which enter into contact or mingle with the subtle vibrations of the subtle physical nature of others, and this reciprocal contact gives rise to influences. Naturally, the most powerful vibrations get the better of the others. Most of the time these suggestions enter you without you being the least conscious of them; they go in, awaken some sort of response in you, then spring up in your consciousness as though they were your own thought, your own will, your own impulse. They are what could be called collective suggestion.” As we move further into how the body communicates with itself, more questions will arise about how much free will there really is in the functioning of the bodymind and personality with all of its thoughts, feelings, moods, and actions. Countless influences are continually either acting upon or being reflected upon the receiver or upon the mirror of consciousness. Nonetheless, what can create effective change in our system is being in relationship with the inherent intelligence, or what I would call the ability to ‘tell from within’. From French and Latin roots we find the definitions of intelligence as ‘the faculty of understanding,’ and ‘the power of discerning, or to comprehend’. When we speak about somatic intelligence, it aligns with these meanings: the ability to understand and discern the language of the body. It starts a conversation with the body’s Chapter 1

32 own intelligence, which is immeasurable, incredibly sensitive and responsive, and connected to something far more vast and mysterious than its own mechanisms. Part of how it works is through making what has become under subconscious control a conscious act, with the understanding that consciousness is more than the anatomical parts it uses to express itself. What somatic intel-

ligence focuses on, is on how to increase the awareness of life and of the presence within in order to create or stimulate the return to balance in the body. Balancing the body does wonders for balancing the mind. It is a practice of tuning in that we process both through the brain and the mind within the substrate of consciousness, so we’ll be looking at how they each support learning in a later chapter.

The Role of Consciousness

The Mind Versus the Brain Many scientists, philosophers, or psychologists would agree that the mind is different from the brain, but they may not agree in just how exactly they differ. Not as many will feel that mind is different from consciousness, and some will say that mind is a product of ego/self. Dr. Bill Gordon states Somatic IntelligenceTM

that, “The brain is a tangible organ in the body that controls all vital human functions, reconciling stimuli from the five senses with our internal milieu. The mind permeates every cell of the body, consulting with nonhuman cells like gut bacteria, and ultimately, the mind has dominion over

33 the brain.” We are still gaining greater understanding on both the mind and the brain, and are still learning about their potentials. Whatever the ‘mind’ is actually comprised of in the physical world, it has the ability to generate a form of communication that the rest of living matter readily recognizes and responds to. The belief set forth in the early 1900’s that we only use 10% of our brains isn’t accurate, since later studies attaching electrodes to every square centimeter of the brain shows that it’s ‘all’ being used. Possibly this opinion arose because glial cells – perineural cells that surround nerve cells - make up 90% of the brain cells, and at the turn of the century these cells were thought to only provide insulation for the nerves. Much of what we are told is ‘fact’ is only based upon the testing methods and form of inquiry used so hold open the probability that there are many discoveries to come. The function of the perineural system has only recently been able to be analyzed in more detail because the testing method was modified to match the way the perineural system functions. In the early 1900’s, “The Neuron Doctrine” was published by Spanish researcher, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, positing that thought was connected to neurons. Cajal’s brother Pedro took the position that glial cells were mainly acting as electrical insulation. When Harvard professor, Dr. Stephen Kuffler, decided to test Perdro’s theory in the 1960’s he discovered that

astrocytes, a particular type of glial cell, also exhibited electrical potential, but in response to potassium. A couple of decades later, researchers found that glial cells also respond to and release neurotransmitters. They communicate with one another and with other neurons using ‘calcium waves’ that travel through their ‘feet-like’ extensions to an area over a hundred times larger than that of the initial stimulation. Since astrocytes are so plentiful in the cortex and can generate enough charge to fire a neuron, it was later conceived that these types of ‘communication may be conducive to the processing of certain thoughts’. Astrocytes have been shown by numerous researchers since the 1990’s to facilitate the transport of glucose and other substances out of neurons through the vasculature, to support the uptake of certain neurotransmitters, for the regulation of extracellular potassium ions, and in the production and release of neurotrophic substances that form scar tissue after an injury. Dr. Andrew Koob from Dartmouth University goes as far as to say that, “Neurons are tied to muscular action and external senses. We know astrocytes monitor neurons for this information therefore, astrocytes modulate neuron behavior. This could mean that calcium waves in astrocytes are our thinking mind. Neuronal activity without astrocyte processing is a simple reflex.” There are three other types of glial cells: oligodendrites, microglia, and Schwann cells. Oligodendrites help Chapter 1

34 to regulate axons and help to generate and maintain the myelin sheath that surrounds them in the central nervous system. The sheath itself facilitates neural transmission through the rapid propagation of action potential (Ransom and Sontheimer, 1992; Edgar and Garbem, 2004). Oligodendrites were found to also “secrete a

number of neurotrophins (nourishing substances) including nerve growth factor and brain derived neurotrophic factor” (Dai et. al, 2003). The third type, microglial cells, are the ‘immune effector cells’ of the central nervous system, mostly inhabiting the parenchyma of the brain, helping to cleanse the extracellular fluid (Thomas, 1992; Fetler and Amigorena, 2005), and they were also discovered to possess receptors for neurotransmitters (Taylor et al, 2003, 2005). Researchers from the Green Lab at the University of California in Irvine called microglia the “primary immune cells of the central nervous system,” responding to injury, pathoSomatic IntelligenceTM

gens, and destroying damaged cells in the healthy adult brain. New information continues to surface as the role of microglia is more clearly determined in head trauma and neurogenerative diseases, whereby brain function improves when the microglia are eliminated by the inhibition of CSF1R, upon which microglia are dependent. Schwann cells are mainly found on the axons in peripheral nerves, facilitating conduction by its production of the myelin sheath, (some Schwann cells are also unmyelinated) and also keeping the axons separate from one another by using the sheath as a barrier. They also help regenerate the axons of peripheral nerves. While neurons interact with one another through electrical signals delivered across synapses using action potentials, glial cells communicate with one another as well as with neurons using chemical messages that better serve their needs, including their role to generate or prune more synapses. How and why they function more efficiently in some people than others is a source of new research related to neurodegenerative conditions. The examination of Einstein’s brain in the 1980’s revealed it to be the same in every way except for the number of glial cells, which was double that of the average person particularly in the association cortex where imagination and complex thinking take place. It could be deduced then, that glial cells also facilitate the rapid processing of ideas and thoughts. How can

35 we be sure, however, of which came first – the structures in response to the use of his intelligence, or Einstein being able to use his intelligence more easily because he happened to be born with more glial cells? Since recent studies have also found that glial cells release neurotransmitters that modulate mood and emotion, and if astrocytes are linked to thought processes, sense perceptions and muscular activity, then it follows that our thoughts and perceptions can have an immediate impact on our well-being. Dr. Bill Gordon distinguishes the two in his article on this subject saying, “The brain is a tangible organ in the body that controls all vital human functions, reconciling stimuli from the five senses with our internal milieu. The mind permeates every cell of the body, consulting with non-human cells like gut bacteria, and ultimately, the mind has dominion over the brain.” It appears that function of the mind has a biochemical and bioelectrical aspect or counterpart in the brain when it is activated in the processes of daily life. Yet in the case of a few rare enlightened beings who model a peak of human potential, life is not dependent upon the mind. Scientists were baffled if not startled when they reported to Swami Vasudev after having electrodes attached to his brain that he wasn’t supposed to be alive because he was, according to

their equipment, ‘brain dead’. This leads one to believe that mind is a creation that comes with the identification of the experiences of the self. It can nonetheless become interwoven with all other structures and functions and have a huge impact on the status of the system’s balance based upon perceptions and beliefs. Apparently, if awakened in consciousness, one can function well without it. For as much as it seems like intelligence can’t function without its equipment working properly, there are these instances when it becomes apparent that there is more to intelligent expression than the equipment it conducts itself through. Modern science is making strides in the study of the human condition and the inter-relationships between structure and function as our structure interfaces with spirit and consciousness. Fields of biology, neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry, in large part determined by the questions they ask for the studies they conduct, are setting up ways to uncover and demystify many of the marvels that lie within the vast potential of what we are, how we function, and what we may be capable of. It would help if science sought more counsel from the ancient sciences still being practiced today, from those who have already studied this potent, implicit terrain in great depth and detail.

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The Social Mind Dr. Daniel Siegel, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA Department of Medicine, sees a three-point model of the mind, one that involves the physical brain, the nervous system with its processing of sensory information, and the regulation of the body and emotions. Another aspect includes relationships and the “means by which information and energy are shared in a person’s relational experiences through spoken or written word.” He declares of the social mind, “Our minds are created within relationships, including the one that we have with ourselves. Each one of us has a unique mind, unique thoughts, feelings, perceptions, beliefs, memories and attitudes, and a unique set of regulatory patterns. These patterns shape the flow of energy and information inside us, and we share them with other minds.” Somatic IntelligenceTM

The third aspect of the mind, according to Dr. Siegel, is awareness, or the ability of the mind to observe its own processes in the flow of energy and information, and to monitor and modify them. This is the aspect that is called upon in somatic intelligence as well as within meditation. The self-awareness aspect of how the mind operates facilitates an improved relationship with ourselves as well as with others. A significant part of our neurophysiology is dedicated to and determined by our relationship with others, which can’t be separated. Dr. Stephen Porges, author and Research Professor in the department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Emeritus Professor at the Universities of Illinois and Maryland, developed the polyvagal theory with which he describes the probability of a social nervous system.

37 In his theory, the vagus nerve has two branches, each one connected to a different type of adaptation to stress, and relating to a different set of physical and physiological processes. Underlying the fright or freeze response in the case of danger, the overstimulation of the vagus nerve can cause fainting - loss of consciousness, literally, or loss through a disassociated state. Freezing or dissociating involve the more ancient ‘shut down’ circuitry mediated by the hindbrain – often known as the reptitialn brain, or that area in and around the brainstem which control vital life processes - while the more recent circuits found in mammals such as humans, provide a more direct connection between the heart and the face. These pathways define a social engagement nervous system that modulates the stress response. The social nervous system can be interpreted to function as the organs of expression of emotional intelligence, which can assist us in our well-being. The ventral vagal pathway connects to the heart, face, and lungs, and stimulates the parasympathetic response through our ability to modulate stress by connecting with others - the ‘tend and befriend’ method

most often used by females. The dorsal branch which regulates the organs below the diaphragm is an older part of the nervous system and activates the shut-down process, a mechanism intended for emergencies only. As much as 90% of the vagal fibers in the viscera are involved in transmitting current sensory information of the organs’ status to the brain. Swiss researchers led by Urs Meyer have discovered that a major component of the function of this linkage of the viscera and the brain involves mood, fear, and anxiety, along with a capacity to store memories that produce ‘learning’ about the initial threat (Journal of Neuroscience, May 21, 2014). We are gradually evolving to a place where we can use our social intelligence for more than interpretations of our chances for survival, even though much of our ‘machinery’ is programmed for that purpose. We, as human consciousness, can be the bridge and the determining factor as to whether we react from the reptilian brain in a fight/flight response, or we listen to and follow our ‘gut’ instincts, impressions or intuition from the heart, our social influences, or from our logical mind. When the choice is conscious, the freedom is optimal.

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We Are Many Forms of Intelligence We also have a brain in our guts. Much of the information processed relates to digestion, but our gut is also involved in processing emotions and feelings. A healthy relationship between the belly and the brain forewarns of potentially dangerous circumstances, which the brain then learns from and files for future reference. Since a good portion of the information between the belly and the brain uses the vagus nerve, altered communication from the vagus nerve interferes with, or slows down that learning process. Noticing this relationship has led to exploratory treatment of PTSD, epilepsy, and depression to see if those initial conditioned reactions can be unlinked from neutral stimuli and reconditioned to a healthy response, but the networks are complex and not yet completely understood. Somatic IntelligenceTM

In November of 2011, Psychology Today published the findings of scientists verified by numerous other studies, revealing that the enteric nervous system - the brain in the esophagus, stomach, and guts - “influence mood, what you eat, the kinds of diseases you get, and responses to psycho-social stresses.” The guts use over 30 neurotransmitters, has well over 100 million nerve cells, can also act independently of the brain, has a large array of immune cells, and transmit information to the brain that can affect conditions like depression, autism, stress, and possibly osteoporosis. Through its own ways of thinking, learning, and storing information, the guts can help sense danger, letting us know whether to approach or to avoid a new circumstance. It has many more neurons than the brain or spinal cord, and is

39 most likely one of our more primitive ways of sensing the environment and using its signals for survival. As discussed earlier, we also have a sophisticated brain in the heart, which houses at least 40,000 nerve cells. Scientists have reported that, “The heart has an independent, intrinsic nervous system that is complex and self-organized. Its neuroplasticity or ability to reorganize by itself by forming new neural connections over both short and long term has been well established.” In recent generations, we have many more sources of information and input which could muddy the waters of our gut instinct, or of what our heart is telling us. Even so, people have had the experience of the mind wanting to overrule what the body is ready for, or taking dominance over what the heart prefers. Origins of subtle forms of knowing can’t easily be traced, but many people have the experience of something coming to them that bypasses the mental processes or physical sensations as a gut feeling, or as a stirring in the heart. The knowing arises from somewhere and they simply spontaneously have the answer or know what to do. Some would call this form of knowing, ‘direct perception’, or a form of intuition, of being in touch with spirit. In the biodynamic cranial system an underlying form of intelligence is named as the organizing principle of the entire organism that, once attended to with conscious intention, will begin to set things back into bal-

ance and open the way for clarity. Dr. William Sutherland, who expounded many new theories about how the cranial system functions in the early to mid-1900’s, saw the cerebral spinal fluid as a carrier of light, which is one of the ways the body communicates with itself. Sitting quietly can often be enough to tune into this inherent intelligence. Being able to make distinctions with your mind about where the information is coming from that is influencing your decisions can become muddied when the system is imbalanced. Internal resources that otherwise would have been helpful can become overlaid with earlier fears, traumas, inculcated patterns from the family, or by long-term dangers in our environment that haven’t been resolved. Once our internal milieu has been balanced, reconciled, cleansed, and awakened to itself and in alignment with our awareness rather than on automatic pilot, these distinctions become clearer and the mechanisms providing feedback become more accurate. Until then, voices from peers, from unresolved conflicts and subconscious impressions will take hold of present circumstances and confound the use of the otherwise unending flow of wisdom and voices of clarity. Remember, the mind as well as the body are listening to you – waiting to be in dialogue with how you are currently interpreting your world so they can respond accordingly. Sometimes it’s enough to sit quietly for a while, tune in, and just listen. Chapter 1

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Diverse Ways to Transmit Intelligence The blood, lymph, cerebral spinal and interstitial fluids are all in intimate, ongoing interface with the nervous system, organs and glands, immune system, muscles, fascia, and bones. These systems are all also in direct communication with our thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Dr. Alex Loyd states it in this way, “Cells switch from growth mode to self-protect mode when the HPA (fight or flight) axis is activated. The HPA axis is wrongfully activated by the mistaken perception of danger.” The field of Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy uses the ‘Breath of Life’ (underlying potency or forces) and its inherent intelligence as an organizing principle to re-establish the ground of well-being and catalyze the body’s innate capacity to heal itself. Within the current and potency of this organizing principle as it uses Somatic IntelligenceTM

the fluid systems to scan and restore balance, is a communication process that is both accurate and thorough. Perhaps the Korean researchers have verified the ability of the primo vascular systems to be a central force in the resetting of the system in more ways than previously realized, since they travel along all fluids. From the perspective of Western researchers such as Collings, 1990; Knight and Feng, 1993, and George Gray, 1993, ‘all major constituents of living organisms may be liquid crystalline.’ Therefore, they respond to shear forces and pressure, they carry electric charges capable of lightning fast communication, deliver nutrients as well as with intracellular messaging between each and every system from the core to the periphery. The brain is neutral, in service of self-preservation

41 and adaptation, but it can also receive, store, and transmit error messages from its internal environment due to its biochemistry, through brain-wave states, or due to the interpretation of its external environment by the mind of the person. One of the forms of intelligence the body uses is through frequencies, and the ability to perform in a rapid, efficient way is supported by high beta frequencies in our brain. Disruption of this high performance capacity can also be caused by a shift in frequency. Dr. Bruce Lipton, cellular biologist and author of “Biology of Belief ”, states that, ”The unseen cause is always a wrong belief. In other words, a wrong belief creates a destructive energy frequency that manifests itself as disease, physical illness, mental or emotional disorder, stress, or one of a hundred other problems.” He finds that every wrong belief is an interpretation of fear pictures that activate fight or flight and lead to a health crisis ‘one cell at a time’. While a cell in growth mode is almost indestructible and impervious to disease, ironically, the cell in self-protect mode is closed to needed resources and vulnerable to dysfunction and disease. From each vantage point of what we are made of, we’ll be able to recognize that every system is in direct communication with every other system and plays a significant role in the body’s ability to respond appropriately to its experiences. We can also see that each gross,

physical system has an exchange if not an overlay with a more subtle energetic form that has the capacity to interface with consciousness, innate presence, or awareness of a sublime nature. With or without a focus on correcting or rebalancing the system, tuning in to our essential nature offers health benefits. Although our most sublime nature is prior to a meditative state, the field of neuroscience has shown that the physiological changes that occur during meditation have many health benefits. The measurable improvements on the physical or physiological levels include increased immune function, decreased pain and inflammation at the cellular level, decreased anxiety, decreased stress, decreased blood pressure, increased grey matter in the brain, increased cortical thickness related to attention and focus, increased capacity for emotional regulation, and more changes that have not yet been adequately explored. Traditionally, meditation was used as a door to attune to the subtle channels that facilitate spiritual awakening. There is no doubt experientially or empirically that tuning in to the subtle parts of our nature and allowing those energies to flow and express more freely enhances overall well-being and quality of life. There are also numerous similar benefits to accessing or facilitating a ‘stillpoint’ inside to help reset, restore, and revitalize the system. We’ll talk more in detail about that later.

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Ego/Personality/Self Amidst all the different energies, biochemistries, and body parts, there lives a person, a being that inhabits if not enlivens the body. Each being or personality is unique to the body that it occupies. Dr. Sigmund Freud was a Czech-born neurologist and psychiatrist who developed a model for the inner workings of the personality. He explored the human mind in more depth than anyone else had up to the turn of the twentieth century, and later became known as the father of psychoanalysis. Freud popularized the concept of surface behavior being caused by repressed, unconscious impressions, similar to the concept in somatic education by which subcortical motor patterns accumulate to create dysfunction or imbalance. According to Freud, the structure of the personality has three main divisions: the id, the ego, and the superego. The id - or primitive, instinctual Somatic IntelligenceTM

aspect - manifests behaviors that are more recently associated with the ‘reptilian’ part of our brain that is programmed for survival. He described the two branches of the id as Eros - a biological life instinct governing basic human drives like sex and food, and Thanatos, a death instinct that manifests in self-destructive behaviors toward one’s self or others. Third is the superego, which Freud thought to be formed early in life as a moral code, conscience, or ethical ideal taken from the same-sex parent that can edit or inhibit inappropriate impulses from the id. Since their underlying forces are in opposition to one another by this model, inner conflict seems inevitable, along with the possibility that the same-sex parent was missing, or failed to model ideal morals. It might be good to emphasize that all of this is a theory, and may not be true. Freud’s list of psychological

43 mechanisms used by the ego to defend itself from overwhelm have, through the years, become household words. Repression, denial, projection, displacement, regression, and sublimation are the common, albeit moderately immature methods he described of avoiding taking responsibility for the body’s experiences or reactions. They can be included in the fight/flight/freeze subconscious ‘avoidance of stress’ strategies that the organism might use as a form of psychological self-defense. When cortical connections haven’t matured or awakened to a point beyond interpreting confrontation or differences of opinion as being threatening, even facing one’s self can feel overwhelming and become cause for these forms of escape. For some reason, Freud’s theories became widely accepted even though they were only based upon his impressions from studying a few patients and himself. Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist born in 1875, immersed himself in the field of psychoanalysis after a serious concussion gave him the impression of having ‘neurotic’ episodes when he couldn’t stop fainting. Jung entered college in 1895 and studied biology, zoology, paleontology, archaeology, philosophy, mythology, and religion before taking on medicine and psychology. He became friends with Freud during the early 1900’s and agreed with many of his ideas, then later parted ways when he felt that Freud’s work was too focused upon sexual repression. Jung began

developing his own views, which also emerged from his delving into his own psyche through symbolism, dreams, word association, and other influences. His views were recorded in “The Red Book” which was published in 2009, decades after he wrote it. He is likely more known for his books, “Psychology and the Unconscious”, and “Symbols and Transformations of the Libido” published in 1912, and “Psychological Types” which came out after WW1. Jung also believed the psyche had three aspects: the ego, or conscious mind, the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious, which was a ‘reservoir of all the experience and knowledge of the human species’. He describes individuation as a process of integration each person must achieve to distinguish themselves from others and attain their ‘true self ’. Jung coined the concepts of introversion and extroversion (himself being an introvert as a child), archetypes, and the format for helping alcoholics, which became known as Alcoholics Anonymous. He called his work ‘analytical psychology’, and found that his later life focused much more on dreams, symbolism, and fantasy. “The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious”, published in 1953 brings more of Jung’s religious and anthropological perspectives into focus. Here he speaks about the goal of the self to integrate with the unconscious part of the collective unconscious that is universal. German Chapter 1

44 ethnologist, Bastian, repeatedly saw throughout tribal cultures in the world that inner life was understood through one’s connection to the larger, natural world. He also found that their use of mandalas or motifs including aspects of these universal symbols communicated to the unconscious of the person in a way that was able to facilitate integration and healing. I’m not sure that modern, Western industrial society has retained any of these motifs that continue to connect the psyche to its larger source, and very few have explored what those symbols sustain for society at large. In fact, members of indigenous communities in the West have regretted the loss of the sacred sites, many of which have been turned into recreational areas, thereby altering the information provided by the prayers that sustained and emanated from those sites. Similar to the way we can restrict the flow of sublime energies in our bodies through misusing it, the same applies for external motifs and messaging. Admittedly a daunting and complex terrain at best, few have ventured to offer other models for the workings of the psyche. Eastern mystics call it ‘bundle of memories’, or an illusory self that needs to be seen through to the reality before a person can transcend the ignorance

Somatic IntelligenceTM

that accompanies belief in the ego personality - the little self. Most of the Eastern mystics will also agree that one needs to have a ‘strong’ sense of self before being able to let go of the false self (the mask). The direct recognition of the emptiness that is closer to the reality than the mask can be startling and shattering to an insecure foundation based upon beliefs that aren’t actually true. There are several forms or beliefs that the self has traditionally organized itself around throughout time. Here, the focus is not to challenge those beliefs or forms as much as it is to explore how the ego may organize itself in ways that are the most supportive for the reeducation process. Inquiring into what the ego is and how its functioning is interwoven into our bodily processes can be an eye-opener in and of itself. Many people use the understanding about the various personality types to help understand and resolve issues, or to reduce taking reactions personally. One way to enhance the effectiveness of somatic and emotional intelligence is to examine more fully how the body, mind, brain, and ego personality are interrelated. Then we can ‘unpack’ them with awareness in a way that loosens their impact upon biological structures and enables their ability to function with ease.

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Seven Universal Archetypes Archetypes are a mysterious and elusive aspect of the collective unconscious - a blueprint for the personality - that Jung most eloquently described in his work. He noticed repeating themes that had a measurable and predictable effect on our minds and hearts. He saw an innate template that each person is born with like a universal imprint from cosmic or ancestral underpinnings that are ‘highly charged’ and ‘shape our experiences and reactions to people, things, and events.’ Jung delineates four main

archetypes as the Self (the individual where personality characteristics become integrated), the Shadow (repressed ideas and emotions), the Anima/Animus (inner man and inner woman), and the Persona (the mask we put over our authentic self). Jung feels there may be uncountable archetypes in the psyche, but added seven of the most common ones to these four main ones. Appearing throughout society and our books or films about life are these main characters that the collective relates to and adopts the most:

• The father figure - a stern, powerful authority figure • The mother figure - a nurturing comforting entity • The child - representing the longing for innocence, or rebirth • The hero - an independent champion, defender, or rescuer • The sage - a figure offering guidance, knowledge, or wisdom • The maiden - a form of purity, innocent desire • The trickster - a troublemaker, deceiver, or lesson-giver

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46 If you take a course in hypnosis or hypnotherapy, most likely these same internal ‘voices’ will be used to coordinate resolution of inner conflict based upon the different sides of the self struggle for predominance in a given situation. I was absolutely amazed at a process labeled the ‘Conference Room’ during my own course of study with the subconscious. I really wanted to get to the bottom, so-to-speak, of what drives human behavior and what could bring inner peace. The voices in that system of hypnotherapy were slightly different, in that there was also a judge who could weigh evidence and offer decisions; a child who was under the umbrella of the shadow where unresolved wounds, needs, or fears lived; and a ‘rebel or adventurer’ who wanted to live as a creative, unique expression of a free spirit. Every voice may have a seat at the table of resolution for any issue at hand. Each of these figures played a role in defending their position for the ego. The point of view towards them was that they were all there to help the person achieve their goals or desires within the framework of their own predisposition while making the underlying tendencies apparent. Every single time a person went into a light trance to access this ‘round table’ discussion in which each side of the personality could share their views, a remarkable sequence would unfold that shed light on the main view that was producing caution or resistance, and the course of action from the acknowledgment of that view became Somatic IntelligenceTM

clear. The resistance melted, and an integration happened for the person that brought relaxation in, moving them forward without hesitation, or with an understanding of why their reservations were there and how to address them. Archetypes were initially envisioned by Plato and Pythagorus as cosmic relationships that are also reflected in the individual. Pythagorus was quoted as saying, “All the world can be explained by the numbers one through nine.” He apparently viewed the dynamics between nine basic archetypes as setting most actions and reactions of people into motion. According to A. H. Almas, the original conception of the nine ‘fixations’ or personality types are modifications of consciousness, or ‘nine egoic perspectives that appear as a direct result of the loss or absence of the enlightened perception of one of the Holy Ideas’. The Holy Ideas existed as Love, Truth, Perfection, Wisdom, Strength, Omniscience, Origin, Harmony, and Will, when they were seen as inseparable aspects of the whole. These archetypes later morphed into the perfectionist Reformer, the peoplepleasing Helper, the driven Achiever, the unique Romantic, the cerebral Investigator, the Loyal skeptic, the dominating Challenger, and the easygoing Peacemaker of the more modern version of the Enneagram. Another way of looking at these inner forces or archetypal voices that shape who we are or how we behave in the world is through how each

47 type gathers knowledge, or a sense of knowing. One way of knowing is through the logic of the mind or rational thought; one way is through the sense perceptions of the body - through something you see, hear, taste, or touch. Another way is with feeling or seeing on a subtle, psychic, intuitive or energetic level as in the shamanic or healers’ realm, and yet another way is that of the mystic. The mystic is silent and lives in a transcendent realm beyond and prior to the manifestation of experience or of the experiencer. From the unbiased, free place of the mystic that is outside of time or space, knowing can spontaneously arise. Mystics are also free of desire or conflicts. Some constructs include imagination, faith, or trust as a way to solve problems. Many a healing has happened by envisioning it so, as have creative solutions to all types of problems arisen by ‘thinking outside of the box’. How many ingenious ideas have been showered upon modern society through someone’s imagination? Who’s to say that these ideas and solutions didn’t arise from the collective unconscious and become transmitted to the receiver who was open to ‘hear’ the idea and ‘see’ the light bulb go off? Having faith in a higher power within or without, or trust in existence is a wonderful way to participate yet allow the sensitive, intelligent whole to set things in motion that are more farreaching and magical that our own minds can fathom. There is also the possibility of not seeing anything that

arises as an issue, using the liberated perspective of the mystic within. Native American stories will usually include a force in spirit that is akin to the ‘trickster’ - the Heyokah or Trickster Teacher. The role of this entity is to challenge your crutches, what you think you know, or to ‘break the bonds that destroy balance in our lives’. The lesson may be for the individual or for the entire community, and will often play a trick to create revelations, or laughter (as medicine), or to let the person figure it out rather than give a direct answer. There are often ‘stories as medicine’ that include laughter medicine to break up seriousness that acts as a block, but also to embed character lessons - Coyote wisdom. This medicine is often used when a person isn’t giving themselves alternatives, and through laughter some expansion of a stuck perspective can more easily happen. Some reports say that Elsa Gindler spent time with Eastern mystics and yogis, and it has been reported that Feldenkrais studied or spent time with George Gurdjieff. Gurdjieff remained secretive and mysterious about the sources of his teachings, but there are speculations that some of the sacred mysticism had roots in Greek, Russian, and Christian Orthodox perspectives. Prior to Oscar Ichazo’s version of the Enneagram’s Nine Fixations, Gurdjieff introduced fundamentals of the enneagram to the West in 1916. These early philosophers felt that emotions become passions after receiving suggestions from the mind; passions that Chapter 1

48 could take hold of the will and focus the ego on material existence rather than its divine nature filled with virtues. In what was later called, “The Work”, Gurdjieff developed practices and movements designed to weaken fixations on ‘lower centers’ and redirect them toward an awakening to the ‘higher intelligence in the heart’. The somatic version of this as it came down through Feldenkrais was to release the body from its automatic, albeit dysfunctional, habituations and reorganize them into a more elegant, efficient way of moving and being. The origins of ego personality are vast, varied, and largely external. The opportunity that requires conscious effort, or consciousness itself, is to free the body and mind from the physiological processes that bind experience in an automatic, predetermined way and predictably generate discomfort and disease. Whether it’s an embryological imprint, a sociological conditioning, or an experiential landmark, the ‘symptoms’ of the ‘reaction packets’ that become stored in the body and embedded as part of the ego personality can be released through somatic reeducation. Very often the same idea will appear to different individuals at the same time, called ‘multiples’ in science, as if the universal intelligence is acting on its own. It makes you wonder what imagination really is, where ideas come from, and how they are transmitted. It gives pause that these pioneers of the psyche were developing their ideas at the same time the pioneers Somatic IntelligenceTM

of the body were developing theirs, both in the direction of greater health and well-being. Most of them drew upon Spiritual or ancient teachings to further flush out their perspectives. Another common factor in these pioneers, is that several of them experimented mainly on themselves as the source of their information before their concepts caught fire in the marketplace, clearly reflecting a need of the masses at that time. There are precious few ways to ‘scientifically’ investigate or verify how the mind works, in part because we are yet to crest the infinite capabilities of the body, mind, heart, or spirit, or to tap the source of it. So whether you build upon the experiments or beliefs of the early pioneers or not, do feel encouraged to become your own inner explorer and allow your somatic intelligence to transmit information to you. With your presence and attention, it is guaranteed to pleasantly surprise if not amaze you over, and over again. Certain modern therapeutic practices have the inclusion of universal intelligence built into them, such as Biodynamic Cranial Sacral Therapy, Zero Balancing, Chinese Medicine, acupressure, Reiki, Vortex Healing, and Polarity Therapy, to name a few. One could take the stance that the components of the body provide a complex and eloquently designed vessel or receiver for the infinite possibilities of expression of consciousness through each unique personality; through every unique physical form. Most will

49 agree that there is a soul, a being, or a spirit that inhabits the body that we have been given, rather than believing that we ARE the body we live in. Somehow, we all just know that these more mysterious aspects of our being are closer to the truth of who we are than the anatomy or physiology of our bodies. They’re closer than our work, our relationships or hobbies, our desires or our conditioning. Our ego personalities can be a subject of observation from the perspective of the archetypes, so when typical patterns arise they can become a resource that’s more fluid than fixed. Knowing that you carry so many ‘hats’ within you means you can become the warrior when you need to be, or the sage, or the adventurer, or be playful like a child. It means that we’re no limited by our tendencies, but have a wide field to choose from that will support work, relational dynamics, achieving goals, or self-knowledge. We can be released from the notion that we are limited to a single form of expression, and when the mind, ego, and personality are released, so is the body. One

reason that dance or theater can be so expansive is that we are able to play so many different characters as needed, without identifying with them as who we are. Fluidity in conscious expression of the persona greatly fortifies somatic intelligence, keeping the receptors primed and ready to respond, adapt, and reorganize on a dime, like in our youth. Remaining fluid in the mind and personality phases is like retaining the capacities we have in our youth, as opposed to becoming ‘set in our ways’ which is usually associated with aging. As the mind calcifies, so does the body. One of the reasons that Feldenkrais movements are so liberating is that they keep the system open through using novel ways of combining position and motion. In the same way that reading new books, traveling to new countries, or learning a new language helps to keep the mind supple, moving your body in new and different ways will help to keep the body supple, and when one is intelligent and responsive, the other will be much more likely to reflect the same openness and availability to learn.

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Soul or Atman The word for soul in Sanskrit, adopted by many religions or spiritual groups in India as well as in Buddhism, is ‘Atman - the true self or essence of the individual beyond identification with phenomena.’ The soul is the eternal, self-luminous, silent witness that is pure consciousness. One analogy often used by Advaita, or non-dual teachers, is that consciousness is like the base metal gold that can be fashioned into many other articles. The gold may then look like a wedding ring or a golden temple, for example, but will still be gold in its modified form. This is a complex, non-linear truth to sense, because it can be described as ever-present and interpenetrating everything, yet obscured by the very substances or manifestations it has turned itself into. It’s the everchanging dance of shakti that arises out of the unchanging source and returns there. Just like the subatomic Somatic IntelligenceTM

particles that are either being moved by some intelligent force to bond and create an infinite variety of glorious, if not miraculous forms, or to collide, repel, explode or appear, soon to disappear again. Atman is the self-effulgent knower of the other aspects of modified consciousness that come and go, that have a beginning and an end, including meditative states. Indian mystic, Satguru Vasudev, describes space as not being empty, a concept which physicists have been attempting to understand. Similar to Jung’s idea of the collective unconscious, yogis have realized the universal consciousness that is not separate from individual consciousness. Also called the akashic mind, Vasudev asserts that the individual and universal mind are reflections of one another, and that everything from all time is recorded there including life’s pos-

51 sible outcomes. He states, “It is your ability, either consciously or unconsciously, to be able to get the cooperation of this larger intelligence which is functioning.” Most enlightened beings will explain that it is that universal intelligence that is functioning through the self at all times, and that the incorrect belief is that there is an ego-identity that has the reins. They will tell you that the soul is like a little spark of that infinite whole that appears as itself in countless ways as a leela, or a mirrored play upon its own vast capabilities of expression. In 1907, Dr. Duncan MacDougall was the first to attempt to prove the existence of the soul scientifically, by measuring the weight of what left the body at death. Although his sample included only six patients, he placed them on a specially made Fairbanks scale and observed a loss of three-quarters of an ounce, or 21 grams. He’d taken into account the loss of breath, or fluid which were all ruled out. Eighty years later, German researchers, using state of the art equipment accurate to 100,000th of an ounce carried out rigorous studies with a sample of 200 dying patients. They concluded that there was a loss, of either life force or a soul that weighed 1/3000th of an ounce. Dr. Ian Stevenson, head of Psychiatry at the University of Virginia, documented with irrefutable evidence more than 2600 cases of children over a 40 year period starting in the 1960’s who had verifiable memories of a prior life.

This is another way that modern society has reduced the definition and landscape of what it means to be human. There are clearly impressions that carry over from prior lives, particularly the experiences that had more charge on them, into the subconscious, subtle fields of who we are in present time. There are numerous incidences where health issues in a current life related to physical wounds in a prior life have manifested; where love affairs from a prior life have developed into family relationships in a current life with similar issues. The need to have a ‘definitive’, measurable piece of evidence that can be replicated guides the mindset of countless people, who can become so invested in the belief system connected to that mindset, that no amount of proof will unlock the mindset even if their life depends upon it. Many doctors and nurses don’t have a name for healings that happen outside of what they’ve been taught to believe. Some will claim that it means the patient never had the disease in the first place, or that some spontaneous remission happened, and others will use the term ‘miracle’ for some unexplainable cases. I had many discussions with medical professionals during my mother’s protracted illness about assigning diseases to her based upon the misinterpretation of symptoms. For example, calling shortness of breath from fear asthma, and labeling any type of pain arthritis, both of which I knew she didn’t have, but it went down into her mediChapter 1

52 cal record as such. It was important to correct instances like this when the ‘evidence’ was categorized into the familiar belief system instead of remaining open to what was really happening. Someone who didn’t know her could read the wrong information in the record and prescribe medication for something she didn’t have, which also happened. Beliefs can be both blinding and liberating, so I want to open the field of interrelated factors that influence human potential, health, and well-being from a variety of cultures covering thousands of years to the most recent research, covering bases from the most subtle to the most dense. Facts and anecdotal human experiences confirm that memory can transcend time as well as the container that holds the memory. It’s already been proven that one of the ways the body regularly communicates is through electromagnetic fields and biophotons that transcend time. This point will be described in greater detail in a later chapter, but opening to these layers of life operates can explain and resolve many current physical, mental, and emotional issues by their roots in the recent or distant past. There’s an ageold story circulating in India about a person who looks for something they lost in a place where they didn’t lose it, not because it was lost there, but because it was an easier place to look. The subtle dimensions are difficult to assess as causative factors because for most people they are invisible to Somatic IntelligenceTM

the naked eye, but as our instruments that extend our perceptual capacities grow, so does the realization of microscopic and subtle dimensions. The central difference in how the truth of the soul might be played out lies with what any person may believe about who they are. Most people do believe in a soul, in a soul mate, and in knowing what feeds their soul. In fact, if what we do isn’t aligned with spirit, or if it conflicts with ‘who we are’, it can feel like your spirit dies inside you and is revived when you begin to follow your ‘true path or purpose’. Living a life that is aligned with our ‘energy’ or ‘soul’ or ‘heart’ is often not the case whether one lives in a free country or not. Still, most everyone will agree that we have a soul as and know that to be engaged at that level means something profound. Without the inclusion of the most profound and mysterious aspects of who we are, life could easily feel empty. The organism with all its awe-inspiring potential would travel down a road of happenstance, of conditioned patterns that don’t seem to change, are externally dependent, or lack meaning. That fraction of an ounce is filled with meaning and is connected to the source of life. The ability to harness both the organizing inherent intelligence and conscious awareness and use them to interface with the multiple dimensions that the body functions on, is the elegant dance that somatic practices embrace and work within. It’s the dance that in-

53 corporates the best of both worlds, of spirit and matter, of heaven and earth if you will. It finds ways for these dimensions to complement, nourish, appreciate and support one another, while enjoying the endless wonder-

filled expressions of the soul through the body and mind, like a fragrance through a field of flowers. It is Satchitananda – Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss, resting in an ocean of unconditional love.

Chapter 1

The whole effort of all spiritual processes is to see that you create your life consciously instead of blundering through it. Once you make

that effort, you will see that more and more of your life becomes self-determined, not pre-determined. If you have mastery over your physical body, 15%- 20% of your life and destiny will be in your hands. If you have mastery over your mind, 50% - 60% of your life and destiny will be in your hands. If you have mastery over your very life energy, 100% of your life and destiny will be in your hands every moment of your life can become self-determined. ~ Sadhguru

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Chapter 2

Pre-Determination or

Self-Determination

Nature and Nurture

W

e receive predisposed notions of what it means to be a male or female in our current culture and transmit that to the world. Most of our conventional conditioning is aligned with society’s or the immediate family’s expectations of what success looks like. That expectation becomes the norm. The norm becomes imprinted or downloaded into the bodymind of children and influence personality, behavior, and values as adults. In addition to the immediate family, modern children are influenced by a large number actors or celebrities on television or in magazines, as well as by characters in video games, and are

subject to all sorts of infiltration of ideas or images from the internet and social media. Young people are both consciously or unconsciously seeking an identity through role models that give them an example and frame of reference of how to live in their world. Aligning with those cultural norms and expectations can feel comforting, offering a sense of security in one’s community. Although we do usually borrow from universal archetypes as a broadbased foundation to organize around, there are additional layers of country, region, and local community or group impressions that are used as a center for the ego structure. We each Chapter 2

56 have a Social Engagement System that determines how our brains become wired to react when it takes cues from the environment regarding safety. This polyvagal theory interprets the gaze between the mother and infant as being charged with information that is translated by the interactive nerves of the face and head, namely, the trigeminal, facial, vagus, glossopharyngeal, and accessory nerves. I dare add that those nerves connected to the eyes and ears also play a part in

communicating, regulating, and helping to wire the young autonomic nervous system. When a calm, loving face and a soothing voice interact with the wide open infant, the nervous system feels unthreatened and able to create neuronal connections to the higher prefrontal areas of the cortex and forward to the heart. If the face and contact with the infant are anxious or stressed and bonding is interfered with, the stress will be transmitted to the nervous system of the baby and signal increased wiring to the hindbrain where fight/flight responses are mediated, and to the dorsal branch of the vagus nerve that imSomatic IntelligenceTM

pacts reactions in the internal organs. Children who grow up in families or neighborhoods that don’t feel safe, which can include marital arguments or physical punishment, will often demonstrate difficulty with cognitive development and achievement in school if not behavior problems. They are also learning social interaction behaviors which are often indirect and nonverbal, shaping their personalities and relationship tendencies for years to come. Our behavioral options are often tied to early impressions that limit what we perceive as choices on an unconscious level. The imprints become stored in the young nervous system before language and intellectual processes are fully on board, and symbolic or iconic forms of communication are prevalent. Body language and a ‘felt sense’ of what a person is transmitting nonverbally remain active throughout life, but are more difficult to retrieve and to adjust when the memories are only recorded in the iconic form during the pre-verbal stages of interaction. Herein lies the value in body-based processes that can access where those early imprints live in the system and that can bring levels of relief and release from subconscious impressions. When the body opens and reforms itself, the mind, emotional substrates, energetic flows and personality can also. One the other hand, when the mind, emotion, energetic flows and personality reform themselves, it will most likely be reflected in how the body appears and functions.

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Impressions Received from Birth Infants are born and live initially without much prior experience or cortical capacity to evaluate their circumstances, therefore they are quite vulnerable to unconscious influences. Between the experience in utero, labor, and delivery, nutrition, soul impressions, collective impressions, family dynamics, ancestral predispositions and peer influences, children are faced with a kaleidoscope of possible shapes and colors that move around their psyches like a brush with a spacious canvas. Young brains and beings are sensitive and perceptive, so teaching them emotional intelligence, discernment, and a sound decision-making process would go far in the field of preventative measures. Children can be little bundles of unresolved, somaticized stressful emotions without as many options to fight, flee, or negotiate as the stress hormones accumulate.

Recent researchers at the Mt. Sinai hospital in New York found that children and even grandchildren receive the impressions from trauma experienced by their ancestors. In cases of war and genocide such as Holocaust survivors, Native Americans, Armenians, and African Americans, unresolved emotions can show up in in the offspring as ‘intergenerational trauma’. One of the markers for the syndrome is lowered cortisol levels, producing “social anxiety, depression, emotional hypersensitivity”, and the general inability to cope with stress. In a July 2015 interview, Neuroscientist and PTSD researcher, Dr. Rachel Yehuda, discussed similar symptoms and low cortisol markers with the children of combat veterans and 9/11 survivors if their mothers were in the second or third trimester at the time. Chapter 2

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100% of the most violent criminals were unwanted babies, although not all unwanted babies become violent criminals.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

The process of entering this world is in itself a pretty intense proposition for a tiny being. A 1995 study by Dr. William Emerson shows 95% of all births in the U.S. to be traumatic, with half of those being labeled as severely traumatic. Dr. Stan Grof ’s statistics show that 100% of the most violent criminals were unwanted babies, although not all unwanted babies become violent criminals. During a seminar in 2008, Grof reported that when experiential psychotherapy facilitated reliving impressions from one’s birth, “It is typically accompanied by a variety of scenes from the collective unconscious portraying scenes of unimaginable violence.” Erich Fromm in his book, “Anatomy of Human Destructiveness”, declines that mankind’s “malignant aggression” can be attributed to our animal origins, because animals rarely display the type or level of violence than humans do. Along the same vein, foster children who move from home to unsatisfactory home and haven’t had the experience of bonding and meaningful attachment often become criminals. In a paper on Child Protection and Adult Crime done by the National Bureau of Economic Research and MIT, they reported that foster care is one of the best predictors of adult crime. In 2004, Courtney, Terao, and Bost found that among the children in the Midwest who turned 18 in foster care, 67% of the males and 50% of the females had a history of juvenile delinquency. A Contra Costa County

study in California finds that 30% of the children sent to foster care become runaways. A 2010 report on “A Critical Look at Foster Care” by the organization, Lifting the Veil, lists 39% of the long-term homeless in Minneapolis were from foster care, a similar percentage in New York, and a whopping 90% of homeless children in Calgary, Canada had been in foster care. As much as 45% of foster care children wind up on the streets due to a lack of preparation to face life. But neither Freud, Fromm, nor Grof believe that the psychodynamics after birth account for the degree of murderous and suicidal behaviors, mass murders, serial killings, and genocides that mankind has demonstrated. Each of these psychiatrists and psychoanalysts feel that, as Grof so aptly summarizes, “The feelings of vital threat, pain, and suffocation experienced for many hours during the passage through the birth canal generate enormous amounts of murderous aggression that remains repressed and stored in the organism.” So if there is a profoundly scarring, violent birth combined with lack of a stable, organizing principle for the ego along with a lack of a caring community with cultural traditions to form a secure base and coherent field, people can become lost, apathetic, or destructive to self and others. These are potential outcomes of just the first months or first few years of life. One possible solution would be to establish mindful parenting skills before childbirth. I once met a

59 nurse who reported that the hospital where she worked was able to almost eliminate child abuse in her town by introducing a class for the parents in managing their emotions. Elena Tonetti-Vladimirova, pioneer of the Conscious Birth Movement in Russia and producer of the film, “Birth as We Know It”, has been offering ‘Birth into Being’ workshops since 1982 to help expectant parents release their own birth trauma before their child is born. The award-winning documentary shows the transformation of fear into love by pregnant mothers, and teaches them how to avoid complications using thorough preparation. She has also seen the connection between the quality of adult life and the birth process. Elena states, “Traumatic birth strips us of our power and impairs

our capacity to love, trust, to be intimate, and experience our true potential. Addictions, poor problemsolving skills, low self-esteem, and the inability to be compassionate or to be responsible are all linked to birth trauma.” The field of osteopathy is well suited to help release the effects of forces delivered on the newborn during labor and delivery, at the level of the pressures on the skeleton and particularly the skull and shoulders, the soft tissue fields, the fluid systems, as well as the emotional impact. Infants’ little systems are extremely open, receptive, and amenable to corrective manipulations by skilled hands. With the potential consequences that could show up years later, how can we afford not to do our best to rectify the horrors of a violent birth?

Traumatic birth strips us of our power and impairs our capacity to love, trust, to be intimate, and experience our true potential.

Chapter 2

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The Imprint of Instincts A cat has only so many options of how to express ‘catness’, as do mice or bonobos, our closest genetic counterparts. Human beings have the enormous and perhaps unique opportunity to be able to manifest ‘humanness’ in a vast variety of ways. We have the capacity to become aware of being aware. We are able to recognize what we are in ways that most likely does not occur in other species or in other mammals. They remain connected to their natural selves, to natural instincts, intelligence, and energy unless interfered with by trauma. Other mammals have a sense of what danger is and how to protect themselves from it, unlike humans who are somehow easy prey with an mind innocent of what to avoid. Human beings, by nature of an industrialized society, have been taught to shut down their natural instincts, intelligence, and energy. We’re taught to turn away from our natural selves, and to spend less and less time in Somatic IntelligenceTM

the natural environment. Some of this can easily be related to the fact that we are living in an insulated world in homes, cars, and businesses that are disconnected from the natural world. When living in nature for any length of time, or when faced with dangerous situations on a regular basis, people will often sharpen their instincts once again. Peter Levine’s work has become popularized through his explanation of how people, unlike animals, are usually not able to fight or flee from modern-day stressors that don’t have the claws of a lion in chase. When we get home from a stressful day, we don’t lie on the floor and tremble to discharge the energy of the threatening circumstances we perceived. The stress finds a storage place in the body and helps us to adapt and keep going, but the reset has not yet occurred. Before the end of this book, several suggestions for finding your reset buttons will be given.

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The Role of Reflexes Feldenkrais noted in his early writings that human beings have a unique early phase of life when it comes to survival in that we don’t hit the ground running like most mammals. It takes many months before a child is able to stand on his own two feet, and the reflexes we have, such as startle, Babinski, Landau, stepping, grasping, rooting, and sucking are largely extinguished at the end of the first year of life and unrelated to providing for oneself later in life. They are automatically inhibited as it is the expectation that the organism will replace them with voluntary actions. A few reflexes, like swallowing, knee jerk, the stretch reflex (protecting joint and tissues from over-stretching), and the acoustic reflex (protecting the ear in the presence of loud noises) remain throughout life. The reflexes we come in with shift to a righting reflex so we can better keep our balance, as well as withdraw-

al so we will be repelled by something sharp or hot, and the startle (Moro reflex) remains with us, but may have a different muscular expression as we age. The startle reflex originates as a systemic reaction to sudden loss of head/neck support whereby the arms spread and flail, and the hips may flex, contracting the lower body while extending the upper extremities. The infant may also tremble and cry as it interprets the insecure shift as falling. These initial reflexes are individual, hard-wired mechanisms to help the survival of a being, and though only emphasized in the literature by a few philosophers, social psychologists and psychiatrists, there are certain ‘herd’ characteristics that we carry from our animal genes that are worthy to consider if self-regulation is to be more fully accessed. An article in the International Journal of Market Research by Mark Earls suggests that “the most imporChapter 2

62 tant characteristic of mankind is that of a herd animal, not a lone individual”. This explains why we are able to be manipulated as mass consumers by advertising, branding, suggestion, by the press, by politicians, attorneys, and authorities of many varieties. Somewhere in our unconscious, we still assign our survival to following the leader of the pack, or to following whatever we believe the status quo to be, often not checking whether it may be true. Crowd mentality can be extremely volatile and easily swayed by a passionate stimulus that could be devoid of reason, or that could play into an easily manipulated unconscious fear using ‘us vs. them’ tactics. Even sports arenas can become the scene of deadly violence as if we were still in the era of gladiator and the ancient (or instinctual?) thirst for blood. Mark Elvy states, “We are a ‘we’ species, laboring under the illusion of ‘I’. On some level, it still feels more secure to follow the herd or a front person who sounds convincing, rather than to find and follow our own instincts. We require years to acquire language and the ability to move about our environment adequately on physical, emotional, and social levels, and even more time and effort will be required to break free of reflexive, subconscious impulses. Part of how humans are socialized is through the herd or group they belong to and are surrounded by, otherwise known as their peer group or larger community. Undoubtedly, much gang Somatic IntelligenceTM

behavior evolves from weak family and community support to reinforce who the members are and what their standing is in that group. According to Charles Cooley who is considered to be one of the foremost developers of social science theory around the ‘looking glass’ self-image, a person molds themselves and their selfimage based upon how they imagine they appear to others, and how they imagine the others are judging or critiquing them based upon that appearance. One’s survival instinctually arises from the social organization of the group, and knowing or establishing your position in that group. One’s rank in a pack of wolves or a herd of horses would become obvious if you observed them for a while because their body language would give it away. The same can be true for humans and their instinctual response to survival in society or in their home and offices, based upon whether they perceive themselves to be negotiators, predators or prey. In fact, there is also a hormonal counterpart to what a person perceives their social status to be, which can have a significant impact upon mood and health. There are postural organizations, according to Tom Hanna, Stanley Keleman and others, that are reflexive and which reflect the personality that acts more assertive or aggressive, or more likely to withdraw, protect, flee, or freeze. The diplomatic negotiator who has found that tendency to be successful will most likely have a more balanced postural presentation that doesn’t reveal an

63 over-abundance of flexion (red light), extension (green light), or internal rotation (startle). Dr. Hanna also speaks about the ‘dark vice’ where flexors and extensors alike are engaged and holding a person as stiff as a board. This type of response isn’t often seen in the wild, as animal instincts will drive them to fully act out in one direction or another, and a freeze response will usually result in death. Reflexes are not a bad thing; they are built in to protect and preserve, but apparently nature meant for us to grow out of them and become volitional beings capable of making sound decisions based on all the information available to us in any given moment. Or, because our living processes and living environment changed, so did our brain. Reflexes are rudimentary and can be nonspecific and even conditioned, as in the phrase ‘knee-jerk reaction’. They bypass the cortex to enable them to be lightning fast, so getting beyond them means practicing outside of the reactions so new pathways can replace the conditioned one. We still make use of the stretch reflex and the crossed extensor reflex that help us to protect joints and muscles from overstretching, and to jump back from a sharp or hot object. It can be helpful to use mindfulness whether watching a commercial, listening to the news, or revisit-

ing popular opinion on an issue and watch what happens in your body as the information lands. Listening to your body, your gut, your heart, and enhancing your conscious processing of the input will open invaluable doors that allow insight into what brings your body into alignment with itself on all levels. For the same reason, somatic movements are done very gently and slowly to avoid stimulating the stretch reflex or other protective mechanisms that might

have been installed to protect or guard against re-injury from an accident that happened long ago. Many times, the system hasn’t reorganized away from the guarding process, particularly if the injury includes emotional associations or self-esteem issues from identifying as being low on the totem pole of the herd.

Chapter 2

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Transmitting and Receiving Self-Image Actually, the “real social world” as we perceive it, is often not only wrong, but may even serve as an illusion. We are not consciously aware that we often try to conform to the image that we imagine other people expect from us. A person’s construction of an “imagined self-image” is done unintentionally. ~ Vogt Isaksen A large part of what we become is transmitted to us, impressed upon our structures, and then acted out, which is different from the process of learning. It’s more like a way of programming a template that then regulates how we behave and perceive. Most of what forms us happens on subconscious levels before we’re old enough to think about it. Including the influence of our families, who we are is determined in large part by our community of association. When you enter a neighborhood that is essentially Asian, for instance, there is an immediate recognition of the symbols, foods, music, language, dress patterns, colors, and Somatic IntelligenceTM

objects that fill the atmosphere, and various stereotypes associated with people from the Far East as opposed to the Middle East. These attributes lay on top of the personality and serve as a framework around the image that is connected to the central persona. Years ago, a Cherokee elder looked at my jewelry and said, “I can’t tell who you are because the necklaces you’re wearing are a mixture of different symbols.” I was wearing a cross, a crystal, and a plain gold necklace at the time, each of which had meaning for me, but culturally communicated nothing for her. She was used to being able to look at a person’s cloth-

65 ing and jewelry to understand which clan they belonged to. Traditionally, across many cultures several identifying characteristics communicate gender, social or marital status, roles, age, and other personality groupings that speak to us. They are among the features that are scanned and register at a glance in every society. Adolescence can sometimes be about making a statement that goes against the norms, not as much for its own sake, but in order to set themselves apart as their own unique identity with their own dress and language codes, unique hair styles, tattoos, piercings, music, and the like. The more of these cultural or community features that become a part of the conditioned identity, the more challenging it may become to find peace without them. For example, if the expectation of academic excellence is high in a culture or family, the internal pressures to excel in education or career become as high and have a substantial impact upon health and well-being. In the 60’s when the ‘baby boomers’ were establishing their identity and the males began to wear long hair and go barefoot or without a shirt, it set up quite a stir across society. Some restaurants began to post signs reading, “No shoes, no shirt, no service.” Many workplaces would not accept a male applicant with long hair or an earring, and fathers were disowning their sons for the same. Skirts and dresses became shorter for females who were beginning to assert their independence in novel ways also, but

when ‘fashion’ began to pick up and market the new trends, short skirts become part of the norm again. In this sense, there is little separation between how family tradition or society dictates who we are as a body, mind, heart, and spirit, and who we are in our appearance, performance, ability to provide security for our families, and our self-esteem. On the other hand, if a person’s self-concept and self-esteem are not melded into the expectations of the family, culture, or society at large, great peace can arise with the support of one’s ancestral heritage where a tremendous wealth of sustenance and wisdom can be found. There is a fundamental security that exists in the resonance and stability of the traditions and familiarity of one’s homeland and caring community that also communicates and translates into a type of coherence in the body and mind. Some of the world’s greatest leaders have come from these ancient cultures that have remained intact for millennia, who then have the confidence-building support to take a stance that is boldly in contrast to the norm. For example, Mahatma Ghandi and Nelson Mandela took a stand and endured great suffering in extremely elegant ways in order to foster needed change in their cultures. Their self-worth or self-concept was not altered by outer influences. Martin Luther King received countless, harsh forms of opposition in his attempts to take the lead in social change. There is some fundaChapter 2

66 mental identity and underlying principle in human behavior that becomes threatened in the face of change. The discomfort that it generates can easily provoke violent reactions when people look or behave differently than the masses expect. Cruel forms of bullying happen among children and adults when a person is outside the norm of expectation, many times without realizing where that norm has been downloaded from. Even slight differences or changes can generate a flurry of fury, as many are beginning to experience these days through social media. Every cell acts like a receiver and transmitter of information; in -form -ation, which can form what and how we are feeling within, but is based upon data they received. Cells have storage facilities that have memory for future reference. Cellular information is also received and transmitted over brain waves and other frequencies that have their built-in significance encoded. There are biochemical signatures, energetic and electromagnetic input, as well as emotional information that carry all of the above in their manner of communicating, all of which can be received and transmitted on subconscious levels to children, adults, and animals alike. Our bodies

Somatic IntelligenceTM

are mega-processing stations for multiple types of bytes of information operating every millisecond as it relates to homeostasis and the meeting of our daily needs for drive reduction, safety, and satisfaction. Being mindful of how input is landing in us and when it attempts to color our self-image can be the one of the single most important ways to reframe the input so that your internal systems can remain liberated from the potentially scarring effect of input that may be negative. When we accept the role as moderator and editor for how things land in us, we are literally telling our systems how to feel about any given experience and helping to selfregulate how or whether the events are able to form in us. Our bodies are dying for us to know this. We can hold events in a neutral, humorous, or harmless way so that our ego structures don’t interpret or form around a perception of threat. Even if the situation is threatening, it doesn’t have to be taken personally or filed into memory as a ‘this-always-happens’-to-me’ messsage that undermines self-worth. Part of the motivation that will drive taking better care of yourself arises from that initial self-concept and how you view yourself and your body.

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Self-Concept and the Looking Glass Given that a self image is developed in recognizing how others are perceiving us, we’re constantly trying to put ourselves in

the shoes of another and think about how they are seeing this event or this situation or this action transpiring. Mead called this imitation. We’re constantly, with imitation, trying to see the world from another’s point of view. ~ Z.Lamb on George H. Mead

As mentioned earlier, self-concept is often based upon what we imagine others think of us, and we adjust ourselves to fit in to fill a social need that is instinctively paired with survival. This outward or externalized self-concept is in and of itself stressful. Hundreds of millions of adults are suffering from chronic pain that is stress related. The numbers dying each year from heart disease, cancers, and other preventable diseases are also staggering. There are

wartime casualties from surgeries and prescribed medicines numbering over 100,000 per year, and millions are addicted to pain medications, anti-anxiety or depression medication. Millions are also using substances to self-medicate such as alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, Oxycontin, and hallucinogenics. For a technologically advanced nation, we have extremely high rates of violence and abuse, most of which have sources that are understood, preChapter 2

68 dictable, and preventable. These manifestations are also part of what communicates to children who are open and impressionable at a time that their self-esteem is developing. They usually learn how to respond to stress, pressure, approval, expectations, and challenges the way those in their families, communities, or role models do. If they want to meet the expectations of their families, teachers, or peers, they will adopt both healthy and unhealthy behaviors. If their identity is tied into those expectations or dysfunctional patterns, it’s difficult to sense an existence outside of those perceptions. At times seeking approval governs how children behave and what they choose to do. Children can be conditioned by concepts that are effective as easily as they can learn behaviors that are ineffective, whether they be in the realm of their physical, mental, emotional, social, or work worlds. That which receives and records experiences is neutral. Just like a tape recorder or antennae, whatever is picked up by the instrument is recorded by the brain and interpreted

Somatic IntelligenceTM

according to how relevant the experience is to drive reduction. Sociologist Lisa McIntyre reports that the ‘looking glass’ concept is a core attribute in sociology, whereby “The looking glass self - where a person views himself or herself through others’ perceptions in society and gains identity - begins at an early age and continues throughout the entirety of a person’s life.” Yeung and Martin’s 2003 study posits that we learn to see ourselves as others do, and internalize the viewpoint that the authorities in our lives have of us. Prevailing theories are based on observations that our self-image happens only from the outside in. Healthy self-concepts have usually already undergone the paradigm shift whereby it happens from the inside-out, even if it was an external source that offered that initial gift of inner orientation and strength. A great deal of inner strength is needed to sustain a grasp on who you are without being defined by the group you’re surrounded by, but staying grounded in that clarity is the road to well-being and lasting freedom.

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Celestial Impressions upon Behavior My understanding of the distinct separateness and relative independence of movement of those cosmic bodies was shattered. I was overwhelmed with the sensation of physically and mentally extending out into the cosmos. The restraints and boundaries of flesh and bone fell away. ~ Dr. Edgar Mitchell, astronaut

Part of what influences our personality early in life is less visible, less tangible. As our ancestors and sages professed, our consciousness is part of a much larger whole that can have a significant influence on how our lives may be expressed. Astrophysicist, Karel Schrijver, states, “Nature is not outside us. We are Nature.” Even basic elements like sodium and chloride, the constituents of salt, are formed inside of the stars. On an electromagnetic or frequency level, everything oscillates, which naturally sets up a

resonance with other life forms. Recently, researchers have discovered that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields have an effect on the characteristics of hormone, antibody, neurotransmitter, and cancerpromoting molecules at the cell sites. Researcher, Ernest E. Richards states that cells can be seen to move in sync or cooperation with electrical pulses transmitted to them. Richards goes on to say, “The energies of the human body receive and transmit the spectrums and resoChapter 2

70 nances of Light. Complexities of electromagnetic vibration stream into and out of the cellular and skeletal structure. We listen to the infrared, microwave, radio, visible, and slow, cosmically driven extremely low frequencies. The cells move visibly in response to these electrical pulses by stimulating glands, triggering the heart muscle, and setting our overall moment to moment environment.” Millions of people have investigated the forces at play during their birth from one of the larger perspective from that of the cosmos. For example, although the influence of the moon on our behavior has been debunked as myth according one point of view, celestial bodies have been studied over thousands of years and proven to have influence over personality and events in a predictable way. Michel Gauquelin, a French psychologist and statistician was determined to refute the claims of astrology in the 1960’s and set up an enormous study of up to 20,000 examples of planetary influences over career choices and personality types. Instead of refuting the assertions of astrology, Gauquelin’s study confirmed them. His compilations revealed that a large percentage of accomplished athletes had Mars as a rising sign, whereas bankers had Jupiter, doctors Saturn, and writers had Mercury as a rising or culminating sign with an equal influence of the moon. He proved and expanded upon original astrological significance over the talents, personality, and direction of Somatic IntelligenceTM

people based upon their natal charts. It confirms not only that there are living forces in the solar system and universe around us, but also that where they are at any given time can greatly increase the form of energetic transmission associated with each celestial body’s personality or characteristics upon we, the receivers. We’ve seen in the field of cymatics that any natural substance will form a coherent pattern in response to a rhythm or musical melody; that streams or pulses of sound waves can organize matter. We’ve also seen water respond to thought and feelings in a coherent, beautifully organized pattern when the thoughts and feelings are organized, and into a muddy mess when the sounds or frequencies are incoherent, as displayed in the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto with his crystallized water. On a similar tangent, Rose-Lynn Fisher saw fascinating changes in the geometric patterns that formed in her tears directly related to the reason she was crying. She chronicled these responsive patterns in her photographic essay, “Topography of Tears”. Over and over again, nature shows us that it is receiving and responding to all forms of communication, including on subtle levels that we are just beginning to inquire into and decipher. Our systems capacity to encode and decode many forms of messaging sensitively and intelligently is awe-inspiring. Its ability to detect and interpret signals throughout biochemical, electromagnetic and

71 energetic levels, fluid levels, and tissue field layers, along with mood, behavior, emotional, and personality levels has not yet reached its full potential. According to Ernest E. Richards, our solar system emits “over 40 octaves of vibrational interplay… Our brain/body structures resonate to those continually fluctuating field patterns as they beat against the Earth’s, moon’s, and Sun’s natural rhythms.” It’s theorized that these cosmic fluctuating frequencies can have an effect on our brain wave frequencies which have a lot to do with how we feel and how well we function. There’s also the possibility that the deeper ocean tidal rhythms are a match for the long tide – the most restful one – in our bodies. From Saturn and sun spots to high tide, from tears to tibias, and the rhythm that tells a gland to secrete a hormone to support sleep, our bodies are filtering, editing, digesting, and absorbing information nonstop. Being a cell in the celestial system of our larger cosmic body also implies that what we think, feel, and do, also has an impact on the whole, as communication is rarely a one-way street. A large part of self-regulation is the practiced ability to sense subtle changes in our systems so that we can adjust what we’re doing or how we’re being in order to

return to balance before things get out of hand. The Universe is as sensitive and responsive as our bodies are, and as many people have experienced through serendipity or what can feel like miraculous ‘coincidences’, it is also aware and tuned into the flow of events. The point that I’ll be making in a variety of ways, is that the inner and outer fields are inseparable. It’s probably not necessary to have astrological charts done every month, and although it’s reported that Nancy Reagan scheduled events based upon favorable cosmic forces, there’s probably no need to interpret your health status against fluctuations in solar flares or the Schumann resonance of the Earth. The case I’m making is that we are, and always have been not just connected to our environment, but are made from our environment, from distant planets and stars, and from local elements as well. It’s not a huge leap then, to imagine that our environment has an influence on us in many ways that impact our personality, our mood, as well as upon the balance and health of our bodies and minds. As with any influence, the extent of the dominion it will have over our lives may depend upon how conscious we become in ourselves so that we can be in optimal relationship with those influences.

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The Influence of Coherent Impressions Built within the intelligence of nature is an inherent coherent organization within every structure as it’s being formed and while it’s in response to a signal. Its response can also be considered to be a form of communication or expression of the transmission that becomes part of an ongoing feedback loop or mirror. When that response is decoded in mathematical terms that can be encoded as a geometrical shape, or sound wave or frequency, it can be sent back into the loop as a form of communication that in and of itself will have a coherent, balancing effect, like an echo that bounces back and entrains or creates order. For example, the Golden ratio of 1.618 that has been termed the Fibonacci sequence has also been calculated as the pattern that naturally appears as the force of nature creates matter. The spiral that appears in a nautilus seashell or in pine cones, the shape of a hurricane, or certain flower seed heads demonstrates this pattern perfectly. When that same pattern Somatic IntelligenceTM

has been used as spatial intervals in a musical piece, it is thought to have special effects on the listeners as the dissonance resolves. When a pyramid structure is erected with those dimensions, the coherence it reportedly makes food last longer, removes impurities from water or oil, and sharpen razor blades. Pyramids have been found to naturally harness torsion field energy, that spiraling force that inhabits all living things. Mental and emotional balance is known to increase through the use of yantras or mandalas, that also involve repeating, organized patterns. When the Gyoto monks of Japan utilized mandalas with gang members on the East Coast, the gang members reported feeling calmer with fewer thoughts. Nature’s intelligence creates amazingly balanced, gorgeous, immensely appealing patterns whether in the air, water, land, plant life, or even the feathers on a bird. Spending time amidst this balanced, intelligent organization has a

calming, balancing effect on us. Doctors have begun prescribing vitamin G - spending time in the greenery of nature to assist people in rebalancing their system. Although science may just recently be investigating the effects of human consciousness on the cosmos, our ancestors routinely offered ceremonies that could harmonize the energies to help them to be complementary. Structures were built that seemed to be able to invoke if not harness certain energies that helped crops to flourish, for sacred rites to be performed for healings, initiations, and

fertility, along with a quickening of spiritual awakening. Ancient Eastern traditions Vaastu in India, and Feng Shui from China, practice the art of placement for harmony in the structure, business, and life. They realized the effect that a particular coherent order has on the response of events in one’s life and how you feel day to day. Life responds to order, but an intelligent, specific order. More than one indigenous elder has been known to say, “If you want to change the world, change yourself,” implying that the mirror - like Jung believed - works in both directions.

When Luca Pacioli published “The Divine Proportion” in 1509 (with illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci), he described his work

on this “golden ratio” of 1.618 as a “very delicate, subtle and admirable teaching” that would “delight in diverse questions touching on a very secret science Johannes Kepler later called it “a precious jewel” of geometry. ~ www.goldennumber.net

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The Effects of Incoherence Everyone knows how static, or almost reaching a radio station but hitting somewhere in between makes them feel. It’s similar to walking into an office or a room full of students where chaos prevails. It begins to feel crazy. There is an over-arching sense of discomfort and a desire for order that makes you want to leave the room, or help to create calm. Our own filters and bandwidth can only work with so much input at one time for the information to make sense. We scan on more levels than one when we meet someone or enter a new place. Most of us can walk into a room and also immediately get a sense of the tone and timbre of the place and the people in it. If there’s lightness or warmth, a sense of welcoming and caring, it registers right away. Likewise, if there’s an air of discomfort, tension, coldness Somatic IntelligenceTM

and apathy, that also translates with very little being said, even if there isn’t overt chaos. We naturally want coherence and seek it in many intentional and subconscious ways. Children often respond to incoherence by acting out. Very often, the easiest way to find calm enjoyment in children is to have them play outside in nature, or take them for a stroll or bike ride outside. Their sensitive systems crave it as much or more than adults do. Everything we are exposed to becomes a form of information for our senses to process, and it can be simply disturbing if the experience is chaotic for very long. The senses of young innocents are bombarded with an enormous variety of stimulation. The many forms of information may have a confusing or incoherent effect

75 on their nervous systems and other forms of patterning. When we also take into consideration that food, medicine, billboards, images, music, sounds, and whatever our senses come into contact with are all a type of information - iconic or energetic impressions that shape how we perceive and feel or relate to ourselves and others - we can see that an enormous amount of learning and shaping of the bodymind can be haphazard, unnatural, and imbalanced. Some studies have already shown a reduced capacity in modern children to see colors or hear sounds in their full spectrum, to notice and respond appropriately to surroundings, or to be as responsive to intricacies of language as children who are less exposed to modern technologies. Some young minds immediately become more aggressive after watching violent cartoons on television. Advertisers have been investigated for using subliminal messages that have undesirable effects on young audiences. Children have weak filters, limited experience, and minimal editing features to draw upon. They are innocent little recorders of the behaviors they witness, and of the subconscious impressions they receive. The security of clear boundaries and expectations in a household lends itself to balance and security within the being of the child. Many unresolved early experiences create incoherence and can wreak havoc in how our systems function and can culminate in adult disease processes or mood disorders. Their

subconscious source makes the conditions much more complex to identify and unravel. They remain stored in various fluid or tissue fields until they ripen into a symptom as the system loses its capacity to adapt. Not only that, the dysfunctional stress patterns can be transmitted to as many as six generations that follow. On a physiological or energetic level, most ancient medical practitioners would agree that the imbalance begins on a subtle energetic level first, which transmits an altered signal to the neural networks, simultaneously sending those altered messages to the endocrine and secretory systems. Incoherence disrupts function, which eventually lead to disease and dysfunction systemically. A similar disruption can happen from such unresolved or undissipated biomechanical forces as from a fall or car accident, if not from contact sports. A prolonged illness or a traumatic, erratic upbringing can stimulate forces in the system that wind up being disruptive, although just which system the incoherent forces will land in is unpredictable. Osteopathic physicians, Barral and Croibier, describe in their book, “Trauma, An Osteopathic Approach”, that the law of conservation of total energy is implicated in trauma. “Energy exists in many forms, such as mechanical, electrical, thermal, light, and other energies after a dynamic process, and if it dissipates in one form, it may remain in another.” This explains how symptoms are able to move around after an incident Chapter 2

76 or injury. Barral and Croibier remind us that, “Einstein proved that energy can be transformed from one form of energy to another, but that energy can be transformed into matter and vice versa. Whereas total energy is always conserved, mechanical energy is often converted to other forms.” How do the tissues receive and tolerate the quantity of energy applied to them during trauma? Barral and Croibier acknowledge that the psychological effects of trauma can be lasting and give rise to later exaggerated reactions during a more minor incident, as well as the fact that forces held by the system can remain silent for decades only to surface later on when an accumulation of forces jostle the original imprint back up into symptoms. Additionally, a volley of biochemical reactions happen following trauma to parenchyma (the main functional areas of organs) including increased neurotransmitter release, invasion of extracellular spaces, and neurasthenia. They go on to say that proprioceptors “react to strong mechanical force by ‘disinforming’ local, regional, or central nerve centers causing inappropriate muscle reactions which endanger the

Somatic IntelligenceTM

person’s equilibrium.” There are many ways to return to if not retain harmony and coherence in our systems. One of the simplest ways is to expose ourselves to a coherent, organized field like nature provides, and allow the resonance to seep in. Booking a few professional treatments from a manual therapist could be very helpful in facilitating the return to balance. Many programs are available with animals, such as dolphins, horses, and dogs, which have proven track records to alleviate stress and facilitate calm and healing. For some, it might be that classical music, or chanting bhajans using sacred sounds that can entrain, uplift and harmonize the system work best. For others, the gentle, specific movements in Feldenkrais, t’ai chi or chi kung to open the energy and reorganize the musculo-skeletal system could be a good fit. Finding an art form that calls for a coordinated effort from both sides of the brain could be very balancing, as well as tapping into a supportive, fun community of family and friends. Love, joy, and laughter are high frequencies that also transmit security because they spring from the coherent field of the heart.

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Do We Have Free Will? It’s not that we don’t have options in any given situation, but the options provided to the brain happen so fast and the response is also often very quick, in many cases it’s unlikely that there’s been time taken to consciously consider the options. Scientists say that we’re on our way up to answer the door before we’ve consciously heard the doorbell ring. If we do take time to consider options, can we be sure we’re using our own unique ideas or do we know if they were borrowed; are the ideas unexamined? Are we mimicking what we’ve heard or read from others until we mature into knowing who we are and how we feel? Do we know what is deciding for us? Are we repeating patterns of our ancestors or immediate family? Are we listening to that still, small voice of our intuition? Poonjaji, one of the beautiful spiritual masters I spent time with in India used to say that all of our choices are predetermined, scripted by the

Universe according to our karmas. In this case, tuning in to the still, small voice would also be predetermined, as would any of the sources we have to choose from. It can be a liberating thought to feel that something larger than an individual, conditioned mind is continually participating in the choices we make; that there is always an aspect of a larger organizing, guiding principle in our decision-making process. From this perspective of the allpervasive intelligence, it could be said that the larger field of consciousness will also be scanning and recording events for learning in the future, just like the cells in our bodies do. This ever-present awareness could revisit significant events when the time is right to approach resolution and learning whether that time is next week, in ten years, or in another life. Our unconscious is not a dark, dull, dim-witted place. It includes a connection to more

Scientists say that we’re on our way up to answer the door before we’ve consciously heard the doorbell ring.

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78 than we can fathom. So not all unconscious decision processes are harmful or off the mark. In fact, researchers (Dijksterhuis and Nordgren) in 2004 and 2006 discovered that when apartment hunters were trying to choose the best space to live in, those who chose their favorite place immediately without thinking about it made the right decision 60% of the time. This finding has been replicated in other consumer choice situations, as well as in certain diagnostic and moral justice set-ups. The hypothesis is that whereas the conscious mind is generally able to focus on one thing at a time, the unconscious mind has a greatly increased capacity to sense and sort large amounts of information, as well as an ability to quickly weigh the relative significance of each decision needed to be made. That being said, conscious decisions about insignificant items or choices are more satisfying (like which restaurant to eat at), and decisions that require a lot of detailed calculations are best performed consciously. Time can also be a benefit in some important decisions, letting all the information sink in, then ‘sleeping on it’ so the unconscious can sort and sense the information and draw from a larger source of intuitive or higher wisdom not connected to blind patterns or emotional impulses. In cases regarding decision-making processes, the brain is often per-

Somatic IntelligenceTM

forming like a computer, scanning all the relevant data and weighting the options based upon how rewarding or successful such events were in the past. That data involves several areas of the brain before it hits our conscious mind and the answer comes to us, so the brain’s answer has already happened before we are aware of it. It doesn’t mean it’s the right or the best answer, it’s just the best one the brain can come up with based upon the learned impressions or memories it has to draw from. Unconscious stored motor patterns are there to enable quick responses in daily life so you can fly on automatic pilot without thinking about it. We call it ‘sensorymotor’ amnesia when an area of the body has fallen under subconscious control to the extent that it is unable to elegantly fulfill movement requests. You can see when this happens as there is confusion in the muscle as to how to properly execute a new movement when it is done slowly, and often there will be little twitching reactions, or a combination of stalling, circumventing the area, substituting, and other various methods to avoid the action that the ‘sleeping’ or forgetful muscles can’t efficiently execute. What begins as a compensatory pattern to help you continue with your activities in spite of an area that may be underfunctioning, if left unattended the initial helpful gesture inevitably becomes part of the problem.

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Impressions in Cellular Memory As mentioned in an earlier section of this book, junk DNA formerly thought o be useless has a storage capacity of 4 gb of information. There may be numerous other functions in our DNA yet to be discovered, but memory is everywhere in our system. Most studies related to the acquisition of memory have been done in the brain, separated into ‘working memory’ as a function, and long-term memory where it becomes a structure. There are bridging structures that appear to link one area of the brain to another. For example, the fornix and mammilary bodies have a role in memory formation as they carry information from the hippocampus to the thalamus. They are also both connected to the limbic system which processes emotions. It makes sense that emotions would become a part of a memory ‘packet’ as would visual, kinesthetic, or other sensory aspects of memory formation.

Adrenaline plays an important part in establishing the significance of an event as the determinations are being made whether or not to retain the memory ‘on file’ for future learning potential. Attaching electrodes to the brain can stimulate a specific memory in detail, but that doesn’t mean that recall only lives there. Countless times in a manual therapy session, a person will recall an event from years before just when the practitioner makes contact with that general area of injury. I’ve experienced a case when a patient’s frozen shoulder only released when she spoke about the loss of her son, and a collapsing knee that corrected its imbalances when a broken family relationship was shared while the knee was being worked on. I believe that memories are formed in clusters, with a cognitive component, a biochemical component, an emotional, sensory, and a Chapter 2

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Much of what

we think, feel, and do

is induced by implicit memories ‘written’ into muscle, sinew, fascia and viscera. Not one of our experiences is lost to us.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

somatic component. Psychologist Robin Griffin states, “Much of what we think, feel, and do is induced by implicit memories ‘written’ into muscle, sinew, fascia and viscera. Not one of our experiences is lost to us. Each experience, particularly those that are charged with emotion, adds to the complex mosaic of our personality.” Author Peter Levine has seen a great deal of success in healing trauma by working only with sensations and charge in the body without engaging the story or emotions connected to the event. Psycho-emotional aspects of a traumatic memory have a greater capacity to hook into a self-identity, then loop and retrigger the trauma. In these cases, working with the body rather than using talk therapy can release the charge more freely without repeating the surrounding circumstances, which will gradually extinguish once the charge is released. Dr. John Upledger states that within the cranial osteopathic model, “crises, energies of tissues and the unconscious impressions of living creatures imprint themselves from the cells and nervous system in the cerebrospinal fluid to be cleansed and transmuted.” While every person does form memories based upon their per-

sonal relevance, many responses to circumstances are copied from people we grow up with. Effective as well as ineffective responses to challenges become ingrained, like in the cases where people report marrying someone just like their opposite sex parent. The abused often can become abusers, who then marry someone who also grew up in an abusive household. These patterns are sometimes the most difficult to break because they started so young, were heavily reinforced, and lay in the unconscious. Neurobiologists have been able to predict decisions with up to 65% accuracy by looking at brain scans that reveal the outcome at least 4 seconds before the person becomes consciously aware of it. The assemblage of associations and preparations for the decision had already been computed by the brain and forwarded to the ‘recipient’. This evidence literally says that our past experiences are making decisions for us. The organization is for speed and efficiency when using stored programs, and it’s up to us to intervene with mindfulness to see if the response still has relevance. Manual therapies that access the fluid systems where these traumas may be absorbed and expelled can also be very helpful.

For the first time, with the tools to observe the living brain’s microscopic activities, neuroplasticians showed that the brain changes as it works. In 2000 the Nobel prize for medicine was awarded for demonstrating that as learning occurs, the connections among nerve cells increase. Hundreds of studies went on to demonstrate that mental activity is not only the product of the brain but the shaper of it. ~ Dr. Norman Doidge

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Chapter 3

Creating new Pathways

Neuroplasticity

N

euroscientists have proven in recent decades that neuroplasticity - the brain creating new neural pathways - continues throughout life when conscious choices toward new responses and new learning are made. Princeton University’s Dr. Elizabeth Gould began what turned into quite a revelation on how the brain renews itself when stimulated by novel situations. She discovered that neural stem cells are stored in the sub-ventricular area of the brain from where undifferentiated cells migrate to the area of the brain where the new learning is taking place. Then cells needed to encode

those new functions can proliferate, a process otherwise known as neurogenesis. Many of these new nerve cells are generated in the dentate gyrus, and in the hippocampus where decisions about long-term memory storage take place. The hippocampus is also an area where cell death takes place when the body is under stress for long periods of time. Gould’s research discovered that the most stressful event for an infant rodent is deprivation of its mother, even for 15 minutes a day. There was a dramatic reduction in neurogenesis and a permanent reduction in the number of new cells in the hippocampus, along Chapter 3

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Cognitive, emotional, and social capacities are inextricably intertwined in the brain, (therefore) so are learning, behavior, physical and mental health throughout the course of one’s life.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

with a life-long reduced adaptability to stress. Her research also revealed changes in the brains of mice through exercise – specifically through running. She found increases in cognitive performance, in dendritic spine density, and astrocyte plasticity, as well as finding that obesity contributes to dendrite loss and cognitive decline. There is a huge surge of neurogenesis in the early months of an infant’s life when up to 250,000 neurons per minute are being formed, ready to soak in the information necessary for language or other skills. The first few years of life is a key time to expose the brain to many novel situations that can reinforce the stage that’s continually being set for rapid learning. In any case, after neural proliferation peaks at age 2, a pruning process begins whereby at age 10 about half of the unused synapses formed will have been eliminated in order to facilitate the most efficient use of those that remain. Much of what reinforces what the brain will retain is determined by the feedback from the social interaction the gestures, sounds, or expressions are relating within. Harvard University’s Center on the Developing Child confirm that: “Cognitive, emotional, and social capacities are inextricably intertwined in the brain, (therefore) so are learning, behavior, physical and mental health throughout the course of one’s life. One domain cannot be targeted without affecting the others. Emotional well-being and social compe-

tence provide a strong foundation for emerging cognitive abilities, and together they are the bricks and mortar that comprise the foundation of human development.” These early foundational skills in the social, cognitive, physical, mental, and emotional health arenas set the stage for later successes in the community and workplace. Since many of these interactions happen early in life on a subconscious level and become part of one’s identity, they live in the body in a variety of ways without our knowledge. These foundational impressions have a formative impact on how the body holds itself and in how effectively it processes current information. Nonetheless, when a movement becomes restricted or painful, old impressions can be discharged in present time as the nervous system reorganizes itself around the current request for efficient motion. The brain and nervous system reorganize themselves based upon the expressed needs connected to current activities. For example, brain scans of the blind consistently reveal an enlarged frontal lobe related to working memory and language. Mary Bates cites in her 2012 article in Scientific American a recent studies reporting that the deaf use areas of the brain normally dedicated to processing sound to instead process touch, motion, and vision, whereas the blind have enhanced tactile and auditory abilities. Scientists are also discovering the importance of sensory information and enhanced cognitive function.

85 Since memory is generally encoded with visual, auditory, olfactory, and emotional information, tests are being carried out to see if elders with cognitive impairment can regain functioning through enlivening their sensory pathways. The variety and numbers of experiences tend to decline with age, along with reduced hearing and vision, often accompanied by a reduced interest perhaps because the ability to fully participate has become dulled. As in early years, the organism will respond to activity, motivation, and demand, so if these decline, degeneration may proceed unabated, or the balance of regeneration will be absent. During this stage, with less conscious participation, the subconscious may become more powerful. I watched my mother’s gradual decline following several small strokes, and as her conscious mind and personality withdrew, earlier childlike, reflexive behavior emerged and became predominant. During her last years, the grasping reflex returned, language faded, a biting reflex emerged, and cultivated personality traits disappeared. Once conscious awareness and participation are surrendered, many forms of imbalance may reign. Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, author of “The Body Keeps the Score”, describes case studies in which subconscious memories of trauma take up residence in the body and express themselves in a variety of ways until the trauma is resolved, including autoimmune disease. One patient I’d been seeing at a physical therapy

clinic suddenly developed a frozen shoulder through minor contact with a door. With gentle questioning while my hands enveloped her shoulder, she revealed that her son had died prematurely right before her shoulder seized up. As soon as she mentioned him the joint capsule began to open and relax. I encouraged her to continue talking about her memories of her son until the tissue field had emptied its repository of the tension around his loss. I’ve also seen cases where a recent physical injury will attach itself to an earlier one which will need revisiting before the physical injury can completely heal. Taking a history of earlier injuries and traumas is very helpful in facilitating the body being able to come up to date with its current status instead of still standing guard against an earlier emergency. Even if those alarm bells are no longer being heard by the conscious mind, they can still be activated by the subconscious mind if in the body’s recall there was no real resolution to the incident. This is one of the reasons that safety, in a language the body uses, is one of the key features in the reeducation process. When the conscious mind revisits an unconscious episode, recognizing that memories are neutral except in their predisposition to preserve and protect, the cells that the patterns are wired into will yield to the new pattern being introduced. As soon as a new conscious intent enters the system, trauma can be rewritten or bypassed as long as the conscious mind Chapter 3

86 doesn’t waver on its decision to do so. Part of what resets the system is gentle, conscious freedom in motion. In a freeze or withdrawal response there is a natural restriction of motion. That restriction isn’t limited to soft tissue fields, but can also inhibit the flow of nourishing fluids, excretory systems, and energetic pathways, where some of those traumatic memories may be stored. Since ‘molecules of emotion’ flow along these systems

according to the groundbreaking research of Candace Pert, opening these systems can also free associated emotional restrictions and vice versa. Science now knows that fresh nerve cells and neural pathways can be laid down throughout life into the elder years. Whether the focus is healing old wounds or feeling fully alive, balanced, and in full function, the body and all of its faculties are capable of continuing to learn and grow throughout life.

Whose Patterns Are We Expressing? The coding regions of the mouse and human genome are 85% identical, and some genes are 99% identical, while humans, bonobos, and chimpanzees share about 98.5% of the same genetic sequence identity. That has to be startling on some level, given how different our lives and bodies look. But how different are our behaviors? We’ve seen again and again how crowds can almost instantaneously develop herd tendencies and carry a single emotion. We’ve observed the tendency Somatic IntelligenceTM

to follow in the direction others are already headed, with an automatic assumption that it must be the right one if most are already headed that way. We display mating rituals, social stratification with competition for the alpha male, nesting behaviors, an urgency around ‘biological clocks’, predatory and prey behaviors, and strong territorial tendencies. Whether it’s a chimp or a human, there are billions of base pairs of information in each cell, with the ca-

87 pacity for identical stretches of DNA to work differently depending upon how, when, or if they are expressed. There is growing evidence that much of what we turn out to be is learned, is malleable, and greatly shaped by our early environment and by our capacities to make conscious choices. It begs the question of which of the 1.5% of the bonobo DNA could be switched on or off to turn that little creature into a human being. This is an exciting field of research that I’m surprised no one has delved into, or has felt comfortable enough to speak publicly about it. Maybe just a couple of things could be tweaked to enable a chimp to speak, or to develop skin with much less hair. It could also likely be that the ‘junk’ DNA is holding the hologram for which template to copy and what it’s remembering and transmitting is the whole of the presentation of the bodymind of the being. The question still arises, if they can shift a frog into a salamander or vice versa by sending the information encoded over laser beams into the egg of a different species, could they turn a chimp or a mouse into a person? Vice versa is a little bit of a slippery slope, but the implications for understanding healing and regeneration are far-reaching. In this case, the template was being chosen, but are other templates

created based upon use patterns? That’s what Dutch embryologist, Dr. Jaap van der Wal believes. His position is that the decision to become an upright bipedal creature was a preference expressed by some, but not all of the species, therefore some evolved in this direction and others didn’t. Could it be that the infinite possibilities of nature are also neutral, and will, like the brain, follow the intention of our choices and lay down a template that matches the usage? One of the more amazing situations ever to echo a class discussion happened in Dr. van der Wal’s lecture on the stages of the embryo. Someone had put on a large pot of tea early in the morning to have available for midmorning break. In the meantime we were having a lively discussion about the blastocyst. As we took a break a while later, we heard a gasp and exclamation in the kitchen by the stove. Several students rushed in to see what happened, and to our amazement, all of the tea leaves floating in the pot of water had formed themselves into the exact shape and interior form of a blastocyst. If anyone in that class had any doubts about whether the universe was present, alive, sensitive, and aware, their doubts were gone in that moment. Then, the question can also be asked, “Whose patterns is the universe expressing?”

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Being Human is Learned We are not instinctively or automatically human by virtue of being born into a human body, the characteristics of becoming human are taught. Ironically, other mammals can display incredibly evolved emotional behaviors that express love, caring, affection, and compassion quite naturally when raised in their natural environment. There’s a good chance we humans have lost touch with what is most natural as a lifestyle. When I worked as a school psychologist I was exposed to children who had issues that were profoundly mysterious at the time. One child in particular who’d been ignored by his parents and mostly lived outside until he was taken by local authorities had not yet been socialized. At nine years-old he still couldn’t speak and was learning to sit at a table and eat with utensils. I became more and more aware that functioning as an intelligent, sensitive, balanced human being was not a given by any Somatic IntelligenceTM

means. Without consistent, healthy, loving role models, there was no guarantee the child would function as a human at all, and could just as easily live like an animal, particularly if an animal happened to be the role model. There are several other examples of feral children around the world who wound up being research projects to see if they could be socialized to behave like ‘normal’ human beings again, but in most cases, even when they were discovered at a young age, they could not learn basic social skills and needed special care for the rest of their lives. As Feldenkrais emphasized, mammals other than humans are imbued with instincts and spend a lot of time with socializing adults that become role models for them. Human parents are often working or preoccupied with chores at home, and often live in a nuclear family rather than an open community or extended family. Although

89 infants are not completely ‘tabula rasa’ - an empty slate - the majority of our behaviors and abilities to survive and achieve well-being are learned. They are either directly imbibed in utero or via mirror neurons, or indirectly via environmental cues, imitation, and cultural input. In general, the initial input and pattern formations are unconscious, which is significant since we often imagine that much of what we learn is based upon free choice, which comes much later in life. Even as adults many of our most compelling habits and impulses are subconscious and out of conscious control until some event comes in front of us that sparks an awakening that snaps us out of the subconscious trance. Tom Hanna has labeled the physical counterpart to this mental state ‘sensory-motor amnesia’. Unless traumatized, in captivity, or too young for instincts to kick in, other mammals have natural bonding, protective, and caretaking responses to their young. Some herd animals, like horses, elephants, dolphins, or wolves, will allow their young to remain with them until puberty or longer. Otherwise, when they are capable of hunting on their own and protecting themselves, the youth – particularly young males are often forced out to form their own herd, or must be subjugated to be allowed to remain. Humans express any number of behaviors when it comes to their young, so here we exist somewhere between our animal cousins and the

gods. Probably the most common expression of parenting behavior comes from how we were parented, from how we learned to express ourselves in relationship to our family and to our community. Although we may not live completely within the benefits of stellar instincts and heightened senses like our mammalian counterparts, living as a human animal affords incredible capacities to expand and learn in many directions beyond the instinctual and intuitive gifts of other creatures. Our ability to use language, express creativity in countless ways, invent devices that make our lives easier, and discover processes that make our bodies healthier is invaluable. A wise man once said that it

takes “mountains of merits to be born in a human body in a free country”, and even more merits to be born in a human body and have the desire to grow and evolve spiritually, and even more merits to meet someone who can help you to realize who you truly are. The tiny percentage of difference in genetic sequencing between other mammals and humans offers incalculable possibilities of experiencing. Chapter 3

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Reorganizing Long-Term Memory We are much more than our memories. We existed as a vibrant, sensitive being before most of our memories were formed. Filing experiences is designed to help us increase the likelihood of getting our needs met in the future, so the body stores memories that have heightened charge or significance. Some unpleasant early impressions become paired with personal reactions and repeated so many times it’s easier to say, “It’s just the way I am,” but those tracks can be switched just like subway train tracks. That being said, memory is crucial to learning anything. People with head trauma or neurodegenerative diseases can’t remember their names, where they live, or what they had for lunch. We need memory to get from one end of the day to the other, and often use fond memories to support us emotionally. While some memories can prop us up, others can tear us down. Somatic IntelligenceTM

When you realize memories are part of a conditioning process rather than an integral part of who you are, you’ve already taken that crucial step back so that unsatisfying behaviors can begin to lose their hold on you. For example, if a child grows fast and becomes the tallest in their class, they may attempt to slump and develop bad posture out of shyness. The body will be open to correcting itself once the pairing with shyness is unhinged, as soon as there’s no longer investment in the habit. Your body will be happy to accept a new memory to replace one that no longer serves. If a nightmare or unpleasant memory arises, it’s in order to gain resolution and learning so you’ll have a better idea of how to handle a similar situation if it arises again. It doesn’t repeat itself to torment you, rather, it’s the body revisiting the situation to ask, “Should I still worry about this, or is it okay now?”

91 There is a difference between working memory, which involves functions in real time to help you dial a phone number, and the formation of long term memory which involves structures, such as the hippocampus, fornix, or mammillary bodies. Several systems in the body are involved in scanning for relevance in every circumstance to help determine whether the information from that event should be stored. The organism functions like a coordinated whole for the well-being of the ‘indweller’ in every situation. You being the indweller have to inform your system of the current status for it not to repeat an ingrained habit. Rather than remaining passively irritated if a traumatic impression gets triggered in full sensory overload, try a more neutral response like, “Interesting! There’s that little fella again.” That begins to break to chain reaction. Then we can reorganize and reframe it. There are many tried and true ways to do that, but I can attest that after dropping into the basement of my subconscious and visiting the associated symbols sitting in those dusty little rooms, they were easily cleared out and reframed with new images that turned all my depressed, traumatic childhood memories into either pleasant, or neutral memories. Every cell in the body has the ability to store information, and various authors have created and interpreted maps in the system for which type of memories tend to be placed in which

areas of the body. They can be almost anywhere. Scientists estimate that the subconscious is capable of processing up to 40,000 bytes of information per second compared to 40 bytes for the conscious mind’s process, and there are many benefits to that seeming disparity. While we may not want to interfere with the subconscious homeostatic processes, we can intervene with unpleasant memories that become triggers for hypervigilance, physical tensions or mood disorders. It could be that the term ‘stuck in their ways’ refers to the tendency of older adults to allow governance of stored patterns to the point that new responses becomes more rare. Your body will reset something that happened fifty years ago the same way it can reset something from last month. Once in long-term memory, these memories may not necessarily be completely erased, but they can be replaced, if not overwritten by a more recent reframing of the situation. When the event is placed into a larger context, when new light is shed on it, or when it is assigned a more humorous context that diffuses its charge so that the memory becomes more neutral, the memory is no longer salient. Once memories lose their charge and the agitation leaves your nervous system, tissue fields relax, and the habit no longer restricts or alters energetic or physiologic flow, allowing the memories to become non-problematic.

You being the indweller have to inform your system of the current status for it not to repeat an ingrained habit.

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Learning Adaptations to Stress Every coping mechanism is meant to get you through for a short time; it was not meant to become a way of being. When you sprain your ankle and shift to the other leg while the ankle heals, you’re meant to shift back afterwards and even so, the extra load bearing and irregular transmission of forces during the interim will need to get rebalanced. When someone shouts at you or hurts your feelings in some way, an open system will allow the hurt or anger to be expressed and pass through on the fluids, the breath, through sound or movement, or on energy. Have you ever seen a young child on the playground? Their reactions are rapid-fire and full-on for those 20 minutes, passing through dozens of types of emotional expressions, usually moving quickly to the next, then the next, and the next event without pause. This ‘flow-through’ enSomatic IntelligenceTM

ables their bodies to remain supple. A freeze or withdrawal is also a possible response to stress or threat, causing a very different type of response in the body as stiffening, contracting, shrinking, and holding. If the stress or trauma doesn’t create a freeze response, a reset will eventually happen on its own. Very often, however, during the fall, or accident, or surgery that accompanies a break or sprain, the system does go into a freeze pattern and is unclear whether the emergency has passed. Guarding and protective mechanisms can easily remain in place around the injury, at times retaining swelling for years after the incident. The same can be true on an emotional level if there was an emotional charge connected to the accident or injury, as in a fight, or fright. In one case, a woman who had been attacked from behind came for

93 a somatics session years later due to a nagging pain between her shoulder blades. While we were talking during the session, she revealed that her attacker approached her from behind on the same side the shoulder pain was on and she remained tense for months afterwards if she’d ever heard footsteps behind her on that side. Eventually she’d forgotten about the incident on the surface, but subconsciously the trauma was unresolved and part of the memory remained stored in her shoulder. As soon as the visual memory was paired with the somatic one, the pain and tension released permanently. She was able to consciously recognize the connection between where the incident was stored or held in her system and the lingering symptoms in her shoulder all those years. As soon as the memory was retrieved and her body’s safety was reinforced, the contraction and pain dissipated. She may have taken pain killers and had countless massage and chiropractic sessions over the years that were focusing on the physical or physiological aspects of her symptoms rather than the source of them, which may not have come up in those sessions. Very often, clients who come for a somatic education session have tried most other conventional methods and are at wit’s end with their pain. Dr. Hanna used to explain that one of the reasons movements and techniques that employ the entire body is so effective, is that the entire body was involved at the time of the pattern’s installation. If an area or level of engagement is not

included in the treatment process and 70% of the affected areas are included, that remaining 30% or even 10% can haul the system back into its dysfunctional pattern. It would be like trying to get an elephant out of a door while a tractor has hold of its tail at the other end. The entire elephant can be pulled back into the room just with its tail. The solution is not to cut off the tail! Many associations can enlist a variety of sense organs during a stressful event. The autonomic nervous system that has the role to maintain homeostasis also has inputs into all of the internal organs and glands that are responsible for regulation and maintenance of basic functions like heart and breath rate, digestion, excretion, body temperature, metabolism, hunger, thirst, sex drive, and all the organism’s basic needs. When the stress response kicks in and a perception of danger or threat is at hand, all of these functions are thrown into high or low gear in order to mobilize the energies needed to protect one’s survival whether the choice is to run, fight, or become immobile until the threat passes. It’s common for one’s adaptations to stress to be copied from our parents or peer group. It is also possible to inherit the ‘scarcity’ gene from one’s grandparents that enables the body to function incredibly efficiently on very little nutrition, and have the ability to survive under very strenuous conditions with minimal compromise to one’s health. The over- (hyper) or under- (hypo) stimulation of the organs and glands Chapter 3

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involved in the stress response can set up functional imbalances in the body that generate a host of conditions not limited to gastro-intestinal disturbances, diabetes, allergies, migraines, ulcers, sexual dysfunction, asthma, cardiovascular disorders, hypervigilance, and emotional or personality disorders. Although the predisposition for how stress manifests can be related to family history, many things that have become learned can also be unlearned, or not expressed by the genes you possess. Managing and finding outlets for stress is a must. Exercise is one of the most popular ways to discharge stress, along with vacations or time to rest. Meditation, mindfulness, yoga, and chi kung are also becoming more and more recognized for their health benefits and antidotes to stress. Be aware, however, that similar to sleep Somatic IntelligenceTM

as a restorative phase, when you meditate or go on vacation and there’s more quiet time for the system to offload, there may be a period of influx from the subconscious on things you hadn’t been able to focus on in a busy daily life. When a quiet phase is seen as a clearing process though, just like digesting food, the stressors can proceed out of your system rather than be recycled back through. Let your body be the indicator for whether or not its needs are being met by the activities you choose. As you build upon your relationship with your body, it will let you know if the activity is compounding the issues or relieving them; if you’re touching 65% of the problem, or 90%. My recommendation would always be to use a method to come to neutral in your system before adding something on top of imbalances that

95 may increase the load on an area that is already under strain. Identify for yourself which defense mechanism lives in your tissue field the most often – is your stance aggressive, braced or guarded, frozen physically and emotionally, shrunken and withdrawn, or a combination of the above? Coming to neutral for you may differ depending upon your response type. Whatever your response type is, it helps to recognize that your system is doing something it was designed to do when it perceives threat or overload as a form of stress, so using a gentle way to return to neutral will send the message to your system that there’s no further need for alarm. Starting with something slow and gentle also begins to awaken those

areas that have fallen under subconscious control since, as Dr. Hanna states, the muscular system can’t perform a conscious and subconscious action at the same time. It will relinquish the subcortical habit and give its attention to the current request. If you’re the type who falls asleep every time you slow down, just allow the rest and release of stress that comes with slowing down. If it continues after several weeks, that may not be the best way to open deeper doors for you. It’s possible your subconscious is using a shut-down to avoid more sensitive feeling. If that’s the case, overcoming the numbing out by consciously increasing sensation first could work better to awaken your system.

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Are We What We ‘Eat’? Falling asleep is the perfect medicine if you have come to a place of enough trust and release to drop in and restore, gradually listening for the messages your unconscious releases up to the surface when you awaken. If nodding out is an avoidance, take note of that and realize that sensitive material is still being guarded, so proceed through a different door in your body with respect and care. For some, approaching neutral will involve bringing up the ‘noise’ or charge in the nervous system, while for others it’s better to begin with bringing down the noise. Bringing up the noise might include exaggerating the reaction as in theater, expressive dance, or with specific vocalizations, but then it’s best to be guided initially by a professional. Either path will serve the system’s return to neutral. The key is in knowing what works best for your system. Somatic IntelligenceTM

On top of the unconscious nature of our earliest impressions, which can and do happen in the first weeks of the embryo, many of them are influenced dramatically by the inner state of the mother. The embryo and fetus are ingesting more the food in her diet, they also ingest her experiences as they live in her physiology which isn’t separate from her psychology. As we know, a lack of folate or folic acid while the embryo is forming could result in spina bifida which deforms the shape and function of the spine for the rest of one’s life. Stress hormones from the mother, along with her nutrition and/or drug intake are related to the child’s risk for heart disease, to Celiac’s disease, mental illness, hypertension, autism, mood disorders, lung disease, diabetes, and may affect the expression of intelligence. Nutrition as well as nurture are forms of in-form-ation, they help to form us inside.

97 A 2013 article in the Journal of Pregnancy by Kersti Linask found that a “folate deficiency along with a one-time exposure to environmental factors in the first two to three weeks of human gestation can result in severe congenital heart defects.” On the other hand, folate supplementation can protect an embryo against heart defects otherwise mediated by alcohol, lithium or homocysteine. This study also found that a host of other adult diseases that are related to certain noncoding regions of regulatory DNA that affect gene expression are also connected to intrauterine/environmental conditions. Vaccines that are required for an infant after birth contain heavy metals and chemicals that are approximately 100 times the safe dosage for their size and level of immune system development. The list of conditions stimulated by a DtaP shot that contains ammonium sulfate, bovine extract, formaldehyde, aluminum potassium sulfate, polysorbate 80, and Thimerasol can include connective tissue disorders, arthritis, lupus, liver damage, gastrointestinal issues toxicity to the nervous system and more. Administering vaccines during infancy instead of just before entering public school means that the bloodbrain barrier isn’t fully established and the toxins can deeply impact the child’s central nervous system. The list of vaccine-induced disorders, according to osteopathic physician Dr. Joseph Mercola, include encephali-

tis, retardation, meningitis paralysis, lupus, epilepsy, blindness, brain tumors, and more. Instead of supporting immunity, neurosurgeon Dr. Russell Blaylock reports that vaccines suppress natural immune boosting chemicals like certain cytokines, and cellular immunity functions. Harvard Medical School professor, Dr. Uldrich H. Von Andrian explains that antibodies are not necessarily required to survive viral infections, and Japanese researchers confirm the likelihood of autoimmune diseases resulting from vaccinations whereby the host’s immune system becomes overwhelmed by the vaccine ‘cocktail’. The point is that before the body or personality are fully formed in their original state, a volley of unnatural information is being introduced that can have a long-lasting effect on the person, strongly predisposing their body to certain disease processes, mood disorders, and musculoskeletal dysfunctions. The outlook here is that everything we are exposed to is a form of information that speaks into the biofield whose language will be expressed in very real, physical, psychological, and physiological terms. In developing a more intimate relationship with the body, you will be able to participate consciously in its sensorymotor feedback loop and have a direct experience of how to intentionally change how it expresses itself in a way that brings more balance, more ease, and well-being.

The outlook here is that everything we are exposed to is a form of information that speaks into the biofield whose language will be expressed in very real, physical, psychological, and physiological terms.

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Just as in music where the elements of melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics and form can be perceived separately leading to a deepened appreciation of music, so can our distinguishing between the individual parts of the body lead to a deepened appreciation of the whole person. ~ Elsa Gindler

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Chapter 4

How the Body Communicates

Central Nervous System

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raditionally, when we think of the central nervous system it means the brain and spinal cord with their neural pathways and connections. We most often consider the brain in the skull when we speak about the brain, and in addition to this one, we will also briefly discuss the brain characteristics of the heart, intestines, and cell membrane. In somatic education we often relate to the sensory-motor cortex along the central sulcus in the superior slightly anterior or rostral portion of the brain as being highly involved in receiving and transmitting information to and from the musculoskeletal system. We

rely on accurate sensory information from the environment and the body’s relationship to it to make accurate determinations about how to coordinate appropriate responses. Sensory input travels up the dorsal roots of the spinal cord using its ascending neural pathways and lets the brain know what the intended action is via its peripheral proprioceptors or sensors in the skin, joint receptors and connective tissue. Specific pathways transmit specific types of information. For example, the anterolateral system mainly relays sensations related to pain and temperature, while the dorsal column medial lemniscal (DCML) Chapter 4

100 pathways carry fine tactile sense input, vibratory input and position sense. The somatosensory pathways to the cerebellum, which coordinates voluntary movement, mainly carry proprioceptive information from the mechanoreceptors, but also transmits certain pain and pressure input. The spinothalamic and DCML are the pathways that enable the con-

scious perception of sensory information from the external environment as it makes it way to the ventral posterior lateral nucleus of the thalamus. There are numerous other sensory pathways transmitting signals that don’t reach consciousness and that terminate in the reticular formation, mesencephalon hypothalamus and cerebellum.

Neural Pathways The thalamus is both a relay station for sensory information, and it also has modulatory and filtering capabilities due to the type of neurotransmitter systems that terminate there, affording it both physiological as well as motor coordination roles. It has pathways to and from the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum, but also projects to the limbic system, where there are nuclei related to autonomic functions along with visual and auditory fields. Relevant Somatic IntelligenceTM

past experience combines with current goals for action that relays that information to the motor cortex and its appropriate descending motor pathways, most often the lateral corticospinal (pyramidal) tracts exit the pre- (80%) or post- (20%) central gyrus throughout the cerebral cortex converging in the corona radiata deep in the brain. As many as one million monosynaptic axons of the corona radiata travel through subcortical white mat-

101 ter, which turns into the posterior limb of the internal capsule before it reaches the cerebral peduncle at the base of the midbrain. There, a second and less utilized rubrospinal tract originates from the red nucleus in the midbrain and continues with the pyramidal tract to the posterior ventral basal pons through the pyramids of the medulla where they decussate before continuing down to the grey

matter of the cord. From there the corticospinal fibers pass out from the ventral lateral side of the spinal cord to the intervertebral foramina where the motor nerves exit the spine and feed forward to activate the distal limbs, generally in order to control fine motor flexor actions while inhibiting extensors of the extremities. Orchestrating movement is a highly complex, finely attuned dance be-

Mechanoreceptors tween several parts of the brain and its outreach centers. One of the key ways that the brain sets up a feedback system with the layers of the tissue field that somatic education is largely involved with, is through the mechanoreceptors in soft tissue and joints. Feedback of temperature can be a means of assessing a biochemical reaction signaling that the area is responding, releasing, and reorga-

nizing. Pain signals may be apparent to sensitive practitioners, and can be very helpful for both the somatic educator and the client to be able to discern how the body translates discomfort into a somatic sensation that changes depending upon the type of pain being experienced. Nociceptors that transmit pain signals can be triggered by a variety of sources, and are the body’s way of warning about overChapter 4

102 use, misuse, of communicating injury, damage, or potential damage through pressure, tearing, sprain/strain, breaking, or chemical overload. There are varying types, intensities or qualities of pain such as stabbing, pricking, burning, throbbing, cramping, aching and sickening, searing, dull, sharp, or stinging. There are also proprioceptors that register stretch, pressure, vibration, light touch, and respond to pace or acceleration. This is the system that is so often called upon during the somatic reeducation process. The golgi tendon organs, joint receptors, muscle spindle cells, and pacinian corpuscles are largely responsible for sending information to the brain about the changes in tissue shape, and joint position. Each is involved in its own particular way waiting to develop a relationship with your awareness so that the conscious sensing of information can assist in providing the type of feedback your brain needs to create awakening, sensitizing, and the return of supple, strong, responsive muscles and stable, flexible, freely moving joints. A budding field of research recently confirmed that various types of mindfulness and meditation can bring coherence, homeostasis, uplifting emotions and uplifting biochemistry. Although we aren’t sure exactly what a ‘unit’ of thought or emotion is, or how exactly mindfulness communicates to the system, we do know that they each carry volumes of information using their frequencies to the biological, neurophysiological, and muscuSomatic IntelligenceTM

loskeletal systems they communicate through and with. While none of the brain’s functions involved in motor control are completely understood, what is becoming clear is that how the body responds to the environment is largely dependent upon how we interpret the experience, and it’s clear that there are pathways to recruit and organize the body’s response. Most projections for voluntary muscle activity arise from the motor cortex, which gathers support from the prefrontal association cortex and the limbic cortex by the basal ganglia as it modulates the activation or deactivation of various motor programs to be executed. Dopaminergic neurons from the substantia nigra play an intricate role in the choices made by the basal ganglia, indicating that reward, emotional impressions, and learning from previous experiences are fundamental parts of motor learning and execution. So it’s key that the unwinding of imbalanced patterns be pleasant in order for the changes to last and become wired into the system as the return to resting tone now registers as safe, secure, and pleasurable. If you use high energy workouts that discharge surface tensions and build strength, underlying contributing issues to those tensions may not be accessed and the old injuries may wait for another opportunity to resurface and take the system back into its old pattern. “No pain, no gain” is not the modus operandi for optimal results in any rehabilitation plan. The pain signal is likely to remind the

103 body that it is not safe and that guarding and protection are still needed. Rather than trying to work through pain, consider working to the place of pain and remaining just in front of it until that warning signal moves out a little further. Moving slowly and consciously can be more helpful for long term release and reset, making those subconscious pathways amenable to conscious input. If you are able to move very slowly and can stop, wait, and listen when you reach an uncomfortable barrier, your body will begin to attend to the barrier and start making adjustments while you wait. Once you’ve established a connection inside of your body’s sensory-motor feedback loop and you are receiving and sending information within that loop, remarkable changes will happen right before your eyes. The medial brainstem pathways, namely the reticulospinal, vestibulospinal, and tectospinal tracts innervate the proximal muscles of the trunk originating in the anterior pontine nuclei of the reticular formation. Magoun and Rhines discovered the extensor tone modulation of the reticulospinal pathways in the 1950’s. They found that the pontine reticular formation tracts activated extensors of the trunk while the medullary reticular formation tracts inhibited the muscles of the trunk, or the tonic, ‘antigravity’ muscles. Perhaps this is why gentle movements that re-establish optimal balance in these postural muscles achieve an integration that resembles an almost weightless, ef-

fortless standing or walking as the energy that flows through the core is unhindered and energy isn’t wasted by these muscles competing with or compensating for one another. The goal is for the core and extremities to be in harmony with one another with one optimally supporting and facilitating the actions of the other during voluntary movement. The vestibulospinal tract acts in conjunction with the reticulospinal tract in its activation of the extensor muscles, but terminates both on alpha and gamma motor neurons, whereas the reticulospinal tract mainly acts on gamma loops. Both tracts are responsible for posture, balance, and less refined control of skeletal and proximal muscles. The larger, extrafusal fibers targeted by Alpha motor neutrons innervate muscle contraction and the smaller, intrafusal fibers innervated by the gamma motor neurons work together to coordinate the right amount of stretch appropriate to balance the force of the contraction in the muscle. You can’t present the form and function of movement as it relates to the central nervous system without mentioning the cerebellum. It is also intimately involved in the coordination of posture, balance and voluntary movement through the use of sensory information from the cord and various nuclei in the brain. The cerebellum works with vestibular, cognitive, auditory, and visual input to further refine with timing, force, and intention the end result. The most lateral, deeper aspects of the cerebellum, the Chapter 4

104 flocculonodular lobe within the vestibulocerebellum, uses vestibular reflexes to help maintain posture. The spinocerebellum includes the vermis at midline, and adjacent intermediate zones (fastigial and interposed nuclei) which is involved with integrating sensory input with motor commands, while the cerebrocerebellum using the lateral hemispheres and dentate nuclei is involved in the planning and timing of movements. There are over 100,000 perfectly sequenced biochemical processes per second in every cell and most likely more that have not yet been tracked or discovered. Over time, through countless types and intensities of experience, error messages crop in. In order to interrupt the subconscious control of muscles that have entered into a dysfunctional pattern from whatever the source of stress, injury, overuse, or too many forms of stimulation, we intentionally become a part of the body’s communication system when we build upon somatic intelligence. Just like any form of exercise, it becomes more refined and skillful with practice. Although such connections are not completely new to the field of Biodynamic Cranial work that focuses on the body’s fluid systems and rhythms, Antoine Louveau at the University of Virginia made a startling discovery in 2015 for the field of neuroscience when lymphatic vessels in the brain were found to have an exit and connection to the rest of the lymphatic system. Cerebrospinal fluid was also found in Somatic IntelligenceTM

the meningeal lymphatic vessels that were ‘hiding’ next to a blood vessel as they traveled out through the sinuses. The next steps open doorways to the relationship between the microbiome and the brain, since the majority of the immune cells are in the intestines. This finding also calls into question the toxicology levels previously thought to be safe, but now known to be harmful for the brain at even one part per billion, raising questions now in the marketplace about the dangers of fluoride and vaccines among other toxins that may be inhaled. The central nervous system interfaces with the body’s energetic systems in a very refined way. It is capable of becoming a conduit for the most sublime energies as well as the fundamental electrical and biochemical processes that work the potassium and sodium ion exchange. Diet, exercise, breath, meditation, emotion, thought processes, posture, and sensory experiences all impact the nervous system and its ability to serve its basic as well as its more sophisticated functions connected to our subtler nature that is the most nourishing to our body. The neurotransmitters and nerve cells found in the brain are also found in the heart and the intestines and function as key messengers throughout the system to deliver information about what and how the system is feeling. Their regulatory functions are key to the harmonious operation of the organism, and being aware of how we can contribute to their capacity to maintain harmonious operations is quite helpful.

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Neurotransmitters and the Central Nervous System Neurotransmitters are highly involved in mood, mental and emotional states, expression of character traits, and sense of well-being. The most significant ones include serotonin, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine or noradrenaline, acetylcholine, GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid), and glutamate. Most are direct or indirect messengers that assist in regulating autonomic functions such as fight/flight, body temperature, sleep and appetite, and are also involved in cognitive functions such as attentiveness, memory and learning. Serotonin and dopamine are the key figures in regulating mood and reward chemistry, and both support voluntary motor functions. Serotonin is as high as 80%90% produced in the intestines, yet by some mechanism, it is signaled and in-

creased in the Alpha brain wave state, the state created in people by contact with dolphins that is so healing. In the guts, serotonin helps signaling of gut cells to contract, controlling digestive muscles, or by creating nausea or diarrhea if something upsets the stomach (as in anti-depressants). It can also act on the nerves in the gut to cause pain, and in some cases regulates the sensation of hunger, appetite, or fullness. Carbohydrates are often high in tryptophan, which is a precursor to serotonin, so craving them can be the body signaling that its stores are low. Foods highest in serotonin include plantains, walnuts, tomatoes, bananas, and pineapples, whereas tryptophan can be found in turkey, bananas, milk, eggs, meat and nuts. Therefore, dieting can have a proChapter 4

106 found effect on serotonin levels and can lead to a depressed feeling when the restriction lasts more than a few days. As a mood elevator, serotonin levels increase with good sleep and exercise, and its pathways are desensitized during sleep deprivation. Since it increases during the Alpha brain wave state, there is an implication that brain wave oscillations are able to interact with neurotransmitters. The heart and intestines have receptors for the same neurotransmitters that the brain uses, largely through the sympathetic (noradrenaline) and parasympathetic (acetylcholine) nerve fibers that stimulate or downregulate the stress response. Although acetylcholine inhibits cardiac muscle, it excites skeletal muscle as well as signaling the adrenals to release adrenaline along with several other functions in the central and peripheral nervous systems. The two main branches of the central nervous system are to activate and modulate whatever is needed for survival and preservation of the species leading to drive reduction. There is a coordinated effort among numerous systems like the central nervous system, organs, glands, cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal system and the biochemical or electrical networks that either directly or indirectly signal action. The HPA (hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal) axis that bypasses the cortex takes only milliseconds to initiate this cascade of responses to

Somatic IntelligenceTM

stress, but the hormonal changes can take hours to balance out again. The neurotransmitter from the brain via the vagus nerve, norepinephrine, signals the heart rate and force via alpha receptors to increase while relaxing and widening the arteries to allow for more blood flow and oxygen delivery. Simultaneously, epinephrine from the adrenals is signaled via the pituitary using beta receptors to be released into the bloodstream to every cell in the body. The breathing rate increases, kidney flow is reduced in case of loss of fluids through the blood, the liver increases glucose production for energy, along with the adrenaline needed for a quick getaway or attack. Modern humans face many more types of threat than animals do, many of which are not a matter of life or death, but that still either feel threatening or are perceived as such by the individual. The stress response is still stimulated even if the ‘threat’ is invisible (like a looming deadline) or habituated. Since long-term stress chemistry can be challenging to turn around, it’s much better to catch it early and return to balance before a pattern takes hold systemically. There are several ways to modulate the stress response and reset the biochemistry that gets set into motion as a by-product. Besides herbal adaptogens, there is the breath, singing, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), movement, and visceral massage to name a few.

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The Influence of Hormones Anyone who went through puberty or menopause can attest to the staggering transformation that happens to your personality on a level that feels difficult to reach. The endocrine system is designed to regulate bodily functions and help maintain homeostasis via the release of hormonal signals, yet an imbalance between hormones or any significant signaling or communication system in your body can wreak many kinds of physiological havoc that may be misinterpreted. For example, difficulty losing weight could be linked to the shift in a type of estrogen receptor (ERS1) that is directly related to metabolism, body weight, food intake, insulin sensitivity, and body fat distribution. An imbalance of progesterone alone can produce depression or anxiety, anger, violence or panic attacks. An imbalance of estrogen is just as

significant for men as it is for women. Researchers have only recently discovered the significance of the balance of estrogens to testosterone in relation to the health of middle-aged men who go through their own type of menopause. One 2009 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found in the cases of the 500 men tested, those with high estradiol levels due to androgen deficiency by aromatization were over 300% more likely to have died of heart failure within three years after the study was completed. These endogenous communicators are sharing information between one another, continually scanning their assigned environments and feeding back signals to regulate the production and release of their particular substances. They are influenced by many different factors

An imbalance of estrogen is just as significant for men as it is for women.

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108 including health status, external emotional input, genetic influences, diet, and nutrition, along with environmental factors. What happens when the signals picked up from the environment are incorrect? Xenohormones - toxic substances found in numerous household products, plastics, and pesticides that mimic natural hormones - can alter, inhibit, or disrupt intracellular communication and lead to a host of issues including, obesity, heart disease, various cancers, thyroid disruption, decreased fertility, adult onset diabetes and more. Each of these systems is interrelated and all depend upon one another. One can safely say that neurotransmitters, hormones, and brain waves all have the ability to significantly alter one’s mood, emotional state, or state of mind. They can be unpredictable and difficult to balance once they’re off due to the integrated symphony they play within. For example, dopamine has been discovered in several areas of the brain and although often connected to reward circuitry and its influence in learning or establishing successful behavior, it can also lead to addiction. Dopamine is related to focus, motivation, memory, verbal

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fluency, drive and attention, but it can also lead to confused thinking or loss of words when in short supply. Shortages can also lead to movement difficulty, loss of libido, and memory loss, paranoia or suspiciousness if reduced in the cortex. On the other hand, increased levels of dopamine in the frontal lobe relieve pain and stimulate pleasure, mood elevation, and creativity. Just as many changes in mood and personality expression might be noticed by changing levels of serotonin or testosterone. It would be a fascinating study to test several subjects for their initial levels of dopamine in various brain areas, then allow them to engage in activities they enjoy but don’t perform well in, versus activities they don’t enjoy but are good at. Measure the levels again, then allow the same people to engage in activities they love and are good at, along with things they don’t like and aren’t good at and measure the levels one more time. I’m not sure how well the chicken-or-egg phenomena will be able to be differentiated here, but it would be a worthwhile investigation. There’s a good chance that if neural pathways are plastic, so are their secretions if mindfully intended and attended to.

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The Master Gland The pituitary carries the tag of, “master gland”, sensing the body’s needs and signaling various organs and glands all over the body to regulate their functions. The hormones that it secretes, adrenocorticotropic hormone, growth hormone, luteinizing, follicle stimulating, prolactin, and thyroid stimulating hormones, act on other glands to regulate sexual and reproductive functions, metabolism, growth and body composition, as well as milk production. The pituitary also stores hormones ready to be released on command to control water balance and blood pressure - anti-diuretic hormone - and oxytocin, which has numerous functions but is most known for labor contractions, milk production and bonding. Our pituitary gland receives instructions from the hypothalamus,

which receives and integrates feedback messages from all over the body, then shoots its communication to the pituitary through a capillary system that connects them. Its messages both trigger and inhibit the release of hormones from the pituitary. The hypothalamus is the bridge between the central nervous system and the hormonal system. Hormones travel through the blood and therefore take longer both to spring into and out of action. Together hypothalamus and pituitary emit 16 hormones that influence and regulate autonomic functions like hunger, thirst, temperature, emotions, fight/flight, fatigue, salt and water balance, sleep, weight, and circadian cycles. Olfactory stimuli are also processed by the hypothalamus, along with steroids, insulin, cytokines, bacteria, leptin, and glucose in the Chapter 4

110 blood, in addition to neuronal input from the heart, stomach, intestines, and reproductive system. The hypothalamus is the ‘primary output node for the limbic system’. Along with its own internal sensors for temperature, fluid pressures, glucose and sodium concentrations, visceral, visual, and olfactory input, it also receives hormonal signals from endocrine glands, and limbic information from the amygdala and hippocampus. It has complex behavioral functions including emotional reactions via its connections to the reticular formation as well as sexual behaviors. Emotional reactions are essentially related to drive reduction and survival mechanisms, modulated by pleasure, reward, appetite, and motivational chemistry, yet the emotional centers are also highly influenced by the cortex. Within any arena of reporting about how we function as human be-

ings and which systems contribute to that function, the question can arise regarding the ‘chicken-or-the-egg’ phenomena. Hormones are no exception. For example, menopausal or peri-menopausal symptoms affect a great deal of Western women in similar ways, but vary significantly from Asian women. Chinese, Japanese, and Indian women report very few if any hot flashes, insomnia, or mood swings, yet may feel joint stiffness. Japanese and Mayan cultures don’t have a word in their vocabulary for hot flashes. There’s also been a theory about a correlation between how much the elder women are revered in their communities and the severity of symptoms, but the main difference is based upon how the culture views the change. Our biology and physiology are responsive to the culture’s perspective and expectations on the event, which may also be an over-arching imprint upon our own beliefs and expectations.

Chinese, Japanese, and Indian women report very few if any hot flashes, insomnia, or mood swings, yet may feel joint stiffness. Japanese and Mayan cultures don’t have a word in their vocabulary for hot flashes.

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The Limbic Brain Limbic structures - the ‘feeling and reacting’ brain - are located between the ‘thinking’ brain and the final output structures in the nervous system. There are several structures included in the limbic brain, including the cingulate gyrus seated just above the corpus callosum where neural connections link the left and right brains. The cingulate cortex is important because it regulates emotions and pain in relation to the fear and avoidance or prediction of possible negative consequences of an action or situation based upon memory. One can assume in this case that fear and pain are assisting us in safety. Although the basal ganglia are not officially included in the limbic system any more, these brain nuclei are seated all around the limbic system. These structures - the caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus - are also involved in processing sensory input,

informing us of what needs to happen or if something isn’t right in our daily routines, and by organizing routine preparation and execution of motor patterns. With its frontal lobe interactions and dopamine receptors, it seems to be a deciding factor in which patterns become executed based upon whether or not it worked (has been rewarding) in the past. An overactive caudate is implicated in obsessive compulsive disorder, whereas an underactive one can contribute to attention deficit or lethargy. Damage to the basal ganglia can cause involuntary movements as found in neurological disorders. Most theoretic constructs will assign emotional input to the limbic cortex as it evaluates raw survival responses from the amygdala which is involved in fear and anger states connected to flight or fight possibilities. The limbic brain also receives input from the prefronChapter 4

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Unlike thoughts, emotions can be traced back to a form, and that form is peptides.

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tal and temporal regions of the brain, where emotional states can be directly influenced by cortical input, and it projects information to the autonomic nervous system through the thalamus, thereby being a place where the stress response can be modulated through the cognitive adjustment of emotional value in any given circumstance. The thalamus, acting like a gatekeeper, lies just above the hypothalamus and performs as intermediary thalamic nuclei receive and transmit all forms of sensory information with the exception of olfactory. It also alerts the brain to important stimuli while filtering out unimportant stimuli. The thalamus also acts as a bridge between the subcortical and cortical areas of the brain, which allows information to become conscious. To this end, it has some characteristics that influence alertness and can message multiple areas of the brain simultaneously like a switchboard reaching out over a large network. In general, emotions can be a major motivator and decision-maker in making choices between approach or avoid options that need additional information before making a decision. Emotions are helpful guides and participants in the learning process. Studies show, for example, that sadness has several benefits. Researcher, Nikki McClure reports that sadness can improve judgment and memory, it can increase reflection, attentiveness, generosity, a sense of fairness, and cautious decision making. On the other hand, happy people

are more likely to trust in situations that may not be worthy of that trust, neglecting warning signs, and taking unsafe risks due to not taking time to read the cues given in social situations. When happiness manifests as a ‘highly cheerful’ personality, it may in fact be a defense mechanism that has unconscious roots. Friedman et. al., in 1993 found that children who presented and were described as highly cheerful by parents and teachers had a higher early mortality rate as adults. These personality types also tend toward excessive alcohol consumption, binge eating, drug use, sexual promiscuity and risky behavior. Unlike thoughts, emotions can be traced back to a form, and that form is peptides. Dr. Candace Pert, neuroscientist researcher states, “A feeling sparked in our mind or body will translate as a peptide being released somewhere. Organs, tissues, skin, muscle and endocrine glands all have peptide receptors on them and can access and store emotional information. This means that emotional memory is stored in many places in the body, not just the brain. I think unexpressed emotions are literally lodged in the body. Your body is your subconscious mind.” Finding that razor’s edge of acknowledgment and honest expression without being indulgent or looped into a subconscious cycle of conditioned thought-feeling associations is a practice worth the time it takes to get good at it. The self-knowledge and self-regulation that results from these

113 fine-line discernments are invaluable to leading a calm, content life. While women tend to express and men tend to suppress, within each predisposition is room for greater attunement and balance. The higher self will seek resolution through its conscious vehicles, whether it be in the mirror, or afforded through relationship, through creative expressive arts like painting, writing, music, or dance, the being will seek release, balance and integration into wholeness without suppressed or compartmentalized factions. Most people know where they carry their stress, and these types of tensions will soon lend themselves to muscle imbalances that produce the type of wear and tear we call ‘aging’. Stressors play a huge role in our immune function as well, and in the ways that our system will fall prey to chronic disease, physical pain and even death. Emotions are not as much the cause, as the effect. Studies show that unless it’s in the face of a direct threat of danger that elicits fear or anger, damaging emotions follow a thought process which then sets the biochemical and physical responses

in motion. Most parents are aware of that gap in a new experience for their children when they’re not yet sure how to feel about what happened. These are potent moments because you’re ahead of the ‘pairing’ mechanism where what ‘fires together gets wired together’. If we can stay ahead of the emotional response or at least stand shoulder to shoulder with it, our brains need not record an emotional reaction in order to learn and remember, and the subsequent biochemistry need not get set in motion. Tom Hanna felt that emotions could be characterized as “feeling in motion” that could be guided into the output of the movement expression. Similar to dance, the gentle, conscious motion of the somatics exercises overcomes ‘sensorymotor amnesia’ by shifting subcortical patterns of muscle imbalance to conscious, re-awakened, re-integrated movement patterns. Conscious movement also has the potential to reorganize held emotions or other symptoms of physiological restriction without the necessity of directly engaging, labeling, or processing them.

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Male and Female Responses to Stress Recently it has been discovered by Dr. Shelley Taylor from UCLA that a ‘tend and befriend’ response, more often displayed by women, can mediate the stress response better than ‘fight or flight’ which is seen more often in males and may exacerbate the sympathetic reaction in the nervous system. Reaching out to connect with a friend and talk about a challenging situation or reaching out to help someone else stimulates the release of oxytocin, which calms the symptoms of stress and reduces cortisol levels. Maybe this is why volunteering is helpful for the volunteer as well as for the recipient. It might also be why males may not want to talk through issues the way that females do. Males, in several international studies are reported as more likely to withdraw and become egocentric while under stress, conserving their Somatic IntelligenceTM

energy for an impending confrontation, whereas females reach out and become more empathetic. Researchers in Vienna found that while under stress, the empathetic females become more perceptive of how others are feeling, while the males who become less empathetic are less aware of the perspective of others. In the natural world, it makes sense for the females to calm and protect the young with nurturing behavior or to bond with other females and increase the likelihood of survival by creating strength in numbers. If she were to leave to fight a predator, she could lose and the children would be most vulnerable to attack or without someone to feed them. Females bonding with other females during emotional or physical difficulty can insure that her young will be cared for in case she doesn’t pull through.

115 Males also have bonding and paternal instincts around sex and childbirth, but more often display the aggressive behaviors promoted by testosterone in the fight or flight response, as though they would be the hunter to provide or to protect the family. The fight response may not be literal, but could be displayed as anger and blame in an effort to dissipate the stress quickly or flee into being alone or freeze and shut down. Gender differences also exist in their perceptions of what constitutes the worst stress, which is a rejection or threat to relationships for women, and the ability to perform or compete for men. Both are related to drive reduction in survival roles, as in caring for family in females, and providing for family in males. Staying with the family is also driven by hormones. Apparently, according to research on a particular type of prairie vole, the release of vasopressin, or the interaction with oxytocin and dopamine in a specific area of the brain can make the difference whether or not the male will be monogamous or a playboy. In a separate study in 1991 by Thomas Insel at the National Institute of Mental Health, when looking at the same bonding behavior, he noticed activity in the nucleus accumbens nuclei in the

brain whereby the oxytocin receptors being triggered were located amidst dopamine receptors so that bonding becomes associated with pleasure or reward. In this study there was no attempt to create monogamous voles, but just to notice that the doting prairie voles had their oxytocin receptors in a different location than the ‘playboy’ montane voles. Some scientists interpret the presence of oxytocin as a stimulant to form or seek social connections. Not that it makes us less human, but there is a chemical, energetic, and frequency response generated with whatever we are experiencing, that at times will reflect the experience, and at other times color, if not determine how we experience it. The extent to which our awareness is active in the midst of these cascading chemistries, is the extent to which a sense of free will can be explored and possibly override or even get ahead of the neurophysiological aspects of stress. Understanding the gender differences could also shed more light on each sex, so that natural predispositions can be given more support or appreciation. Humans, possibly unlike the voles, can also make conscious choices to change behavior which will change the underlying chemistry it is reflecting.

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Love and Addiction During happy, romantic love, a widespread excitement happened in the brain driven by the hormones and neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. After studying the responses of 700 subjects in 2013, researchers in Finland found consistently common descriptions of where certain emotions were being felt. Emotions like love and happiness that created the most open expressiveness also had the most widespread effect all over the body. The ventral tegmental region of the brain along with the dorsal striatum were both involved in cases of happy long-term relationships, also seen in cases of longing for a loved one, or in cocaine addiction. Food and music can produce similar chemistry in the same areas of the brain. Similarly, those recently rejected in love display activity in the nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental, orbitofrontal and prefrontal cortex. Somatic IntelligenceTM

Our biologies know what it takes to preserve the species, but we also need to know what’s creating the feelings we have. Oddly, the brain region that lights up in mothers gazing lovingly at a romantic partner also resemble brain images of those under the influence of cocaine. It does appear that our circuitry is doing what it can to encourage attraction and mating, or it’s showing us what happens to make our attractions feel compelling or irresistible; it is not the ‘feel good’ hormone. In these instances, the ‘honeymoon stage’ is like being under the influence of a drug that is difficult to overcome or do without. This may not be the same as unconditional love, agape, or platonic love. I’m curious to see scans of the differing types of love and which areas they light up in the body and brain. In a recent study, Dr. Helen Fisher, a biological anthropologist, differ-

117 entiated between the brain chemistry involved in those who were happy in ‘honeymoon stage’ romantic love, those who’d recently had a breakup, and those who were still happy in a long-term love relationship. Her team discovered similar results in that romantic love responses originated in the ventral tegmental area of the brain that is also associated with hunger and thirst - survival needs. Is that why the ‘territorial instinct’ arises as jealousy and possessiveness, to protect the blood line? Sex and attachment areas of the brain that lit up during her brain scans were just above the romantic love area, and involved release of the sex hormone testosterone, and attachment hormones, oxytocin and vasopressin. Strong feelings of many kinds may arise in our system, some positive and compelling, others compelling that may not have good results. It’s a practice worthy of our attentiveness to observe what our strongest sensations seem to be asking of us, then rehearse making a conscious decision. Rather than dive off a sensational cliff into the unknown, it can be helpful first to make sure it’s a dive into something that aligns with your well-being. In the case of the Russian women learning how to have a conscious birth, part of their preparation was to sit in the snow in a bathing suit to become accustomed to strong sensations without contracting, a valuable skill to apply to labor pains. One common theme here might

be that powerful experiences are so compelling they can be addicting, setting up maximum recruitment of the senses, energy and attention. That attraction has a biochemical component that sets up a loop in the neurophysiology that can feel as motivating as the desire for something new and exciting, since it produces a similar response in the brain. Whether it’s an extreme sport, a dangerous job, horror movie, a passion for the arts, a love affair, getting lost in a book, or a substance that transports one to an altered state, there’s something generally satisfying about being totally involved, even if it’s not so good for you. It can make us feel totally alive, lit up, turned on. Researchers have discovered that ‘thrill seeker’ types have a lower level of MAO type B, an enzyme that regulates neurotransmitters, particularly dopamine. It peaks in the teens and twenties, is more prevalent in males, and declines with age. Stimulating the brain in a way that cranks on all of our sensibilities or that transports us beyond them is normal. Many different types of animals choose to experience euphoria by finding hallucinogenic mushrooms or berries in the forest. The key is staying present with the feelings as they arise and fall, enjoying both the onset and the falling away of sensation, noting where it happens in your body. Testing the sensational waters and developing emotional/biochemical self-regulation ahead of the ‘hook’ could be an invaluable asset to carry forward into life experience. Chapter 4

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The Multi-Faceted Communication of the Heart In recent decades, the heart has been found to be a sensory organ able to receive and process information independent of other systems. It can make its own decisions that may precede intellectual ones. It has the capacity, through its connections into the blood and hormonal systems, brain nuclei such as the thalamus, amygdala, and medulla, neural and neurotransmitter systems including dorsal root ganglia of the spinal cord, along with the lung and electromagnetic relationships, to be a major influence if not synchronizer for the entire body. Dr. Rollin McCraty, Director of Research at the Institute of HeartMath, reports that the heart and cardiovascular system send far more information to the brain than the other way around. Dr. Joel Kahn, among others, find that the heart’s electrical field is at least 60 times greater than the brains’ activity elicits, and that it emits an electromagnetic field 5,000 Somatic IntelligenceTM

times stronger than the brain’s field. We can tell when we ‘don’t feel like ourselves’ or feel like something is off. Our electromagnetic/energetic existence is a central component of what generates, processes, and sustains health. When we consider caring for and acknowledging the function of the heart, there are many different aspects of the heart to take into consideration. It is much more than just a pump, or an emotional center. Feelings can be very different from emotions. Just the other day I had a funny feeling inside that I may not have turned the stove off when I left the house and I was already miles away. Luckily my landlady lived next door and had a key to my place so I could give her a quick call and ask her to check. It was true – I’d forgotten to turn it off, and we’d warded off something that could have gone bad fast. It would be very difficult to identify where that feeling came from in

119 my body which faculty was producing that knowing, and which faculty was reflecting it, but we all have it, thank goodness. Perhaps this is something the field of the heart can ascertain, register, and forward out to its receptors so they can alert us. Of course it can also work the other way when we can have a good feeling about something that’s about to happen, but the main thing is to learn to recognize and listen to these messages. Neurologically, if there is a healthy bond during infancy with the mother, the brain lays down neuronal pathways from the prefrontal cortex to the heart, wherein the conscious decisions are able to be joined with intuition and modified according to their potential consequences and impact on others. Without this early bond, the connections remain more heavily loaded toward the hindbrain and its fight/flight responses. Conversely, the heart can override emotional reactions from the brain if it is able to retain a steady rhythm and a coherent field.

We’ve also spoken about it as a type of brain as well as a spiritual center. Anahata, the Sanskrit term for the heart chakra, means ‘unstuck, unstruck, unbeaten, and unhurt’. It is the seat of balance, unattachment, and the pivotal point where the otherwise unpredictable kundalini life force takes on the form of the god/ goddess energy that can express virtue and ascend toward the eternal. It is a multi-dimensional, intelligent, coordinator and processor of several types of information for the entire system as well as for the being, the whole person. In the spiritual sense, we are connected to that which is connected to everything and neither time nor space dampens the flow of sight. The experiences of the heart chakra do feel unstruck and unattached, with a level of peace and contentment that seem away from responsiveness and coordinating, and toward being that which doesn’t need or want anything and is deeply satisfied in its own stillness, echoing the vast ocean it’s tuned into.

It is a multi-dimensional, intelligent, coordinator and processor of several types of information for the entire system as well as for the being, the whole person.

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DNA - Genetic Expression

DNA and Light Frequencies The body uses a variety of ways to communicate with itself from gross to more subtle methods. Every system has a communication system down to the cellular level including the nucleus of each cell. Transport mechanisms for the body include the nervous system, the blood and lymph, lipids, the fascia, and electromagnetic or light frequencies that are encoded and decoded by various sensory systems around the body. Dr. Fritz Albert Popp reported decades ago that, “Man essentially is a being of light... We can say emphatically that the function of our entire metabolism is dependent on light”. Popp discovered that the light from cancer patients’ cells are Somatic IntelligenceTM

scrambled and unable to communicate effectively. Modern photobiology confirms that ‘quanta of light can initiate, or arrest cascade-like reactions in the cells, and that genetic cellular damage can be virtually repaired within hours by faint beams of light.’ The DNA in each cell can store, retrieve, and send information by using a laser beam of light to regulate biochemical functions in the body. Biophoton research has established that a single photon emitted by the DNA’s expansion and contraction can hold as much as 4 GB of information, and that this coiling and uncoiling happens several billion times per second. Recently studies

121 also show that thoughts and feelings have a measurable effect on the coiling and uncoiling of DNA strands. Marco Bischof, former director of the International Institute of Biophysics in Germany, has researched biophotons for almost 40 years. Years of research asserts that the light frequencies stored in the DNA of our cells are continuously being absorbed, processed and released through an intricate web of light that “may connect cell organelles, cells, tissues, and organs within the body and serve as the organism’s man communication network and the principal regulating instance for all life processes.” According to Karl Pibram, “The holographic biofield of the brain and nervous system, and maybe that of the whole organism may also be the basis of memory and other phenomena of consciousness.” Cell to cell communication is true of all living systems, whether it be a plant, animal, or bacteria. Russian scientist, Sergey Mayburov, discovered that the light in and emitted from our systems can communicate over a distance in a way that syncs it with other organisms. He compared the transmission to ‘error correcting software’ that has the ability to restore coherence in the system. Mayburov’s research suggests that “all living biological systems, including us, have the exact blueprint of our physical bodies stored in a field of light.” Not only that, but both sensory and motor nerves have been proven to

conduct a variety of light frequencies along their nerve pathways, including infrared light. Our cells don’t only absorb and store light, but they emit or eject it at speeds up to 300 biophotons per square centimeter at 10 cm/second for a healthy cell, and much less for an unhealthy cell. In fact, in several scientific studies such as the one by Drs. Creath and Schwartz at the University of Tuscon, show that healers can alter the amount of biophotons emitted from plants from 5 to 10 fold, by the use of the healing frequencies emitted from their hands. Recently, researchers have found that melanin found in the skin, hair, brain and adrenals has the role of protecting our genes and our DNA. It is able to absorb light, and generate energy so effectively, that studies are being done to use melanin to create batteries that store energy. Dr Karl Maret reports that melanin also operates in homeostasis, immune regulation, enzymatic functions, tissue repair, and tissue regeneration. While investigating the role of melanin in embryological development, Maret’s team found that the infants’ eyes are made of pure melanin and it probably plays regulatory and protective roles from the very beginning of life. The melanin in the chaga mushroom is being explored to clear the toxicity from the body’s intricate photonic and energetic communication systems so they can perform their roles more efficiently.

All living biological systems, including us, have the exact blueprint of our physical bodies stored in a field of light.

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DNA Expression and Emotional Expression A 2013 article in Liberty Voice commented on a paper by HeartMath entitled, “Local and Nonlocal Effects of Coherent Heart Frequencies on Conformational Changes of DNA” in which it reports that the presence of feelings like gratitude, joy, love and appreciation relaxed DNA strands, whereas in the expression of fear, anger, hatred, stress and frustration they tightened and switched off several of its codes. The shutting down people feel in the presence of negative emotions is literal and experienced at the cellular level, manifesting from the core to the periphery in muscular and vascular tensions as well as energetic and fluid restrictions. In a subsequent study by the same team, it was shown that HIV+ patients had up to 300,000 times more resistance to bacterial and viral infections when they expressed positive emotions. Thoughts and emotions are a Somatic IntelligenceTM

powerful source of information for the system, and the frequency they emit sets as much in motion as food, smells, sounds, medicine, chemicals, or other forms of information. In a recent study done at Emory University’s School of Medicine, they discovered that fears can be transmitted for up to six generations. When a noxious stimulus was paired with cherry blossoms, the parent internalized a fear and aversion to cherry blossoms that was passed down to offspring who’d not had the same experience, but inherited the reaction. Overcoming, or healing from our life experiences is good not just for our lives, but for all who follow. Stanford researcher, author, and cellular biologist Bruce Lipton declares that although genes control biological expression, ‘genes cannot turn themselves on or off ’ and are controlled by perceptions of the en-

123 vironment. At the more central level of organization in the human being, there is still feedback and facilitation from the individual’s mind. He states that, “Genes are selected and rewritten by our beliefs.” Dr. Daniel Siegel, professor of psychiatry at the UCLA dept. of Medicine, sees a three-point model of the mind, one being that which involves the physical brain, nervous system and processing of sensory information, the second being the regulation of the body and emotions. Siegel offers that the third aspect of the mind includes relationships and the “means by which information and

energy are shared” in a person’s relational experiences through spoken or written word. He also feels that relationships provide vital input to the brain and when relationships are attuned, they “promote the growth of regulatory fibers in the brain.” He stated with confidence that “every form of psychology that works, works because it creates healthier brain function and structure.” Right down to the smallest particles of coding mechanisms that we look to for the template of what to expect, there is still a transceiver that is listening for feedback from us as to what it will feedforward.

The Language of ‘Junk’ DNA Although many scientists have mainly focused on the protein-building functions of DNA which only accounts for 10% (another possibility for where the myth that we only use 10% of our brain comes from), and the rest has been called, ‘junk DNA’, Russian scientist, Pjor Gar-

jajev decided to investigate further. In pairing linguists with geneticists, he explored the effect of the vibration of language on our DNA. They discovered not only that our DNA stores data like a complex memory system, but that the DNA-alkaline pairs ‘follow grammar and has a set Chapter 4

124 of rules’. When assessing the frequencies involved in the phrasing of that language, the scientists were able to ‘talk’ to the DNA and influence it. They were soon able to go beyond just influencing the DNA, but could use its vibrational (modulated radio and light frequencies) language to heal and regenerate. A collaboration between physicians, physicists and linguists have discovered that the so-called ‘junk DNA’ follow the same rules as Zipf ’s Law, a complex organization of patterns of word type and usage which all human languages obey from English

to Chinese. The ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA elements) project, as part of the Human Genome Research Institute is ready to officially retire the phrase ‘junk’ DNA. As the researchers begin to realize that studies have focused on coding aspects of DNA (exons), ignoring the introns - the non-coding regions of DNA - which were removed to obtain the coding sequence. They now know that the introns account for the regulatory function of our DNA, which is also a significant form of information that may contain health-related transmissions, or transcription.

The Wave Function of DNA By modulating radio and light frequencies, Dr. Pjotr Garjajev’s (a.k.a. Garyaev Peter Petrovich) team was able to ‘influence cellular metabolism, remedy genetic defects, and transmit information patterns from one set of DNA to another, from one species (frog) to another (salamander) by frequency alone. Clear communication at the level of frequency requires the correct frequency, so those with more highly developed inner processes will Somatic IntelligenceTM

be able to create a more conscious channel of communication with the DNA. Garjajev believes this is the underlying principle by which positive affirmations can work. The process was as applicable to plants as it was to humans or other creatures. Wave genetics looks at more than the protein building functions of DNA, and ‘has a greater influence than the biochemical processes of alkaline sequences.’ Through using a specific algorithm

125 spoken through a generator in different languages, they were able to revive plants that had been damaged on the chromosomal level by reprogramming the unhealthy cells with information patterns from a healthier genome. Dr. Garjajev was able to discover remarkable capabilities in cellular capacities discarded by other scientists who used the ‘materialistic’ approach of viewing and analyzing just the physical properties of matter. New worlds open up in a paradigm shift

of realizing the holographic, electromagnetic, quantum field, energetic, and frequency wave components of how matter functions and communicates. Garjajev feels that the original research in the field of genetics was built upon an incorrect premise. He believes that genetic information is internal as well as external, in physical, electromagnetic and torsion fields, which, according to this researcher, is one of the major ways the body transmits information.

DNA and Intention In a 2003 HeartMath experiment, researchers were able to demonstrate the uncoiling of DNA strands in response to the intention to create a coherent, loving heart presence. The heart’s electromagnetic field can communicate with DNA and then inspire a more coherent, open, relaxed, fluid flow of information/physiology in the recipient. HeartMath’s founder, Doc

Childre states that, “The heart serves as a key access point through which information originating in the higher dimensional structures is coupled into the human system (including DNA) and that states of heart coherence generated through experiencing heartfelt positive emotions increases this coupling.” HeartMath researcher, Dr. Glen Rein, suggested after an analChapter 4

126 ysis of heart rhythms that, “there’s an important link between emotions and changes in patterns of both efferent (descending) and afferent (ascending) autonomic activity, and that the DNA molecule in each cell acts like an antennae and demodulator that is tuned to the organizing field” of the heart. The results in this study also demonstrated that the shift in conformation of the DNA - its winding or unwinding - increased by more than 25% when the subjects set their intention to have an effect on their own DNA. Frequencies generated in states of meditation or mindfulness can improve health and well-being through the DNA as well. A study in The Journal of Psycho-neuroendocrinology showed that ‘mindfulness based trainings have beneficial effects on inflammatory disorders.’ Combined studies by researchers in Spain, France, and the University of Wisconsin have

Somatic IntelligenceTM

shown molecular changes that altered gene regulatory mechanisms and reduced pro-inflammatory genes, which leads to faster recovery time from stress. The researchers professed that, “The emission of light particles seems to be the mechanism through which intention produces its effects.” These explorations are in their infancy and aren’t reporting consistent results specifically in relation to changing symptoms by sending that intention to the DNA. Nevertheless, a 20% reduction in the growth of bacterial cells was produced by sending an image to the petrie dish where they were growing, and that number doubled to 40% when an intention accompanied the image. It’s a leap at this stage to say that the instructions came from the cell’s nucleus to produce the change, but the data still supports the notion that intention has a notable effect in our systems.

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DNA is Not in Control DNA does not shape us. Something came before. Something gave rise to the shape of DNA. ~ Dr. Mark Rosen

A fascinating point made by ‘Biology of Belief ’ author and microbiologist, Bruce Lipton, is that the nucleus of the cell is responsive to perception and environmental messages, rather than being an organizer of perception or experience. The cell functions automatically without the nucleus, proving that normal processes are not determined by the DNA; our DNA is silent and unexpressed unless stimulated by external factors. As our knowledge evolves, it becomes clearer that in addition to the brain in the skull, the heart, and the guts, there is a highly organized brain in the cell membrane, receiving and transmitting information according to a very specific signaling system that triggers a multitude of processes central to health.

Nutrition has also been shown to influence DNA. Dr. Jean-Pierre Issa noticed while studying tumor suppressor genes (present in every cell) that the presence of histones can hide tumor suppressor genes in a way that deactivates them. In effect, when enough histones are present cancer cells can proliferate. However, cruciferous vegetables, onions and garlic contain substances that act as histone inhibitors which facilitate the action of the tumor suppressor genes that can help protect against tumor growth. Dr. Linus Pauling demonstrated in a University of Oregon study in 2010 that histone modification “can impact the expression of many degenerative diseases, ranging from cancer and heart disease to biChapter 4

128 polar disorder and even aging.” Health researcher, Konstatin Ericksen concurs that, “Genes do not determine human outcomes; it is our responses to our environment that actually determine the expression of our genes”, which effectively switch genes on or off in a given situation. According to Dr. Lipton, “your cells can choose to read or not read the genetic blueprint depending upon the signals being received from the environment”, which primarily includes your thoughts, attitudes and perceptions. So what your genes ‘read’ of your genetic information that switches genes on or off, is largely self-determined, when the self is conscious, aware, and creating a healthy environment for itself. Nobel Laureate, Dr. Elizabeth Blackburn discovered the protective roles of telomeres and telomerase enzymes for our chromosomes. Telomerase is made of protein and RNA subunits that elongate the chromosomes by adding TTAGGG sequences to the end of existing chromosomes, effectively enabling the cell to continue to replicate itself. Telomerase is mostly found in fetal, germ and tumor cells, but small amounts also exist in somatic cells. Prior research noticed that the telomeres act like a biological clock, in that as they shorten, the cells begin to age and die without being able to replicate themselves. Telomeres protect chromosomes from recombining,

Somatic IntelligenceTM

provide new chromosomes when they see damaged DNA, contribute to the regulation of gene expression, as well as to the functional organization of chromosomes within the nucleus. When 787 participants were followed for 10 years and had their telomere length measured before and after the decade of the study, the ones with the shorter telomeres were 3 times more likely to develop cancer, whereby defective cells become replicated (JAMA, July, 2010). Oxidative and inflammatory stressors were found to cause cells to age and die prematurely, and aging cells release inflammatory proteins, so a vicious cycle becomes installed. Recent studies have shown increased telomerase activity in vessel walls and reduced vascular apoptosis in humans and mice (Werner, et. al. 2009). Dr. Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at Kings College in London questioned 2,401 white twins about physical activity, smoking habits, and social/economic factors then compared the subjects’ responses to the length of their telomeres over a 10 year period. The results showed that the chromosomes of the most physically active participants had 200 more telomeres than their least active counterparts, or the equivalent of someone 9 years younger. Down to the cell nucleus, our health and wellbeing is responsive to external factors, and benefits greatly from movement.

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Brain Waves and States of Being Brain waves are a powerful source of communication across the system and also have a strong influence on mood, attention, behavior, emotional states, and states of consciousness. They are separated by their wave lengths into Delta, Theta, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma frequencies, with rare Epsilon and Lambda frequencies usually experienced by yogis and Tibetan monks. Even though the gamma wavelength is not the fastest nor highest frequency, at 40 to 100 Hz, its firing is above the frequency of the nervous system so scientists have not been able to locate its source. In the optimal range fast learning, perception and information processing happens. It is also the place where altruism, universal love and higher virtues are experienced, but the rest of the mind has to be silent for those states to be accessed. They relate to ‘expanded conscious-

ness, meditation, intelligence, and spiritual emergence’. Paradoxically, the fastest brain waves at 200 Hz in Lambda, interact with the slowest frequency of Epsilon at 0.5 Hz where almost no mental activity is present. In fact, Lambda is hidden within Epsilon. It can be associated with a state of suspended animation in which yogis can reduce their heartbeat and respiration to an imperceptible rate and can gain control of autonomic functions. Brain waves can change perception and perception can alter brain waves. Any over- or under- stimulation, or out-ofsync brainwaves can lead to chronic problems in personality, emotional or neurological disorders, pain, insomnia, nightmares, vertigo, tinnitus, diabetes, attention deficit, depression, and more. Unfortunately, cell phones operate at the same frequency that Chapter 4

130 brain waves do, so have the ability to disrupt them. Normal waking consciousness activities when the mind is engaged, alert, and able to concentrate are conducted in Beta, which ranges from 12 to 40 cycles per second. Optimal Beta waves support being able to focus, and utilize memory to facilitate problem solving. Alpha, ranging between 8 and 12 cycles per second, is a relaxed state between the intentional thinking mind and the subconscious. Here, a person is able to remain calm in stressful situations, are fast learners, and can access peak performance often described by athletes as ‘being in the zone’. People with high levels of alpha can access high levels of creativity, and have a ‘feel good’ effect overall on the system due to the release of serotonin in this brain wave state. Internal awareness, introversion, and activities like meditation, singing, or yoga produce alpha brain waves. In Theta, a person is in an almost hypnotic or daydreaming state, is highly suggestible, with improved intuition, creativity, and restoration. Theta is a slow frequency ranging between 4 Hz to 8 Hz that also houses subconscious memories. Artists and musicians often have more Theta waves, as do those who struggle with attention deficit disorder or difficulty concentrating. Theta waves are predominantly on the right side of the brain and can help with problem solving, coping abilities, and connecting with spirit at this slower, more relaxed state, but they can also Somatic IntelligenceTM

lead to boredom and depression if not balanced with faster waves at some point. Delta, is of course the place where the deepest restoration and revitalization happens in deep sleep, from 0 Hz to 4 Hz. They are also involved in the unconscious, autonomic bodily functions and are very prominent in infants and young children, and less so with elders. Delta waves boost the immune system and the release of healthy hormones, and are also frequently seen in meditators and those who experience paranormal phenomena, as in the Theta state. Brain waves can be highly influential in a person’s mood, but are also perhaps reflective of a person’s state and therefore adaptable and therapeutic. I’ve met a practitioner who offered sessions in low-frequency neurofeedback, whereby a specific band of a radio frequency was sent in lightning fast pulses to help stimulate the brain into balancing its brain waves. The practitioner had become involved with the technique following a traumatic brain injury and seen good results for herself and her husband, so decided to become of service to others with the method afterwards. She showed me before and after readouts of a vet with PTSD whose brain waves changed dramatically with this approach. She reported that the wife of the vet thanked her for returning her husband’s former personality to her. A study from March 2015, co-author Dr. Robert McCarley at the Boston VA Medical Center reported that a particular class of neurons in the

131 basal forebrain (GABA parvalbumin neurons) actually “trigger the creation of various brain waves that are linked to various states of consciousness.... These specific cells play a key role in triggering the synchronized rhythms that characterize conscious thought, perception, and problem solving.” By sending a laser light as a photosensitive switch, the researchers were able to switch the neurons on and produce more gamma waves that are connected to more optimal cortical activity, which are lacking in depressed or schizophrenic individuals. The exciting part of the research was the observation that waves of coherent neurological firing at a specific rhythm generates brain wave oscillations in a particular frequency range, and that there may be dedicated cells which have responsibility for that frequency. I can write about this aspect of how our beings transmit and hold the space for a variety of experiences, including how we experience ourselves, but the fact that certain frequencies have a great deal to do with how we feel and function on a daily basis is something that is still hard to grasp; easy to experience, but hard to grock. Letting it in that a fundamental part of our well-being, including

the ability to get a good night’s sleep is directly connected to brain wave frequencies would likely transform our electronic and medical worlds. The science is clear, corroborated, and reproducible, but it remains part of the ‘indivisible’ realm of concepts that society at large will likely take more time to fully digest. Once digested, most likely a deluge of products will pour onto the market whose selling point is either that they enhance brain wave states, or that they don’t interfere with them. Most of the arguments with cell phones are about the ways that they speed up brain cells like in a microwave and heats them, rather than about the ways their radiation or EMFs can alter brain wave efficiency. There are already products that produce a binaural tone a (slightly different tone in each ear that incites a wave to occur between the tones) that claim to balance brain wave states, or enhance a particular frequency to either calm, uplift or increase focus. Similar to ‘green’ products, and ‘green’ buildings, there might be ‘wavefriendly’ products and environments in the future that support maintaining a clear, calm state. It couldn’t help but enhance learning in schools, and productivity in businesses.

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The movements set up a circuit of information and response moving continuously between brain and body, which, with training and experience, rise to ever higher levels of precision, coordination, and expressive power. ~ Dalcroze

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Chapter 5

How to reeducate the body How Do the Mind and Body Learn?

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ne of the most important features the body and mind both have and are dying for you to know, is that they are both receivers and transmitters of information that they are not attached to if you aren’t. One could say that you are the glue that holds the information together based upon how important it is to you and how often you think you need to use it. True, a lot of what goes in is subconscious, but the impressions are still malleable and can be relearned in a more balanced form. In any given moment the system is processing millions of bytes of information on your behalf and mobilizing the most effective means of carrying out your response to whatever circumstance

it’s presented with. For efficiency’s sake, most of those responses are going to be learned or conditioned reactions simply because they’re faster. There are several keys that facilitate learning something new or replacing something old that are sectioned in this chapter. Once you’ve learned how to drive a car you don’t have to relearn it. It is stored in your system. At the same time those foundation motor programs are in place to judge the distance from the next car, from the median strip, the speed of the cars in front of you, the position of your hand on the steering wheel, and other details that require the use of splitsecond timing, your conscious mind is available to turn on the radio, roll Chapter 5

134 down the window, adjust your posture, notice an opening in the lane next to you, or many other immediate options you may have while remaining steady in the middle of your lane at the correct speed. If you’ve learned on an automatic, your body or mind are not attached to staying with that muscle memory if you decide to drive a stick shift. If you’ve gotten used to a larger vehicle

or an SUV, your system will adjust to a sports car if you so choose. If there’s no resistance in your mind about it, your body will easily go along and change your muscle memory for you. If you can sense, you can learn. Keep in mind those ways that the body communicates with itself, as the neurophysiology of the process will be at play while the psychological aspects are being sorted out.

Early Childhood Stimulation During the first years of each life there is a period of neuronal proliferation when the brain produces new nerve cells at rates varying from 700 to 40,000 per second in preparation for whatever that individual may need to learn (Drs. Bryan Kolb and Gibb, Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). Initially undifferentiated, the cells begin to migrate along the fibrous pathways formed by radial glial cells from the sub-ventrical area to particular cortical regions as the brain begins to take the shape of a human brain. Although the capacity is inherent, pathways need to form for Somatic IntelligenceTM

the circuits to be connected and be able to function properly. The first circuits are those for vision and hearing, after which language and cognitive circuits begin to form, greatly assisted by stimulation from the environment. Once the basic, foundation circuits are formed, more and more complex abilities can build upon the earlier established competencies. Many children are able to learn several languages or become proficient in a musical instrument during this highly receptive period that is supported by structural readiness. On the other hand, here is when the ‘use it or lose it’ rule applies

135 perhaps the most rapidly. If there is limited stimulation from the environment, if a child’s nutrition is poor, or if the surroundings are stressful or traumatic the brain’s potential development may be much more limited. The results of a six-year study with over 300 participants using over 800 MRI scans to observe brain development, the researchers found the gray matter of children from the nation’s poorest households to be 8 - 10% smaller in volume than their middle class counterparts (JAMA Pediatrics, 2015). Maturational lag was discovered in frontal, temporal, and hippocampal regions of the brain affecting skills related to reading, comprehension, critical thinking, language usage, and associative learning. The researchers posit that these findings may explain the difference in achievement scores which were 15 - 20% lower for children from impoverished homes. As a school psychologist administering intelligence and achievement tests, I saw a 10 to 15 point difference in the scores of the children I tested that were clearly based upon other factors than economics, perhaps involving neglect, trauma, and emotional issues. There is more to be understood here about the fluidity of the expression of a person’s capabilities, part of which could involve what personal factors ‘jam up the works’ in any testing situation. Over half of the children in a class of 9-year olds got sick including my granddaughter when testing was suddenly required in her class at the charter school she attended. There was

clearly an emotional component to the idea of being tested, judged, measured or scored based upon a performance. Some individuals will be more able than others to modulate or adapt to those stresses, but then something else is being measured than what the children are capable of achieving. Perhaps if some training on test taking in a more relaxed, playful way happened first in earlier grades, the pressure wouldn’t detract from what they were able to express. In this, and probably many other cases, stress and emotional overload will have an impact on cognitive processes including memory. It’s being emphasized throughout this text that the mind, personality, emotions, and structure and function of the brain are inseparable. Nonetheless, early opportunities for sensory stimulation, social milieu with emotional support, nutrition, and calm, safe surroundings make a big difference in the brain’s development and its ability to take advantage of those proliferation years when the nervous system is preparing itself for what’s ahead. When trying to learn anything, it’s much easier to learn in a quiet environment so the brain can more easily focus (unless you’re a sensation-seeker). Imagine trying to hear the doorbell if a marching band was playing in your living room. It is like that if you’re asking the body or the brain to make changes and receive new information when there’s a lot of noise or stimulation in its nervous or proprioceptive (sensing) system - the system it uses to communicate with itself. Chapter 5

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Various Types of Conditioning Whatever the circumstances, learning is always taking place. There are several different ways that the environment can trigger recognition in the central nervous system. One is the ‘primacy vs. recency’ principle. The often heard phrase that ‘first impressions are lasting’ can be very true since the brain will usually pair a person, concept, or situation with the first thing that accompanied the experience. The brain will also tend to remember either the first thing among a list of associations, or the last thing, so if you don’t open well be sure to be a great closer. Earlier in this text, Donald Hebb’s discovery revealed that ‘cells that fire together, wire together.’ This is part of why the first impression sticks, and there’s also the other side of that theory in which ‘cells that fire apart wire apart.’ Somatic IntelligenceTM

There is already more circulation rushing through certain areas of the brain in a novel situation, meaning that the brain is paying closer attention, and once the situation is assessed, the system settles again. It’s instinctual. You’ll notice animals doing the same thing when you first come into their space, and after they check you out they’ll go back and lie down. If there’s something that stands out the first time you encounter someone or some situation, it is much more likely you’ll retain it the next few times you experience that same person or that same situation. The mind or body can intentionally or unintentionally be conditioned based upon pairings in proximity. Classical conditioning was made famous by Ivan Pavlov in the early

137 1900’s when he observed a dog salivating with the sight of food and became curious about the phenomena. He was then able to pair another association with the sight of the food, for example the sound of a bell or the appearance of the person carrying the food, and train the dog’s salivation to happen with the person or the sound of the bell even if the food wasn’t present. For Pavlov the conditioning was intentional in order to train the dog’s response, but for the dog it was an unconscious or unintentional pairing that had become wired in his brain. I remember the same thing happening when I’d become infatuated with a boy in high school who drove and gold Chevy with a black top. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him come up the street on his way to my house in that car, but pretty soon whenever I saw a car like his anywhere in the city my heart still fluttered in anticipation that he might be in the car, even though there was almost always someone else inside. Operant conditioning is when you can change voluntary behaviors using either positive or negative reinforcement. I might add that we unconsciously reinforce responses that we don’t want on a regular basis, but first let’s talk about the intentional method of creating change in behavior, most often used by parents and teachers. Positive reinforcement is when you add something rewarding to increase the likelihood that a desired behavior will be repeated, like giving your child a hug and a smile for tak-

ing their plate off the table and putting it in the dishwasher. Negative reinforcement is removing something that a person desires in order to increase the likelihood of a behavior you’d like to see more of, such as a parent withholding the child’s allowance unless they complete their chores or finish their homework. An interesting study by Julie Norem and Edward Chang revealed that people with defensive pessimistic personalities dipped by as much as 30% in their performance when encouraged, because negative thinking produced a motivational edge that feel ing relaxed and happy watered down (Journal of Clinical Psychology, 2002) The opposite was true for ‘strategic optimists’ whose performance dipped 30% with the introduction of tension-building negative thoughts. In this sense, what ‘positive’ or ‘negative’ means could be subjective and dependent upon the context. Another form of negative reinforcement is when an undesirable or uncomfortable stimuli becomes associated with what would have been an unconditioned event, such as spanking a child for playing with matches. The pain of the spanking along with the tone of voice, aggression, and disapproval of the parent become very strong reinforcement for the child to avoid the matches in the future. The idea, of course, is that the sensations, emotions, the biochemistry, energetic impressions, visual and auditory data become stored in a bundle or gestalt in memory. The risk, however, with this Chapter 5

138 type of conditioning is that the parent can also become associated with those negative feelings elicited by the spanking, vocal tone, facial expression and aggression. A deep conflict can arise within the psyche whereby love and bonding become paired with fear, pain, threat, punishment, shame, and so many other uncomfortable impressions. In rebellion or assertion of independence, the child could still be drawn toward a relationship matching those imprints or unconsciously become ‘addicted’ to negative attention. We learned in our program for educators at Kent State, that the better way to teach a child to avoid things that aren’t safe, is to distract them toward something more fun with a smiling parent who will then join them in the other activity. Then no negative charge becomes connected to the matches or to the parent; aggression doesn’t become part of the child’s association with intimate relationships, and the household can be childproofed to take as many potentially harmful experiences or objects as possible out of play. It’s much better for any developing body or mind to learn through reward, through openness, a sense impression of ‘yes’, and

Somatic IntelligenceTM

in general positive reinforcement for the behaviors we want to encourage. Time out has been a popular form of negative reinforcement for undesirable behavior, which can have its usefulness when the emphasis is only on the inappropriateness of the behavior, rather than of the child. What reinforces learning as much as the charge associated with an object, event, or behavior is repetition. Repeating a response establishes relevance for the brain in a way that creates a file in long-term memory. Muscle memory becomes established for the pattern that is used over and over again, becoming more and more refined, more efficient, and automatic. Once we learn how to write or speak, for example, it doesn’t have to be learned again unless something new is added like writing in calligraphy instead of regular long hand. Rumor has it that Tiger Woods became the champion that he was by practicing every single putt a minimum of 100 times a day, from one foot away, two feet, three feet, and so on. His natural talent was further developed by an incredible dedication, focus, and repetition, no longer to learn how to golf, but to establish excellence.

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Safety For most people, to be able to let go the body needs to feel safe. When the body has been under enough pressure, strain, or injury to produce a symptom of pain or real stiffness that limits your range of motion or comfort in moving, it’s also begun to protect itself. When entering into a relationship with your body, it’s important to establish trust. One of the ways trust is established is to listen and understand what your body wants to communicate to you. Stiffness or weakness is a sign, a signal. There is always a reason for whatever the system decides to do, although we don’t always understand the reason when the symptom first arises. One of the best ways to gain entry into the reeducation process and gain trust is to provide a safe environment through gentle listening, and by not making any sudden moves or demands that might evoke or increase a painful response in your system.

Finding a very comfortable position and wearing loose, comfortable clothing that don’t bind anywhere is an easy place to begin. Moving slowly and gently in the safest direction that elicits the least amount of force or resistance will facilitate a non-threatening exploration of the possibilities, wherein the body can more easily relax and release its guarding. Whether exploring movements on your own, or with the guidance of a practitioner, safety will be an important message for your body to hear. When you experience the physical sensation of support for any limb that has been injured, it becomes similar to emotional support for the heart; it helps the body feel more secure and less likely to guard itself with tension. In cases with injury, or in cases of chronic stress or trauma whether emotional or physical, a firm, supportive, yet gentle contact will be more settling for the system.

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Motivation One of the main reasons that motivation assists learning is due to the level of excitation and attention it can produce in the brain, mind, and energy. There are two basic forms of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. A couple of decades ago, researchers reported in general that motivation helps students determine goals and helps to direct their behavior toward those specific goals. Motivation increases the effort and energy spent in the direction of one’s goals as well as effecting whether the goal is pursued enthusiastically, wholeheartedly, or apathetically. It also increases the likelihood that the student will initiate and persist in activities that forward the achievement of their goal (Maehr & Meyer, 1997; Pintrich et al., 1993, Csikszentmihalyi & Nakamura, 1989). When a person is involved in an activity that is intrinsically motivated - an activity is the person wants to Somatic IntelligenceTM

do - it gives them pleasure in some way. If it helps them to develop a skill they think is important, if it feels to them to be ethically or morally right, they are more interested in the means rather than the end. These people are more often completely absorbed in the task, lose track of time, they become completely focused in a way that helps them voluntarily complete assignments, they are eager and excited to learn, and process the information more easily. Extrinsically motivated learners who perform more for getting a better grade, for money, for recognition participate more for the ends rather than the means, may not enjoy the process as much, but have been seen to develop intrinsic motivation once the external rewards show themselves. We think of the neurological benefits of motivation in the case of somatic education when we’re wanting to reorganize dysfunctional mo-

141 tor patterns and reestablish balance in the system. Motivation produces increased openness in the mind, readiness reflected in the parietal lobe, increased blood supply, potentially broader spectrum muscle activation, improved memory capabilities and the like when the person is motivated to learn how to self-regulate as opposed to having someone fix the problem for them. I spoke earlier of the impact of intention on DNA and the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton regarding the effects of belief on our system. I can attest to the amazing difference that shows up in the musculoskeletal system when the person has a belief or expectation about the prior success of this work.

In addition to the client’s increased excitement and anticipation, the responsiveness of their bodies to the mind’s expected outcome is almost immediate. If you expect that the method will work, your body aligns and cooperates with that expectation and delivers the result. Even more amazing, is that when the client has been told that there’s no reason for the old pattern to return, it rarely does if they believe that to be true. It’s not that we have control over everything the body does, but if there’s no conflict in your mind about whatever the body is engaged in, the likelihood that your system will organize according to the goal or intention you’re holding is much greater.

High level athletes who use their bodies in a refined way on a regular basis usually also are highly motivated and have a system that’s open, receptive, spontaneous, and quick to reorganize.

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Novelty One of the ways the brain is wired to pay attention is when something novel enters its environment. It’s natural to become alert with curiosity for self-preservation reasons, but also because something unfamiliar can create unbiased alertness that is a framework for learning. Infants are naturally curious and drawn to touch, taste, and play with almost anything just to experience it. Practitioners of somatic education will often use an unfamiliar position for the body to do a movement or to introduce a passive motion for that reason. There will be a large amount of circulation and neruronal activation present to comprehend the novel position and to ascertain what is being requested of those muscle groups.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

The other helpful tapestry that’s been evoked is one without conditioned reactions wired into it. Although the body has many programmed responses to being in an upright position in gravity, there aren’t nearly as many programs for what a person might do face down, or on their sides. Exercises aren’t often done while lying on your side, so the brain can be very alert and interested in how to do it, while not as easily triggering the imbalances that it’s used to in an upright or standing position. Whether a practitioner is guiding the novel movement, or you go to a class that uses dance movements you’ve never done before, or try floor exercises that are new for you, the body will be more likely to respond in a fresh way.

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Mirror Neurons Italian researcher and neurophysiologist, Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti, stumbled onto the phenomenon of mirror neurons in the 1990’s while using electrodes with the brains of macaque monkeys to observe activity during specific motor behavior. He discovered that not only does the motor activity generate the same basic neuronal firing in the monkeys observing the macaque being tested, but the observer monkeys also registered the facial expression of the tested monkey. A wave of new research ensued over the next twenty years with the excitement of this discovery which may be the answer to the 100th monkey effect, or the saying that we often learn ‘by osmosis’, or through modeling. This discovery led to the clarification that much learning happens through direct sensing rather than through thought processes. It confirms that the intentions and emotions associated with a particular muscular

activity are reflected directly in the premotor cortex and the right posterior inferior frontal gyrus. Researchers feel that the mirror neuron feature that animals and humans have could explain empathy, and how impactful social interactions can be for learning behaviors in general. Remedial therapies for stroke victims and social training for those with autism is now being explored using imitative behaviors and hand gestures, which surprisingly “stimulate the same brain circuits as complex lip and tongue movements” as well as cortical reorganization (International Archives of Medicine, 2013). Somatic educators along with instructors of dance, martial arts, or physical therapies will find comfort in knowing that their students and clients will be able to glean insights into how to retrain their bodies by how the practitioner is carrying themselves and demonstrating the desired outChapter 5

144 come. Although this mirroring faculty clearly has therapeutic implications, it has social-emotional implications as well. Like any other unconscious mechanism, there can be desirable attributes that are picked up as well as undesirable ones. Whatever the situation may be, the learning environment is ever present in the brain, and it’s up to each individual to guide the process in the desired direction with conscious intention and awareness. A body that has a high degree of somatic intelligence will learn very quickly by being with someone who is already good at whatever they want to learn. High level athletes who use their bodies in a refined way on a regular basis usually also are highly motivated and have a system that’s open, receptive, spontaneous, and quick to reorganize. The one exception for many who are otherwise fluid and responsive in their bodies, is the ability to quickly learn dance. The ability to express freely and elegantly to music is a completely different skill that requires the integration of complex, precise movements, emotions, and rhythms. Cross training from seemingly opposite skill sets like football and ballet can greatly improve the small motor participation

Somatic IntelligenceTM

needed for agility, coordination of balance and speed, control, flexibility, and efficiency of movement which conserves energy. In the same way, ballet dancers are often seen remodeling themselves in African dance classes where the body responds to rhythm in a completely new way. There it organizes in skeletal suppleness downward toward the earth, rather than a stiff pelvis with the chest lifted toward the sky in ballet. Emile Jacques-Dalcroze was one of the pioneers who began to train music students to allow their bodies to respond to the music so that playing music became more enlivened. On the other side of that coin is the body’s capacity to express and reform itself by allowing in a wider range of subtleties in rhythms and melodies of music from a variety of styles or cultures. Once the feedback loops are established in pairing sound and motion, any form of dance will be more easily learned, further expanded, and deepened by the increased range of expression. The theme here is, do something completely different with your body to increase somatic intelligence, and do it with someone who is proficient in it so your body can mirror theirs.

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How The MInd and Body Unlearn

The Importance of Starting with Neutral The body needs to be able to attend to the change you want to see, and just like the mind, it will benefit from a neurologically quiet background so it can more easily tune in. The body is certainly capable of multi-tasking, but most of that is possible because learned programs function so you won’t have to think about them. When learning or unlearning, you need as many receptors available as possible with their full participation. Otherwise, it’s like trying to explain something to someone while they’re watching television or playing a sport. Rather than trying to add something on top of a field of preoccupied tension and history of compensatory patterns that are already under strain, somatic education suggests finding a settled, neutral zone first. There are several ways to do that,

both passively and actively. A skillful somatics practitioner will palpate for lines of force and feel for where the strongest direction of pull is, or for where the tightest muscles are and how they relate to the most compressed area of the nearby joint. By following the direction of ease or applying an intentional compression (in osteopathy), or mirroring the tonus (in Hanna Somatics), the muscular or connective tissue tension goes into slack and some space opens in and around the joint. A biodynamic practitioner will quietly feel for the pace, rhythm, and amplitude of the cranial rhythm and either wait for or facilitate the system coming to rest in a neutral place or still point. Stringed instruments are reported to be very calming for the nervous system (only if you enjoy them) opChapter 5

146 timizing learning, so playing Indian or Western classical music in the background can also be balancing. A meditation or chi kung practice can accomplish the same ends by calming and focusing the mind, opening to the natural flow of chi through the use of breath and specific postures and movements, at times adding the use of sound. Certain mantras can attune your energy to harmonious frequencies and support calm, neutrality in the body and mind. Witnessing or contemplation methods described in the next chapter will accomplish this effectively, or if you’re already familiar with controlled movement as a dancer, martial artist, or athlete, for example, doing somatic exercises will serve the same purpose of signaling a reset.

It’s very helpful to neutralize the imbalances in your system on a muscular or skeletal level, including reducing emotional, energetic, or fluid restrictions in order to optimize the effects of the movements and minimize strain. Disciplined use and care of the gross physical body can greatly support the awakening of the subtler energies with their various gifts and capacities to nourish and heal. Yet a great deal of vitality and well-being can also be restored in the physical before accessing the subtler energies. Part of what is required is slowing down. When your condition feels acute, it’s advisable to use the passive or witnessing methods to settle first, rather than using exercise.

Giving Change Time The mind and its corresponding musculature and biochemistry can spring into action within milliseconds. Returning to its resting baseline, however, can take minutes, hours, and is some cases, for fluidbased rather than neuron-based inSomatic IntelligenceTM

formation delivery, it can take a couple of days. In a fast-paced life, the call to action is fairly ongoing so the muscular and mental excitation, and the biochemical responses connected to them quickly become cumulative. Whether it’s the stress of particular

147 situations like work issues, family conflicts, surgery or injury complications, or the activity of having a level of responsibility that doesn’t allow for breaks during the day to unwind, the timing factor plays a major role in the body’s ability to restore itself. Either from sleep at night, naps during the day, a mini walk in the park during lunch break, or a short meditation before dinner, the body and mind will need time to complete their processing cycles. The body or the mind will respond better to receiving new information once it is in a quieter, more neutral state. Whether you choose to allow a practitioner to help bring your system into a more neutral place or you build time into your schedule to do so on your own, the benefits will come quicker and last longer if you allow the body to resolve its ‘in process’ activities. Another helpful approach is to remain as mindful as possible during normal daily activities so that posture and

the balanced use of the body is maintained while lifting, carrying, walking, writing, gardening, cycling, cleaning, or enjoying hobbies. Your skeleton and all of your tissue fields will have more ‘ears’ to hear and respond to your requests if they’re being consciously engaged with minimum extra loads or forces being applied. The neutral place can also be accomplished by conscious movement because theoretically the body can’t be engaged in both an unconscious and conscious response at the same time. If you move mindfully during the day, your system will be much less likely to build upon automatic, inlaid use patterns. It helps to keep the mind in check while using your body so the system won’t be responding to several sources of input that may not be relevant to the situation at hand. When you’re clear and focused with your intentions your body will also be able to hone i n on how to organize and support the actions most effectively.

Disciplined use and care of the gross physical body can greatly support the awakening of the subtler energies with their various gifts and capacities to nourish and heal.

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The Biomechanics of Balance If there is an unveven pull on a muscle or group of muscles, the joint they are attached to or help to articulate will not be able to move freely. For example, if the pecs are tighter than the rhomboids, the shoulder girdle will become predisposed to the anterior creating a load of posterior tension between the shoulder blades and limiting their ability to glide back and down. This is actually a very common presentation among those who spend long hours driving or on a computer. Gindler’s use of the phrase, ‘balanced tension’ to describe her work, Eutony, is a great way to summarize what helps the body’s efficacy of motion. In order to maintain the dexterity, suppleness, and responsiveness in our systems, some type of conscientious attention is needed to reduce and offset the load of gravity and the biomechanical forces required to get through any given day. Forces can build in a variety of ways since Somatic IntelligenceTM

the system is a continuous whole. It wouldn’t be uncommon for forces in the foot from walking or climbing stairs to accumulate in the calf muscles or tibia - the shin bone. Since they’re connected, the fascia, ligaments and muscles surrounding the tibia, particularly the anterior tibialis, can retain a great deal of force from those transmitted during articulation of the ankle, or the lack thereof. In the same way, the heel strike every time you take a step can spread forces from the calcaneus (heel bone) itself up through the gastrocnemius (calf) muscle or into the hamstrings. Pressures can also accumulate from postural formations that place additional loads on certain parts of a joint, or through fascial interactions that begin to clamp down on the internal organs, vessels, or nerves’ ability to move or to function freely through an articular space such as the thoracic inlet or inguinal area.

149 Whether from a static force like gravity, or an active force like motion that needs an optimally aligned structure to flow through, paying attention while sitting, standing or moving to where these forces are landing will help all rebalancing efforts to be more lasting. It will also accomplish a great

deal towards preventing issues from cropping up in the future. Part of what makes somatic intelligence so invaluable, is that once you’ve established that relationship with your system’s language, you’ll know when the imbalance is there and you’ll know how to correct it.

Understanding Your Wiring In Tom Hanna’s words, “The muscles only do what the brain tells them to do.” Everything in your system is in a feedback loop with the related nuclei in our various brains. Our intention is to become part of the brains’ sensorymotor feedback loop so we can send messages to the sensory-motor cortex in our head and ask that it makes the requested adjustments as it feeds forward to the muscles. Since the ‘mind’ and emotions are also deeply interwoven into the central nervous system as well as the musculoskeletal system, when balance is restored in your body through movement, your breath, biochemistry, your energy on

several different levels, and psychoemotional state will also improve. Each system is an indivisible thread of the entire fabric of the soma - of your being. Increasing our bodies efficacy for the rapid responsiveness of whatever is being asked increases somatic intelligence. The complexity and efficacy of how we are put together is incomprehensible in its miraculous intricacy. There are built-in multi-dimensional systems of communication that are faster than any speed we can perceive with our physical senses. There are shape-shifting molecules that can perform a variety of func-

Each system is an indivisible thread of the entire fabric of the soma of your being.

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Just like the plasticity in our brains, neural pathways, and DNA, old patterns are not written in stone.

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tions as necessary for the benefit of the whole. Every system has a form of intelligence that uses a material counterpart to encode, transmit, and decode information as well as store it as needed for the system’s benefit in future similar situations. Every system is in attendance for the optimal support, protection, learning, and forward motion of the being as it makes the best decisions momentto-moment to accomplish this. The body is not a machine, yet even a machine needs someone to turn it on, to connect it to a power source for it to run. In the same way, our bodies have a source of power and intelligence that gives and sustains its life. Our bodies are a miracle beyond imagining. This intelligence is always aware and listening, but the question is, what is it listening to? Here is the tipping point for how things move forward moment-to-moment. Our system is always listening on many levels, including the subconscious levels where decisions are being made for which information to draw from in making its choices. How each level is being addressed also affects which layer is listening, or which type of response you receive. In many way, the musculoskeletal system is a spontaneous reflection of the imprints or impressions encoded from an earlier time, since the memories can be stored in a variety of places, and can shape how the body holds itself. That being said, all systems pass

through the musculo-skeletal system, so whether or not our vessels, nerves, fluid, endocrine, emotional, energetic, or visceral systems are directly involved, their communication pathways are interrelated and will all be made aware of the status of one another’s experiences. They are so inter-connected that tensions in one area can be relieved through working in another. For example, working on the rhythm and potency of the fluid layers can relax and balance many other systems. In very practical terms, tension in the muscles can be relieved through several different systems. Tissue fields can relax by quieting the mind, through opening blood circulation, by opening energetic or neural pathways, facilitating motion of the internal organs, or by aligning or decompressing bones. Our muscles are always responding to many types of information from a variety of sources, yet they are a living responsive component of our system that can readily absorb new input and make adjustments. Just like the plasticity in our brains, neural pathways, and DNA, old patterns are not written in stone. It puts perspective on the notion, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, is there a sound?” Although our potential is practically limitless in many ways, if we are not conscious and present to the intelligent, responsiveness of our system, its capacities will be forfeited in favor of auto-pilot and its conditioning.

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The Secret to Making Change Stick One of the main ways to insure that preventative measures of self-regulation will have a lasting effect is for you to learn how to pick up the phone when your body calls. It has its own way of signaling that may be unfamiliar unless we’ve been trained to listen and respond to the first message. Many vital years in the earlier part of life are so full of energy that things heal quickly, and problems seem to take care of themselves. When the accumulation has reached a certain threshold, your immune system will tire with the load and the storage facilities in your body will need to be cleared out. That turning point is not always obvious, and there may be some initial resistance to taking action. Remember that the brain naturally will be drawn toward the path of least resistance, because it’s the fastest. There are literally more defined neural pathways where habits

have been formed, so experiences will more likely be processed along those habituated routes. Shifting will produce a slight sensation. Look at that ‘uncomfortable’ sensation as something your brain does in the face of any new challenge while it’s adjusting and figuring it out. There may be a sensation or a thought related to discomfort as established or unexamined beliefs become exposed, or the new path may be met with anticipation, excitement, and eagerness. Taking a scientific interest in the thoughts, feelings and sensations that arise when you’re facing something new as well as when you’re facing something old releases their grip on you. “I wonder what that sensation is about,” is a much more liberating thought for your system than, “I’m not used to that; it feels funny.” The former thought Chapter 5

152 leaves your bodymind open to new considerations while the latter begins a mental closure on the new and reinforces the old. Whatever the initial sensation is, everything that arises can teach you something about yourself and how you relate to your body, to your mind, and to your feeling nature that increases self-knowledge and intimacy with yourself. I’m not talking about the resistance that accompanies a sense of caution when entering a new situation or place that feels uncertain in its safety or reliability. This is a different type of awkwardness that comes with trying something new for your body when the motor programs haven’t been practiced and refined. It’s more

like trying to learn how to ski or learn a ballroom dance for the first time,. That can feel really uncomfortable if not embarrassing initially, but those sensations subside once you settle in to the learning process and give your body a chance to establish new networks that bring the dexterity, the ease, and the grace that we all hope to achieve in our bodies. Overcoming the initial resistance on those levels leads to a type of contentment that is not dependent upon any situation or on anything or anyone external and builds greater self-confidence and ease in facing new situations. Unless your body tells you otherwise in a language you’ll come to know, if you don’t mind, it won’t either.

What Your Body Is Dying for You to Know Many times being out of touch with our body can be fatal. Our system will often be developing signs and sending messages long before we begin to react, which is often when the imbalances are too great to easily undo. Times come in our lives when mainSomatic IntelligenceTM

taining balance is more tenuous than others, such as during season change when most will be more vulnerable while our systems adjust, but our bodies are almost endlessly adaptable. Your body is dying for you to know that everything it’s made of is ready

153 to hear, support, and respond to your wishes. These marvelous organisms are intelligent beyond measure. They are sensitive to degrees that are finer than air and faster than sound. Every cell is imbued with several sources and types of energy, along with micro storage and transmission systems, ready to receive and send information at the speed of light. Because many of its information programs are installed in an unconscious way in less than ideal conditions, such as poor nutrition or stress while in the womb or during childhood, or by maintaining unhealthy habits as adults, the body’s ability to hear and respond might be dampened. Our bodies and minds are picking up information all the time to help adapt to our environment, and they aren’t automatically screening the methods for how appropriate or healthy they are. Even so, the openness to modify and adapt to new messages or new circumstances is always available. A damaged nervous system can still learn. There have been cases of people who have had half of their brain removed and completed a college education, such as Elena del Peral who is currently on the Dean’s List at Curry College in Massachusetts. There were approximately 1500 such operations between 2000 and 2009 according to the Kids’ Independent Database. I’ve worked with cerebral palsy and Parkinson’s clients who learned to reorganize their system to have much less pain, more strength, and increased coordination. We are free to re-invent

ourselves on almost any level. We are much more than the image that becomes generated by impressions ingested from our family, our peers, or from other to external role models we may align with. We are much more open than that. We can set any number of goals for ourselves that our body will gladly help us to accomplish whether it be to climb the highest mountain, cross the open sea in a kayak, break a world record, create a life-saving invention, or become the best teacher in your town. Your body will absorb and synthesize any type of information you provide and help you to achieve your aim as long as you sustain the motivation and effort and optimize its ability to do so by honoring what it needs to maintain health. The marvels that can be expressed through its delicate and intricate mechanisms are infinite. It is continuously listening and responding to the direction you’ve set for it, whether consciously or unconsciously. I remember one year during the recovery from a car accident I was on the stairmaster in the gym. I kept remarking to myself how much my back hurt and questioning whether I should be doing that type of exercise. It was a choice point when discernment was necessary to determine if it really was too soon, or if I was my attitude was reinforcing the symptoms. I really didn’t know for sure but decided to check it out for myself. I began switching my thoughts to how good the exercise felt, and to how much stronger my body was becom-

It is continuously listening and responding to the direction you’ve set for it, whether consciously or unconsciously.

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154 An open system will keep the fluids, nutrition, waste removal, neural transmission and other neurophysiological aspects of health flowing and ready to face life. ing with each step. I saw an image of a little muscle man on the controls of the machine with blue wind moving through him, and I impressed that image upon my own system, imagining how much oxygen was flooding through my body to bring it strength similar to the muscle man. My body responded immediately with more energy, more stability, and more drive. The sensations of pain began to diminish along with the accompanying sense of weakness. What a revelation! Just remarking on how bad it felt was reaffirming to my body that it felt bad, injured, and weakened. As soon as I switched messages, my body heard the new program and immediately began to fulfill those impressions and intentions. I’ve repeated this practice with subsequent injuries, making sure that my thoughts and attitude weren’t making the condition remain longer than it needed to, or making it worse than it was. This method of discernment and reorganizing is not to be mistaken for ignoring or pushing through discomfort. This was specifically to correct how I was relating to the sensations and influencing my body’s delivery of them based upon my thought patterns. Your body is always reading your thoughts, and it’s a fascinating exploration to discover how much of any experience is impacted by how we Somatic IntelligenceTM

organize around it. In this case, it can simply be that certain thoughts generate contraction while others inspire opening in your system. For example, close your eyes and put your hands on your navel, then exhale and make a big frown on your face. Take a breath and exhale again, then put a big smile on your face and open your eyes at the same time. Your entire body lifts and expands as your mood does when it shows on your face. On a subtler level, even without a big change in expression you can notice your system opening or contracting in response to emotion or mood, an inner smile versus an inner disgruntled frown. An open system will keep the fluids, nutrition, waste removal, neural transmission and other neurophysiological aspects of health flowing and ready to face life. A closed system will communicate a shut-down wherein there’s a perceived need to insulate, defend or protect oneself from life. While in this mode toward the outer environment, the flow of nutrients and coordination or regulation of systems will also become restricted. In the same way, any thought about selfimage rom the inner environment can be explored in terms of where it may have originated, and whether or not it is presently serving your wellbeing. While it is natural to organize based upon the reflections of others

155 as to who we are and how we are doing, when you’re surrounded by unhealthy feedback your self-image will suffer particularly when it’s been given over to those you count on for survival. Just like any thought or feeling, the unhealthy ones can be witnessed and replaced with positive, uplifting ones that make your body smile. When you smile, your body will also, when you shrink your body will also. As soon as you become aware of beneficial influences, whether they comes from within or from without (they often begin outside of you and become internalized and mistaken for your own voice), you can change tracks. You can lay down new pathways inside your brain that your body will be just as obliging to follow as the unsatisfactory patterns. Your body is profoundly cooperative! In this sense it is innocent and neutral and listening for whatever new direction you may choose. As described in the section on resistance, there may be those initial sensations that seem to be pulling you back into the old pattern, but that’s only because it has become habituated and the body is attempting to continue on the path of least resistance. Similar to trying to change your posture, it will feel uncomfortable and imbalanced at first even though when you look in the mirror you can see that you are standing straighter.

Your internal kinesthetic sensors will take about 3 days to reset what ‘normal’ will feel like for your body according to the new positioning. For example, even though it’s off balance when a pelvis is shifted forward making the chest lean back like in senile posture, then the ribs will drop down throwing the head and neck forward, it will still feel normal once it becomes a habit. Once you understand that the sensation will come as you attempt to create a new track or pathway in your nervous system, you can wait for the awkwardness to abate and in three days your body will shift to making the former imbalanced posture feel awkward and uncomfortable. The newly formed, more balanced posture will be the one that registers as feeling normal. The languages your body can communicate in are wide and intricate, yet its ability to express them through the musculoskeletal system is more limited. The muscles basically contract or relax, but within that spectrum of responsiveness and the flexible web of connective tissue the muscles are laced with, they will continuously be coordinating the most efficient response possible given everything they have at their disposal at the time. Most importantly, your system will always be listening and responding to your guidance, thoughts, beliefs, and intentions.

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You are Freedom

Your body and everything it is made of is intelligent. It is sensitive beyond our wildest imaginings.

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The body is now, yet can seemingly transcend time. It is responsive to the impressions from many sources and from many time periods. It can carry and bring forward information from generations past and has the capacity to use its imagination to dream up and manifest your optimal future. Your mind can daydream and stream in a host of creative ideas for inventions, for music, or any expression in the arts, but the physical form of your body is now. Your mind can travel to distant places and revisit the past, pulling up vivid memories with encased sense perceptions and emotions, and you taking it on that journey will take a toll in the here and now. Actors study the movements, vocal intonations, idiosyncracies and temperaments of characters that may be non-existent but these archetypes, are made believable through their body’s ability to portray whatever is

being asked of it in the moment. As awareness you are free to engage in any number of experiences in a variety of ways either according to your predispositions and patterns, or in a spontaneous, fresh response according to what the present circumstances evoke. Your body is always available to be new for you, to call in and reflect new ideas, new behaviors, different uses of language, to form new relationships, to try new movements and process an infinite amount of new experiences. Your body and everything it is made of is intelligent. It is sensitive beyond our wildest imaginings. It could take more years than we currently have to be completely alive in it and to become fully attuned to just how incredibly sensitive our bodies can be, and to all the ways it can share what it has the ability to know. Consider the heightened faculties of other mammals and it may be easier

157 to imagine the sensitivity living creatures have been given. In addition to the discerning capacities of our senses, we humans have the unique gift of being able to turn our awareness toward consciousness itself and its unique, increased abilities. Most people who develop those abilities spend a lot of time cleansing and attuning their vehicle and its several layers. Similar to the way you would treat a finely tuned instrument, exquisite care is taken not to dull the senses with unhealthy food, behavior, or habits that might damage or restrict the delicacy of the body’s sensibilities toward its higher or more sublime expression. Not all habits or conditioning is bad. Many of the impressions we’ve received help guide us throughout our lives. Countless parents and teachers have modeled resourceful problemsolving, and responsible, kind behavior with a balanced temperament and generous supportiveness. It is our privilege to be in a position to sort through the memories, imprints and habits we’ve acquired to notice which ones are serving the healthiest guiding principles of our lives and to make the necessary adjustments when needed. Most people have a sincere desire to make a meaningful contribution to

society, or to their circle of intimates and to grow into their highest potential. We are designed to have a wondrously capable vessel to facilitate and serve whatever purpose we choose, as well as to have a great time doing so. It is our freedom to either agree with our programming and learned impressions, or to point our attention toward the balance, harmony, ease, and multi-dimensional intelligence we’ve been gifted with. At the core, we are all freedom. In that freedom, your system is open to any choices we decide to make. Your body wants you to know that it will die for you. It will soar new heights for you, scale mountains, and swim oceans for you. It will help you to achieve your wildest dreams, and move with you into profound realms of peace. Your body is energetic and resilient beyond measure, and if cared for properly, it will being you endless moments of joy, of love, of wonder, and deep gratitude. It may be stored with a myriad of impressions that seem limiting, but it is also imbued with immeasurable resources, strengths and virtues that are more than capable of resolving and navigating each experience life brings with increasing patience, clarity, and wisdom.

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To each spiritual function responds a function of the body. To each grand function of the body corresponds a spiritual act. ~ Francois Delsarte

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Deepening Your Relationship

Awareness / Presence

W

hile the brain is ready to receive new information and apply the functional feedback that produces structural changes, the process is most successful when awareness becomes activated. Awareness guides the mind’s attention, which will alert the brain to the desired action. According to Buddhist philosophy the inherent, fundamental nature of the mind is pure, clear light and the ‘knowing nature of the mind is non-material’. It can observe itself, its cognitive processes and sense impressions. Hindu philosophy would more likely label this as an attribute of consciousness,

stating that there is pure, unconditioned consciousness, then there are the manifestations of consciousness that include the physical body, the mental body, other subtle bodies and all of existence. The pioneers of the somatic education lineage used awareness as a fundamental aspect their methods. Embedded within their request to take notice of how students were using their bodies during each activity of the day was the awakening of awareness which provided enormous amounts of invaluable information. Receiving messages more consciously way opens the doors for healing Chapter 6

160 changes in a way that being on automatic pilot just can’t do. The modern term for this is mindfulness. Bringing mindfulness to movement is the foundation of t’ai chi, chi kung, ballet, and yoga, along with embodying posture that facilitates the free movement of health-giving energy to all systems. Mindfulness enhances communication and therefore builds better relationships within and between systems, while making the best use of both of the functional worlds we draw from: the unconscious and the conscious. Although it would be a challenge indeed to actually locate the ‘observer’ in the process of using a faculty of consciousness as a witness, it is the first step in becoming free from unconscious habits and impressions. There is more than one way of observing and the freest is the most detached

way whereby if labels and interpretations arise on the screen, witness them as objects on the screen rather than as something to identify with. Spiritual teachers would say that pure consciousness acts like a screen that all other phenomena appear upon. One of the goals of meditation is to identify with the screen rather than with the appearances or with the actions of the roles played on the screen. You can learn a lot about yourself through observing reactions that have been conditioned into the system by just watching them from a distance. From the distant watcher perspective, all kinds of freedom and possibilities of conscious choice arise. Whether it is called awareness, consciousness, or presence, it is all-pervasive, sensitive, intelligent and responsive, and connected to all of what you are.

One of the goals of meditation is to identify with the screen rather than with the appearances or with the actions of the roles played on the screen.

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Question What Happens in Your Mind One of my teachers likened identifying with thoughts to being taken away by a wild horse. Taking hold of the reins and steering the horse in the direction you’d like it to go in is one way of managing the stream of thoughts. In this way you’d be asking your ‘files’ to provide whatever relevant information they may have on the subject at hand, then analyzing the information against experience’s best guess as to how it may best serve your needs. With a meditation practice, however, you’d not be taking an interest in the thoughts that appear on the screen in front of your observing faculty. You’d be sitting in front of the screen and letting the horse go by, perhaps noticing the appearance of the horse, the type, the color, its features, temperament - even noticing patterns of movement. Thought may appear for a variety of reasons. Dr. Anita Ward stated in a talk given at the Cleveland Clinic that the brain produces an average of 70,000 thoughts per day. We are in constant interaction with our en-

vironment, exposed to a myriad of stimuli from within and without, resulting in the brain languaging about those interactions in a variety of ways. A thought may arise in relation to a biological need, such as, “It’s time to go to bed.” There mig be reminder thoughts about your ‘to do’ list like which errands to run, or which phone calls you need to make. An uncomfortable encounter could trigger resolution options that may stimulate different scenarios for you to consider, or old wounds that starts emotions to flow. Meditation drops most people to the Theta brain wave state, which has embedded in it past memories or impressions. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help clear the body mind of those impressions that may be unresolved or simply stored in memory due to the charge they held. Allowing them to surface without re-engaging is the secret to them no longer having a hold over you or your perception of the past. Before watching them, let’s examine what thoughts are.

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What Are Thoughts? This is a response (in a film about her) from Margaret Thatcher during a visit to the doctor. When the doctor asks her how she feels, she responds, “How I feel doesn’t matter. How I think is what matters. Watch your thoughts, for they become your words, watch your words for they become your actions, watch your actions for they become your habits, watch your habits for they become your character, watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think we become.” People can have thoughts that are dependent upon a state of mind at a particular time in their life, or according to their peer group’s inclinations or current goals. They can arise, be evoked from within, or be stimulated or transmitted from without. They can reflect many different types of experiences on many different dimensions. On one occasion when waking up from a lucid dream I noticed the images turn into a stream of sentence Somatic IntelligenceTM

s. I was amazed that my brain was thinking during sleep, and instead of using language it used iconic symbols or images to reflect the thought process. On a separate occasion, I saw what seemed like nuggets of daily experiences as energetic particles being stored in various locations in my body, also in a more iconic form until the conscious mind touched them and they shape-shifted into concepts. So the question arises whether bodily tensions are thoughts. Years ago, a friend worked in an institute connected to Trager Work where Milton Trager himself came and taught classes. His method had been effective in healing many longterm, acute or chronic conditions by opening their joints, releasing tensions, thereby mobilizing the body’s energy and resources. The friend reported that Dr. Trager placed a piece of paper with the name of a person the student had conflict with. Within an instant, the person’s pelvis shifted

163 and shortened the leg on one side. Trager repeated the experiment with several different people, at times using a word that the person hadn’t come up with themselves, and in each case if the word expressed conflict, the body contracted. On a different occasion, while making eye contact with a friend I noticed sensations of aches and pains landing in a variety of places in my system. I didn’t know how to interpret this, but assumed that something in her system was being transmitted through her eyes that my body registered through its sensory processes as painful. Maybe her body was in pain in those places, or maybe the thoughts she had were painful, I just didn’t know for sure but kept up the inquiry. This was a different phenomenon than the empathic response when you feel someone’s pain, tears, or laughter; this was a type of transmission or level of communication that carried something with it that didn’t agree with my system. We are always communicating more than just words when we interact or touch one another, and at times that other dimension can be felt or sensed as it lands in us. More recently, when contemplating my body I’ve seen the subtle contraction that happens when using the mind to think, imagine, or dream, noticing that the use of the brain in

these functions also engages motor neurons that contract the sub-occipital area as well as the dura, all the way down to the sacrum. The tension can reach the face, jaws, palate, tongue, as if the muscles used in talking are being engaged, and they are! Releasing thought, concentration and visualizing opens the entire spine, the thorax, pelvis and its energy centers. I’ve even seen releasing the involvement with the stimulation of thought eliminate tinnitus. All are good reasons to include a brief contemplation of the body before and after sleeping, and to minimize thinking while using your body to sense. The idea of what thoughts are physically made of, how people use them and how they affect us became so fascinating to me that I began to stop people on the street of different ages from a variety of backgrounds to ask a few questions about it. I made an effort to keep the questions consistent, but allowed for a natural variance in each case. Thoughts are such a powerful aspect of each life, and have such a significant impact on well-being I decided to get a conversation started about what people are doing with this powerhouse in our minds. It also is reasonable to believe that once we take a closer look at what these things are that are so central to our existence, it could make it easier to objectify them and observe them from a distance.

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Interviews on Thought Responses from Pre-Teens (10-12 years old) Lisa, 11 – Santa Monica (Student) Q: What is a thought? L: A thought is an image that pops into your head. It may give you ideas, dreams, things you want or predict that moment to be.

Q: What is the purpose of thoughts? L: Thoughts are for giving you another life other than the one you are living in. Thoughts are also for taking in every moment you are living.

Q: What types of thoughts do you have the most often? L: The thoughts that I have most often are the ways I want the moment to be like.

Olivia, 11 - Petaluma (Student): Q: Do you know what a thought is? O: It’s when you think something that’s in your head. Q: What is it though? O: An idea. Q: What does it do? What’s its function? O: It can help you, like if your thought is about homework it can help you with that, but also it can help you if you’re writing a book and thinking of ideas.

Q: What kind of thoughts do you have the most? O: Creative thoughts. Q: Really? Like what kind of creative thought? O: I don’t know, probably the kind of stuff that could never happen in real life.

Q: Like imagination? O: That’s so cool! Thank you very much.

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165 Sylvia, 12 - England (student) Q: What is thought? S: A thought is an idea that travel through your mind wondering when it will become an idea. A thought is a spark that ignites a chain reaction.

Q: What is the purpose of thoughts S: Thought are for storing. Thoughts are things that hold on to imagination in order for us to stay human.

Q: What kind of thoughts do you have most often? S: I have thoughts most of the time about my dream job: an OB/GYN. I have thoughts about what it will be like to look at ultrasounds that I created, and looking at happy mothers-to-be.

Janice, 11 - Burbank (student) Q: What is a thought? J: A thought is something that you imagine, or it could have something to do with your feelings...Happy or sad thoughts.

Q: What is the purpose of thoughts? J: Thought are for making decisions and coming up with ideas. Q: What type of thoughts do you have most often? J: I usually have nervous thoughts. I worry a lot about schoolwork, ballet, and so much more.

Responses from Teanagers (13-19 years old) Zyada, 19 - Miami Q: What is a thought? Z: Your way of thinking. Every person has their own different beliefs; like what they believe in.

Q: What does it do in your life? How does thought function in your life? Z: It’s a way for me to choose what I want to do; to make decisions on my own.

Q: What do you spend most of your time thinking about? Z: My future. Q: Really? Z: Yeah - all the time! Chapter 6

166 Reyna, 14 – San Francisco Q: What is your definition of a thought? R: Something you think about, or something you think pretty much. Q: What do you do with thoughts? R: It helps you choose and think about stuff that can happen? Q: How do you use thoughts? R: I don’t know. It’s not something I really think about. Q: What are the kind of thoughts you usually have? R: My family and my future.

Jessica, 15, Los Angeles (student) Q: What is thought? J: A thought is a picture or idea wandering your mind. Q: What is the purpose of a thought? J: The purpose of a thought is to open up new doors to explorations or theories you could never have otherwise gained knowledge of, or to just simply pass the time in a crucial state of boredom.

Q: What are the type of thoughts that you have most often? J: When I fall into my thought, I usually reminisce about childhood or worry about some upcoming test or homework or other responsibility I need to or have failed to attend.

Responses from people in their 20’s Jose’, 21 - Mexico (cashier) Q: What is your definition of a thought? J: A thought is the first thing that comes into your head when someone tells you something.

Q: What is it though? J: I don’t know. The first thing that comes into your head... Q: What is the function of a thought? J: I don’t know. Q: What is the purpose of a thought? J: I don’t know; to let you know how your brain works. That’s the only thing I can think of. Somatic IntelligenceTM

167 Q: Okay, what are the types of thoughts that you have most often? J: About sports.

Ejea, 20, Richmond (salesperson) Q: What is a thought? E: A thought to me is a creative process. Q: How does it function? What do thoughts do? E: Implements almost like an imaginary world or a fantasy world. At least that’s how I see it. I draw so...

Q: You’re an artist? E: Yes. Q: Okay, so that’s how you use thoughts or how they come to you. What are the type of thoughts that you usually have?

E: A lot of my thoughts are creation. I like to create imaginary worlds in my mind than draw it out on paper.

John, 24, Los Alamedos (hotel clerk) Q: What is thought? J: Something that comes in your mind. Q: What is it though? J: That’s a hard question. Something you hear in your subconscious mind. Q: What is the purpose of thought? J: I think it’s to help you in everyday life. It gets you through a lot. Like for me, I know because I like to exercise and without my mind I wouldn’t be able to keep doing exercising and keep dieting.

Q: And what are the type of thoughts you have the most often. J: About my goals and my dreams and to keep working harder.

Ryan, 28, CA (security guard) Q: What is thought? R: A thought to me is like a dream. Thinking. Q: What’s the function or purpose? R: Using your brain. Q: And what does that do? R: It’ll help you during the day - thinking about good and bad - stuff like that. Chapter 6

168 Q: And what are the types of thoughts that run through your mind the most? R: Getting money, pretty much. How else can you get through your life? So that’s pretty much what I think of all day, and bills.

Responses from people in their 30’s Keith, 34 - (insurance broker) Q: How would you define a thought? K: Anything that comes to mind, I guess. Q: The thought is something that comes to your mind, but what is it? K: That’s a hard one; I don’t how to describe a thought. A thing that comes to your mind?

Q: How does it function? What is the function of thought? K: It comes from your brain, from past experiences I guess. Maybe it comes from the future in thinking about what you want to do?

Q: What is the purpose of thought? K: To get you to do something; to motivate you to do something or initiate something, but I guess it can come from the past too. There’s all kinds of different thoughts are manufactured in your brain. Like if someone’s birthday is coming up you want to think about what to do for their birthday, but if someone’s hurt you before or if you injure yourself you want to think about not having that happen again so experience in the past helps you think about future things.

Q: Yes, learning is an important use of thought. Anything else? K: I can’t think of anything else.

Sonia, 32 - El Savador (elder care) Q: What is a thought? S: I don’t know. Q: Honest answer. What is its function? S: It’s like helping people out. Q: How do thoughts help people? S: To see what they want to do, or to determine what needs to be through thinking stuff through. Somatic IntelligenceTM

169 Q: What’s the purpose of thought? S: To get your ideas situated. Q: What kind of thoughts do you usually have? S: Making sure my kids are in school, having fun with them, and being at work on time.

Responses from people in their 40’s Sala, 44 - Fiji (caregiver) Q: What is a thought? S: For me, thought is an idea or issue you feel like you want to know more about, and you don’t have answers to it.

Q: Is that what makes you have a thought? S: If something bothers me, I will try to get to the bottom of it one way or another. I always want to find out the why, or the how, or the ‘what if’. I will think about it all the time, day and night, until I figure it out.

Q: How do thoughts function? S: Thoughts function in ways that motivate me, they make me who I am because it makes me drive on so that I get what I want that bothers me a lot. It builds my character into who I am; it builds my knowledge to know more of everything.

Steve, 49 - Pennsylvania, (physician) Q: What is the anatomy and physiology of a thought? S: Wow. Of everything that they’ve been able to do scientifically - drugs that have been able to manipulate your thoughts, make you happy, calm you down - whole area of science is dedicated to it, but no one knows what the anatomy of a thought is. We know how neurons interact with each other, we know how information gets from one neuron to an other neuron, we know areas where things get assembled, we see what happens when they disappear or break down. We see the outward appearance, but what makes you think what you think? No one really knows what that is. I believe it comes from a deeper place.

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170 Q: What are its constituents? What are they actually made of? Like hor mones are some type of protein are they not? S: Hormones control the room; they make the room hot or cold, but whether or not you enjoy hot or cold I think is based on the experiences. Experiences might be inculcated in you from your parents, from your culture, from good or bad experiences. But somehow, some deep part of you manifests desires. Freud would talk about the ego and the superego and how these relate to each other. I don’t think of it in those terms. I think we come here with some thoughts already in the machine, and whether God gave them to you or whether they came from another lifetime, I wouldn’t know which but you came here with something that you wanted to learn. Those desires express themselves as thoughts. But what makes them anatomically...?

Q: What are they made of? S: Whatever it is that you want, or that you think you truly want, you use the mechanism of your brain to communicate them to other people.

Q: No, not what it’s made of that way. Let’s say this couch is made up of leather and wood, and stuffing, what exactly is a thought made up of? S: I think your thoughts are an energy. Your thoughts are not a palpable thing. It’s not a piece of your brain. A piece of your brain is where the thoughts go through a receiver or transeiver, and if the mechanism isn’t working right, other people can’t understand what you’re trying to communicate to them. But that thought I believe is an energy. That’s a really difficult question. It’s an energy, or maybe a thought comes after a feeling. Maybe a thought is an interpretation you have after you feel something. A thought’s kind of - I’m not helping myself out here the longer I talk! (Laughter) A thought maybe is an analysis after you’ve had a feeling. ‘I’m hungry’, is a feeling, then you start thinking about what it is you’re hungry for - you start to interpret your feelings. Thoughts are not made of any tissue in your body, so I can only interpret as an energy.

Laura, 47 - Phoenix (store manager) Q: What is your definition of a thought? L: I never really thought that out! My definition of a thought is something that comes to mind spontaneously.

Q: And what’s its function? L: This is deep! It’s function is to.... it’s hard to put that into words, because for me - do you mind if I break it down? Somatic IntelligenceTM

171 Q: No. L: I have a husband with health issues, so thoughts are always coming to my mind about his health and how to resolve that. Thoughts come to me differently because I’m so often dealing with health issues.

Q: So the thoughts you have most often are in how to resolve health issues? L: Yes, most of the thoughts that come to my mind involve my husband’s health. In my mind I’m trying to work out how to work through it so I can help him be better.

Mike, 49, San Francisco (labor movement) Q: What is thought? M: Thought is a pool, sometimes deep sometimes shallow, to bathe in or to wade in where a person can find answers.

Q: What is the purpose of thought? M: To find those answers. Q: What kind of thoughts do you have the most? M: How I can best improve myself.

Responses from people in their 50’s Vicki, 50 - Buffalo (business consultant, author) Q: What exactly is a thought? V: I think I would define it in two different ways. Thoughts for me are like connecting two different pieces of information that formulate a cohesive statement or message in my brain that is a thought. It gets created based on information - like data. I have this ability to be able to see information and that creates a story and that story causes a thought to come into my head that then becomes a verbal expression more often than not.

Q: I’m going to interrupt you for a second. So you have a stream of something in your head that produces a thought afterwards, but what is the thought itself? V: Usually for me, I don’t think of it as events, I think of it as data. So that data comes together that then starts to weave a story, then my brain starts to put together those pieces that weaves together a picture or a story that becomes the thought. Chapter 6

172 Q: Okay, so the thought is the picture or a story? V: Yes, it’s a compilation of data. That’s the first answer I would have; the second answer I would have is that in the last couple of years I have become acutely aware of that part of me that is natural knowing or my intuitive self, or my direct bypass from God, or my spiritual self or my soul that connects through me that I become the vessel of communication for. That thought appears that is a direct download from someplace else. When those thoughts, or pictures, images or words come in my head words show up and they are a little persistent, I speak them. I don’t take any credit for them, I just happen to be the vehi t. I actually believe that a lot of my work in the world is my merely being a conduit.

Q: My next question is - and maybe part of the answer was in your last response - but how do thoughts function in yourself or in your life?

V: What do you mean by function? Q: How do they act? In biology you would say that the anatomy is what it is, and the physiology is what it does... how it functions.

V: My first thought is that it functions as a way of formulating information such that it can be communicated.

Q: How does it move? How does it travel? V: That’s not registering for me how it moves in relation to thought... Q: If you share or express a thought, how would it move? V: I guess it would move or travel by virtue of language, whether that’s verbal or it might be written. If I were a painter it might be expressed by painting or if I were a musician it might be expressed through notes on a page, or through cooking for me. I might express thoughts through cooking.



From Vicki - A quote from Margaret Thatcher:

“ This is a response from Margaret Thatcher on a visit to the doctor when the doctor asks her how she feels. She responds. “How I feel doesn’t matter. How I think is what matters. Watch your thoughts, for they become your words, watch your words for they become your actions, watch your actions for they become your habits, watch your habits for they become your character, watch your character, for it becomes your destiny. What we think we become.”

V: So my thoughts about all of that is that it is our beliefs that drive our thoughts, and those thoughts become the set of filters through which we see the world. So I think a lot of what limits us is actually our thoughts because of our beliefs.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

173 Suvit, 52, Thailand (car mechanic) Q: What is thought? S: Thought? Like what? Q: The thought itself. What is it? S: Usually I go day by day. Q: Usually, you don’t think? You don’t have thoughts? S: Not too much. Not usually. Q: Interesting! What’s the purpose or function of thoughts? S: For future. Usually thought is for the future. Q: When you have them, what are the kind of thoughts you have? S: Usually healthy thoughts. Q: Healthy thoughts or thoughts about health? S: About health. Q: You think about health in your fifties, right? (Laughter)

Ariel, 57, New Jersey (optometrist) Q: What is a thought? A: I have no clue. I’ll say it’s a concept, it’s a vision, it’s a desire, it’s a feeling; a feeling that forms inside your inner being. I guess there are different kinds of thoughts. There’s thoughts you’re bombarded with all day long then there are the thoughts that come from inside our being from our soul level that are connected with our life path to guide us through the experiences we chose to come here for. Then there’s the thoughts of my wife who wants me to do what she wants me to do, (laughter) or the culture or the government - their thoughts of what they want you to do.

Q: What’s the purpose of thought? A: Entertainment. Something to do while we’re here instead of staring at our navels.

Q: What are the types of thoughts you have the most? A: I’d say thoughts of practical world thoughts of what I need to do in my business. It’s almost like I feel to be here in this world I have to get involved in those thoughts when I’d rather be sitting out in nature open to contemplating the Universe, and life, and the essence of life. We had a period in our life like that, but now Existence has us in the marketplace, working in the marketplace with the day-to-day ‘chop wood, carry water’, ‘put one foot in front of the other’ thoughts.

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174 Dr. Chris, 55, Nigeria (clinical psychologist) Q: What is the anatomy or the form of a thought - a definition? C: A thought is something that actually is generated from our conscious environment, depending on what the spiritual interaction in us is trying to express.

Q: You’re saying it’s an expression of our environment? C: Yes, it’s a conscious interaction of our environment and our inner spiritual being in direct manifestation of how those interactions of the two different levels of the human being. For example if I’m in an environment where there is music, my conscious self along with my spiritual self will begin to generate a relationship of that environment as it relates to my consciousness and my inner spirit.

Q: Okay, and that relationship will express itself in thoughts? C: Yes, that’s exactly how thought is generated. Q: Okay, and what is the function, or the physiology - what is the action of thoughts? What do they do?

C: Thoughts establish a relationship or direction of action. It induces you to make choices. The manifestation of those relationships between your conscious self and often your unconscious self.

Q: Say again the part about what is subconscious most of the time? C: Right. A lot of times the subconscious component is really generated within the conscious part of us depending upon the relationship between them. In many ways we are thinking subconsciously, or we are thinking consciously.

Q: How do you often use your thoughts, or what are the types of thoughts that cross your mind the most often? C: That’s a good question because it depends on the level of frequency, or it depends on what is more important to you at that particular point in time. Right now, if I am hungry the thoughts that I will be having are more physiological thoughts that have a relationship to the type of food I like. If I am thinking about going out on a date, the thoughts are going to center around my previous experience and my current experience about what is about to happen.

So it depends; on any given day I have different thoughts. As a healer, when I’m in a professional zone, most of my thoughts will center around my client that I may be working with. Sometimes it may be about a loved one, so it’s very difficult to really establish which type of thoughts I have the most. It may revolve around this particular person getting well, and feeling happy and getting to do Somatic IntelligenceTM

175 what they love to do. So, it varies and in my own case, I have several different projects and on any particular day I may have thoughts around that project.

Q: Okay, thank you very much!

Kim, 57, Kentucky (professional baseball league) Q: What is thought? K: Your emotional response to everything that going on around you. Q: What’s the function or purpose of thought? K: To make you make choices in what you’re going to be doing, either immediately or long term.

Q: What are the types of thoughts you have the most often? K: Constant thought about anything and everything!

Freddie, 53, Los Angeles (detective) Q: What is thought? F: The best I can come up with is that thought is a dream. Q: What is the purpose of thought? F: The purpose of thought I believe is to dream. I think it, I dream it as a thought, and I execute it as life, so my thoughts are my dreams.

Q: What are the types of thoughts you have most often? F: Money, money, and money.

Responses from those in their 60’s Joyce, 69 - Retired, Denmark Q: What is thought? What is a thought? J: Wow. What you feel and believe and what you see and how you take that in and - I’m not sure what you call that. It can be on all kinds of subjects, I’ll have to think about it some more ( laughter). I guess it’s part of what you are, what your being is, what your experiences have been shapes it... I don’t know how to answer it.

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176 Q: Okay. What is its function or purpose? What does it do? J: It takes you forward in where you want to go or what you want to do. It gives you a picture of how you see the world. Feelings come into it. Wow - these are difficult questions. I should have thought about this earlier.

Q: I guess I wanted the answers to be unprepared. What are the type of thoughts you have the most often? J: I think mostly gratitude, and that’s feelings - it’s not really thoughts. I think about the people in my life and how they are - not just how they are with their health, but who they are and how they think, and how knowing someone else is like trying to think like them. I don’t know what to say about it.

Rhodessa, 68, Sacramento (sales) Q: What is thought? R: That’s a good question. Thought is the live energy either positive or negative to be able to evaluate who you are, where you are, what’s going on around you, or to come up with a solution to a proble.

Q: I was going to ask next what’s the function of it, although you kind of answered it in the last question. R: It would be an awful existence if there was no thought’ if you didn’t know anything, you didn’t see anything, you weren’t able to conclude anything. It would be like being a vegetable or a rock. Just the ability to think elevates our existence.

Q: What are the types of thoughts you have the most often? R: Most of the time with the economy the way it is I think about money. I think about ways that I can improve my environment around me at home and in the family. I think about my grandchildren.

Kurt, 64, Germany (import/export) Q: What is thought? K: It’s a process in the brain. Thought is a process in the brain that evolution put there. That’s my best answer to that.

Q: What’s the purpose or function of thought? K: I don’t know. Q: What are the types of thoughts you have the most often? K: I think about a lot of things. I think about where to relax, if the money’s sufficient, what next project I should start... Somatic IntelligenceTM

177 Mike, 67, Ohio (college professor) Q: What is the anatomy or form of a thought? M: It depends on what level you’re asking. Q: You can give an answer on different levels if you like. M: I imagine that physiologically it’s energy in brain traveling through a certain connecting path, or something like that. Another way of looking at it is a kind of ethereal, conceptual event that can either reflect or precede the event. It has to do with imagination, it may have to do with sensory experience that gets re-articulated in the mind or in consciousness.

Q: What is the function of thought, or what do they do? M: It depends. Creatively it’s a way to conceive of possibilities in the physical world. Metaphysically, it’s a way of creating reality for your lived experience. It’s also a way of processing your lived experience; it’s a way of, in come ways knowing you’re alive. If you look at Descartes who said, “I think, therefore I am”, it’s an aspect of being; being aware of one’s consciousness and one’s being.

Q: Okay. The last question is what are the type of thoughts you find yourself having the most often? M: I don’t know. Depending on what’s going on in life, I’m thinking about possibilities of around them, in terms of golf, in terms of art, in terms of managing my life, love in my life, in terms of making sure desires such as food or things like that. I think a lot of thoughts pretty regularly.

Responses from those in their 70’s and 80’s James, 72, San Francisco (car salesman) Q: What is thought? J: Something I’m creating in my mind. A creation Q: How does it function? What does it do? J: Something that I’m creating in my mind, then I apply it in my life. I get a thought, I put it together, then I use that thought I create and then I use it in my life.

Q: How does it move or travel? J: From my mind, hands, ears, eyes, and then I put it out into the world. It’s something that I create in my mind, then I use my body for it to travel out to the world. Chapter 6

178 Dan, 70, Hollywood (insurance) Q: What is your definition of thought? D: Your mind searching for answers. Q: What is the purpose or function of thought? D: To find what you’re searching for. (Laughter) Q: What do they do? D: They probably give you some sort of guidance. Q: And what are the types of thoughts you have most often? D: Oh my gosh - when should I retire? (Laughter)

Farshad, 71, Iran (construction) Q: What is a thought? F: For me right now a thought is about getting cured; I’m sick. I just had a heart and kidney transplant about a month ago. That’s why I’m sitting in the car and not going into the store.

Q: Oh, so sorry. You’ve already answered my third question, but now I will ask what is your definition of thought? F: I didn’t really think about it. I think it’s everything going through your mind.

Q: And what is the function of thought? What does it do? F: It guides you to whatever you want to get at, right or wrong.

Betty, 74, New Jersey (college professor) Q: What is a thought? B: We need to be grateful for the many things we have in life. Q: What is the form of a thought, the anatomy of a thought. B: The anatomy of a thought comes from experience and the relationship with people; that’s how thoughts come into your mind over time.

Q: What is the function of a thought; what do they do? B: They give you opportunities to have different emotions and feelings. Q: What are the types of thoughts that most often cross your mind? B: Patience, compassion, forgiveness, and how to deal with crazy people. (Laughter) It’s the truth.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

179 Pete, 76, Alameda (retired fire captain) Q: My question is, what is a thought? P: A thought is something that someone has when they see something that reminds them of someone else, it could be a memory, it could be an equation, a thought could be looking at the horizon, a thought could be many, many things.

Q: How do thoughts function, what is their purpose? P: The purpose can be all over the spectrum. A thought can bring up memories of things that didn’t go right in your life; it can bring back memories of wondrous things in your life.

Q: What do you spend most of your time thinking about. P: Unfortunately, I feel a little depressed about this injury I have so I think about what could have been (Pete’s in a wheelchair) in our dreams. I had this injury a little over three years ago. Some bone spurs grew on my spinal column and I just turned and knocked some nerves out. I wasn’t in an accident or anything, I just turned one night when I got out of the car and fell on the ground paralyzed.

At that point we had been retired and were looking forward to some cruises roundtrip with no flying so I’m just disappointed. What I’m happy about is that when I was going through recovery I saw a lot of young people in there who were paralyzed who have no life experience. At least in my life I’ve been there and have done most of it. I feel good about that and my hands still work. I have a wonderful friend here in William who just delights in helping me out. Remind me of your last question again.

Q: Oh, it was just about the thoughts that most often cross your mind. P: I still have some interests. I’m trying to write the last chapter of a book and it’ll be re-published as a self-published book. You know the acronym NATO? It usually stands for a branch of the armed forces, but in this case it stands for ‘No action, talk only’. (Laughter)

Dave, 82, New York (retired teacher) Q: What is thought? D: Thought is the act of thinking about something. Q: What is a thought; what is the form of it? D: A thought is an idea; an expressed opinion - could be many things. Q: What is the purpose or function of thought? D: Thought can be used in many ways, from saving your life to, “I think I’m going to go get an ice cream cone.” It covers a wide spectrum. Chapter 6

180 Q: My last question is, what are the types of thoughts you have the most often? D: Usually what am I going to eat next, when am I going to eat it and how will it affect my weight.

Randall, 85, Kentucky (professional astrologer) Q: The first thing I want to ask is... R: Hold on, I have to turn up my hearing aid. Q: What is your definition of a thought? R: To me, thoughts are always arising in the universe and we select the ones we have an inclination to think. In other words, I think thoughts are always happening and our minds are programmed to pick up the ones our minds have an inclination to think. To me you don’t really decide to think a thought, a thought occurs. So you may be open to certain fields of thought in all that arises but I don’t know of anyone who decides to think something and then they think it.

Q: What actually is a thought? R: It’s something in consciousness that means something. It’s electrical - well, I don’t know what the physiology is but it occurs in consciousness as an image, or as a viewpoint, or as something new that has never come to that particular brain. In many ways it’s a mystery.

Q: How does it function? R: I think to know that I’d have to think a lot about how that happens. To me I focus on a certain area of thinking and the thoughts seem to come out of nowhere. I don’t know where they come from. I don’t choose to think a new thought; it occurs, so therefore it must have always been available there and somehow I tuned into it.

Q: Do thoughts have a function? R: Yes, the function is to move through time and space as the dreamer on the earth living our dream experiencing these different realms of action and reaction according to these thoughts that arise within us. But I think thinking itself becomes very still an d quiet when you meditate and become in touch with something beyond thought, which is awareness itself, without thought. It’s called a thoughtless state where no thoughts occur, there’s only awareness. It could be awareness of I AM, but the I is not there in that consciousness, there’s only awareness. That’s my experience.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

181 How people live with, work with, and view their mental processes varies widely. Some people live in the moment, responding to whatever is in front of them without having a lot on their mind, some ruminate regularly about several issues, and others tend to focus most of their attention on a particular goal. Some use their minds and thoughts for imagination, while others use it in a more practical, problem-solving way. There are those who are very philosophical and spiritual in their outlook regarding thoughts, and many more than I’ve included here have no idea what thoughts are used for or what goes on in their minds. It could be helpful for relational dynamics in general to open to the idea that there are many ways of receiving and processing information, and many people you’re in a conversation with will use their brains very differently for understanding and expression. For that and other reasons that may be cultural or unknown, we may not be getting our point across even when we think it’s been expressed as clearly as possible. I remember an instance in the ladies’ room where the women in line were trying to tell the next person coming in that one of the stalls was out of order, even though there was a sign on the door saying so and everyone spoke English. It took three times for the information to land in the woman’s brain even though there were visual, physical,

and verbal cues and the message was as simple as can be. It’s worth remembering that the person you’re speaking with may literally not be registering what you said the first time, no matter how much you think they must have heard and understood you, or how neutral the content may be. That being said, there are also many levels and forms of communication, so even if in a foreign country and speaking different languages, there are ways of using body language and intention to get the point across. Communication is an art form more than a science. When it comes to communicating with your own body, it involves diving more deeply into the connection you have with it so you can more clearly see the responses it has to your thoughts. Witnessing offers a huge boost in understand your own thought processes. The last response in the interview with the elder gentleman offers a perfect segue into witnessing, as he has been able to sit in the gap between thoughts and experience the freedom therein. It was educational for me to hear from people of different ages about thought. I’m building a case here for self-knowledge and self-awareness as it supports self-regulation and the maintenance of well-being. Much of what forms and operates our body, mind, personality, and emotional world is subliminal, learned, and automatic, but it doesn’t all have to be if we participate consciously.

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A Story about the Power of Thoughts As a practice, examining your thoughts can be revelatory. When you pay attention to them it could bring amazement at how random, bizarre, and persistent they can be. The gift in this practice is also that you are able to become detached from your thoughts so that they seem to be part of an inherent mechanism that may or may not have anything to do with you. The story I’m about to tell involves a situation when something became apparent that didn’t have anything to do with me, yet a form of communication from a friend was registering in my awareness, and like the transmission from the other friend I’d made eye contact with, it started with physical discomfort that came out of nowhere. I’m glad I didn’t ignore it and instead tried to figure out what was happening. If this story sounds freaky to you, I have to tell you that it was also freaky and inconceivable to me as it was happening, but something told me to open my mind and just go with Somatic IntelligenceTM

it. I remember being in the room with a friend who had passed away from ovarian cancer. The community around her had agreed to support her death in having it be as conscious as possible. She lay in state packed in ice at home as her friends and family came to visit and pay their respects. A spiritual teacher was reading from the Tibetan Book of the Dead to her, as he’d heard from his teacher that the hearing remains with the body for a period of three days after death. Each of her friends went up into the room to meditate with her, or to share whatever was on their heart one last time. When I went up, astonishingly, I could see that after so many people had visited her, there was color coming back into her cheeks even thought her body definitely was no longer breathing - it was ‘dead’. While standing there noticing this, I heard someone say to wipe her body down with my hands. I resisted, remembering from previous experience that

183 there can be stored memories left in the body, and when I looked at her I could feel her tears were still there. The urge was persistent, so I complied and wiped them from her. Later that night, on the way home, my body began to manifest various aches and pains, and I knew it was caused by wiping her tears. I confided in a friend who was driving with me and asked her what her impressions were and she thought it best I feel into the sensations and see what else came up. As soon as I got home, I tuned into those sensations and immediately received the impression of what those pains were about. They were all stored feelings that she hadn’t had the chance to express, since she’d died suddenly in the night. I shared everything those tears communicated to me and encouraged everyone else visiting her to do the same if any impressions came to them while sitting with her since we were the only voice she had left. I could sense that she felt badly that she didn’t get to finish all her paperwork and that the remainder would fall upon her daughter, who was only in her twenties. She felt she’d learned a lot in the dying process and wished she could have shared her last insights. There was concern about leaving her daughter behind and the desire for some of us to check in on her from time to time. After everyone had shared their impressions of what she wanted to express and arrangements had been made to take care of her last concerns, her daughter went up to the room

and talked to her in the middle of the night. Everyone could feel her departure the next morning; the feeling in the room - in the entire house was completely changed. Her body lost its color and began to decay. Thoughts in this case seemed to be carrier waves from this dear soul’s consciousness that were able to take flight and be received in the hearts and minds of those who loved and cared about her. There was a sense of completion for everyone there. Some friends received her transmissions in the form of images, some had feelings or intuitions, and in some cases, her voice was picked up by clairaudience - an intuitive faculty of hearing. In my case, my subtle nervous system received the information through the intuitive faculty of clairsentience. The impressions sat on the pain receptors in various places in my system until they were able to be decoded as her thoughts and wishes. They then discharged from in my system once the communication had completed. Remaining curious about what your body is feeling from dayto-day and being able to discern what the baseline is could provide many awe-struck moments that continue to reveal they mysteries we live within. I will certainly never forget this one! It also brought home the importance of tuning in and clearing on subtle levels so the impressions don’t become embodied and generate symptoms in my own body. Ancient wisdom is light years beyond what modern society has been able to Chapter 6

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Thoughts According to Buddha Dhamma

The Teachings of Buddha discover about who or what we are and how we function as human beings. It’s possible that the main reason for this being true is not that ancient wisdom or practices have been unavailable, but that these teachings require introspection and modern society has been outwardly driven. Although there has been movement toward the ‘human potential’ in a broader way beginning in the 60’s, except for a very small percentage that movement mostly developed into methods to reduce suffering with various therapies. Still today the ‘New Age’ movement or so-called ‘progressives’ have been demonized so thoroughly by conservatives that most who hold political office will not publicly admit to having progressive views. The general public is waiting Somatic IntelligenceTM

for different branches of science to ask the right questions and find the right instruments to form a study that could validate by external means what is internally true. Most current treatment methods do not remedy the lack of connection to one’s body or to one’s true nature. Ancient wisdom draws truth from tacit, or direct experience, then applies that wisdom to the care of the body and to the living of daily life. Ironically, the tradition that teaches people to ascertain what they know about who they are from others or from the external world is the source of suffering that the therapies are designed to resolve. As earlier discussed, the most effective preventative or curative natural treatments revolve around getting back in touch with the roots of who we really are from internal methods

185 involving the use of self-awareness, conscious movement, or forms of mindfulness. Even the forefathers of somatic education derived much of their knowledge from the ancients in the East. When young Siddhartha Gautama was a prince in India 2500 years ago, he’d been sheltered from life’s pain and struggles by his father the king who exposed him only to life’s greatest luxuries. At sixteen years old, while married and enjoying the three palaces gifted to his family, Gautama discovered how the peasants in his village lived and decided to leave the palace and become a wandering monk. Hoping to discover how to end suffering, he traveled from place to place, asking wise men what they knew about suffering, but found no solutions. Gautama then sat under the Bodhi tree determined to remain there until the answer came to him. The Abhidhamma, containing the Buddha’s highest teachings, was conceived by him during the 4th week of his enlightenment. There are seven books including in these scriptures, offering “an extraordinarily detailed analysis of the basic natural principles that govern mental and physical processes”... explaining the causal underpinnings of the Buddhist path to awakening. According to the Buddha Dhamma, citta is the briefest moment of awareness experienced by a sentient being, and there “may be well over a billion of citta in the blink of an eye.” Thoughts are called ‘citta’ (pr.

‘Chittha’) derived from the Sanskrit root, cit, meaning “that which is conscious”. Adjoining cittas are cetasikas, or “mental factors or concomitants that arise and perish together with consciousness, sharing its object and basis.” The main categories of cetasikas are feeling (vedanaa), and perception (saññaa), and sa”nkhaaraa. In the Abhidhamma, context feeling does not imply emotion, but any type of momentary affective experience that can rise and fall on its own in rapid succession that of its own accord is impersonal, but generates suffering when a person believes it to come from within him or herself. The types of feelings are pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral. With awareness a neutral feeling can lead to insight and wisdom, without awareness it can lead to ignorance and apathy. Perception is the awareness of an object’s distinctive features and is related to the 5 senses as well as mental objects. It is also an automatic, impersonal process that can be connected to a citta - a moment in consciousness. Without awareness a person will believe that the perception is in the self or attached to the self which is an incorrect understanding. If ‘grasping’ of the objects features happens, a series of thought processes can follow which can also lead to associations with the past that are stored in memory and reinforce the appearance of the ego and its bodily experiences. The Buddha says, “In what is seen there must be just the seen, in what is heard, there

Adjoining cittas are cetasikas, or “mental factors or concomitants that arise and perish together with consciousness, sharing its object and basis.

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186 must be just the heard, in what is sensed there must be just the sensed, in what is thought, there must be just

the thought.” The other 50 cetasikas in the san”nkhaaraa category fall into four groups:

• Universal mental factors such as motivation, intention, attention, vitality • Particular mental factors like initial or sustained thought and its application, effort, energy, joy, desire, determination • Unwholesome mental factors such as ignorance, delusion, moral fearlessness, restlessness, greed, shamelessness, hate, wrong view, wrong understanding • Beautiful mental factors as equanimity, lightness, mindfulness, tranquility, adaptability, proficiency, compassion, right speech, faith, or moral shame

The Universal factors can occur in every state of consciousness, while the other factors may only arise in certain states. This is by no means a complete list of the cetasikas or a full description of the qualities that accompany each category or each characteristic on the list. Refining what your awareness can become a witness to while beginning the process of distinguishing and discerning can be very valuable and insightful if not transformative. The masters say we are not just citta, but Satchitananda - truth (sat), consciousness (chit), and bliss (ananda). The sage of Arunachala, Ramana Maharshi, states that, “Sat is that which never changes. Truth, Absolute Being. Chit is consciousness, Ananda is Bliss. The word chit, consciousness, rescues the experience of Absolute. If Absolute were not Chit or Consciousness, Somatic IntelligenceTM

it could not become a living reality.” The Chit aspect of Existence can mirror living intelligence as an expression of consciousness in various forms, such as concepts, language, images, or feeling impressions, similar to a stem cell that has the capacity to receive a designated a purpose or imprint from ‘Creation’. Chit can also be activated as an electrical charge that can carry the encoded particle or wave to the aspect of the brain that is the receiver and decoder of that particular form of expression. I have seen many times the particle aspect of chit being discharged from a variety of locations in my system or in the surrounding field as I sat either in contemplation of the sensations of density or activity in my body, or as I sat in meditation in a still space without attending to sensations in my body.

187 Like the filaments of a dream sequence, the particles decoded themselves into different story lines (memory impressions) from the day, or images, or an incomplete stream of thought that had been working on a resolution. Years of these types of contemplations have deepened the wonder and mystery of what the body, mind, energy, and fields of consciousness are or have the potential to express as. There is definitely no beginning or end to this ‘rabbit hole’, and to the revelations that are likely to flower differently according to the predispositions or aspirations of each individual. The distance gained by witnessing also releases the glue of attachment or identification someone may have been living under in regards to a particular personality characteristic. Buddha says although a person automatically responds with the values they already have, one’s character can change by changing one’s habits. He finds that when the bad habits are

changed, the brain becomes rewired with good habits that then transform the manomaya kaya which controls the brain. The manomayakaya is the mental body which carries the stream of thought from the citta, habits of the body - the gathi which form karmic seeds - and asava, one’s cravings. James Allen was a British poet, author, and pioneer of the self-help movement born in 1864. He wrote a book based upon Proverbs 23:7 which holds the popular saying, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Allen included this statement over 100 years ago: “Cherish your visions. Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environments. Of these, if you but remain true to them your world will at last be built. Men do not attract what they want, but what they are.”

Cherish your ideals. Cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all heavenly environments.

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The Use of Witnessing Conditioned responses happen extremely fast. There are many reactions that bypass the cortex and go straight to the limbic system where they’re out before you can catch them. That’s why it’s so helpful to practice witnessing on a regular basis so that it is more available when you need it to counteract or replace behaviors that have a strong charge or that are more intimately identified with. This may be new territory for some of you, and there may be a slight sense of discomfort that accompanies anything unfamiliar when there is no foundation to build the new structure upon. It’s easiest to feel that sensation produced by your brain as it becomes ready to tackle the insecurity that may arise in uncertainty. Ignore the resistance and tell your mind that you will hunker down for five minutes. Giving parameters helps immensely to quell the feelings of uneasiness.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

There are a few different ways to approach this technique. What is required on a most basic level is the ability to focus your attention. In my first martial arts class, we, as college students who were by nature full of energy and restless about our future, were asked to sit quietly and focus on the image of a rose in our mind. We were attempting to experience something that is called in Japanese ‘mu shin’. Mu shin is translated as “no mind” or “empty mind”, meaning in part that it is not preoccupied by anger, fears, worries, any thought or emotion. “It is empty in the sense that it is unbiased, free, and adaptable; it is the essence of Zen and a core principle of Japanese martial arts.” It has also been described as having the mind be like a still lake full of water without ripples, so that it can function like a clear mirror, reflecting rather than projecting.

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Watching Your Thoughts To many people thoughts can seem like a faucet that doesn’t turn off; a steady stream of consciousness running a race to see which one will become salient enough to win your attention. Witnessing can be a tremendous help to get a grip on them, putting them in perspective that renders them harmless and in your service. One of the wonderful qualities of witnessing is that it can happen anywhere or anytime. It may be helpful to begin the practice in a relatively quiet room while being seated. Your eyes can be opened or closed, but initially it might be easier to minimize external stimulation by closing your eyes. Notice your pelvis on the surface you’re sitting on, taking in the sensation of the pressure created by gravity that is being felt by your muscles there. Putting your attention on your base will help you drop and settle. You can also try sensing the area beneath your navel or just in front of your sacrum. These areas will be calming for the activation in your system. The idea is to use these methods to allow your nervous system and its various forms of activation to quiet

down so the inner environment affords more space for you to pick out details in the room - in your body. If your body is making noise your attention will naturally be drawn to that. Once the noise and activation have calmed down, notice any thoughts that are crossing your mind with as much neutrality as possible. You can either sit and watch them on the screen of consciousness like a train moving across the tracks, or you can notice if there are any particular types of thoughts that you recognize. In the latter process you’ll begin to get a sense of the categories that come up in your mind the most often and what they might be related to. For example, when you eat spicy food a particular type of thought or image could get produced; when you’ve exercised that day you might see a different thought sequence, and if you’re working on a project at work still another set of thoughts could be generated. Some thoughts may seem random or disconnected from daily life events, or they could be from habitual thoughts that cross your mind about self-concept, thoughts of othChapter 6

190 ers, political or religious issues, hobbies or passions. Take note of any category that may appear and become familiar with its attributes and sentiments without participating, trying to add or subtract anything from the stream. It could be fascinating to see where residual thought processes reside in your body. Although they cannot be seen under a microscope, thoughts take up a space in your system which can be felt again when they settle down. Whether it’s an activity that subsides like a train

that stops rolling down the tracks, or a vibration that goes quiet and stops reverberating throughout the system in anticipation of doing something, much of the body’s activation happens by activating thought. So while in one way you’ll be noticing the thoughts themselves, you’ll also notice the reactions throughout your body when certain types of thoughts are present, and you’ll observe the screen that the thoughts arise upon - what the atmosphere in your system is like with and without them.

Watching your Breath There are many breathing techniques that help to calm the body and mind by using the breath, which is directly tied in to the central nervous system. When you watch the breath, however, there is no effort to change how you’re breathing, but just to notice how you’re breathing, or that you are breathing. Gautama the Buddha developed Vipassana meditation 2500 years ago as a powerful, simple technique to take you inside. VipasSomatic IntelligenceTM

sana means, ‘come inward and see’ (for yourself the reality). The method is simply to become aware of your breath. You can shift your attention to the act of inhaling, to the filling of your lungs, to the sound of your breath as it crosses your nostrils and moves down the trachea, or you can attend the exhale and become aware of any differences from day-to-day with how you breathe. Those additional ways to shift attention are help-

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Contemplating Your Body ful if your mind is used to or needs to be more active, but if you can be onepointed and just sit quietly as a witness to the breath, that’s also good. Again, it’s easier to focus with your eyes closed initially, but this method can be used any time during the day, while driving, cooking, working at the computer, and a whole host of activities. It’s also a wonderful way to reduce tension anywhere the breath is focused into. Traditionally, yoga uses the breath to calm and balance the brain, which will then calm the mind and body. In this case, although it might be helpful to use breathing techniques to induce a calmer field before engaging in meditation practice, the breath will just be an ‘object’ to focus on while witnessing. Sitting back behind any bodily process will attune you to that part of who you are which is prior to the bodily functions that is in itself calming and supportive of a neutral place. Establishing equa-

nimity and calm is a signal for reset and rebalance, freeing the system to reorganize while not as preoccupied with mental activities. On any given day, there will be residual activation in your body from having used it, so when you sit down to rest, there will still be the sense of something going on as the firing begins to settle out. So initially there will probably be some ‘buzz’ you may hear or feel, but focus your attention on what is silent inside; feel around for or listen for a calm, quiet space in your system, because the buzz will not be everywhere. When you pay attention and learn to discern you will begin to be able to hone in on what feels tight and what feels loose, where it feels dense or congested and where it feels spacious. Your presence inside your system is a comfort to your system, and things will begin to shift and unwind just by you paying attention. Wherever your presence lands, it will Chapter 6

192 be met by the intelligence within that permeates every cell and a response will follow. The next thing to notice is the response to your attention. Generally, the residual tension is from auto-pilot programs that kicked in during the series of activities you needed to accomplish without having to be mindful of every step or of every action. That being said, if you are mindful of every action, the degree of cumulative tension will be much less, as if you’d spent the day doing t’ai chi! That isn’t the case for most of us, so I’ll make a suggestion on how to both become more attuned to the sensation of build-up in your body, and to gain a more sensitized relationship and understanding of where it comes from. When you feel tension anywhere in your body, intentionally squeeze that muscle group to make it tighter, then intentionally let the tension go. Repeat that technique a few times until you have the sense of being able to consciously contract and relax your muscles. Scan the rest of your system to note anything that doesn’t feel like a calm pool of liquid ease and sit quietly with it as though you are holding it gently with your awareness. Then let your attention rest in the core of your body, along the front of your spine until your feel as neutral as possible. Remember that our bodies function in relationship. Countless receptor cells are monitoring where your hips, spine, and head should be in relation to where your feet are telling your brain your position is on the ground. This information lengthens Somatic IntelligenceTM

certain muscles and shortens others to maintain balance in keeping us upright. This means those muscles are working in tandem and are cooperating with one another to create a set of pulleys and guy wires that stabilize the frame either static or in motion. So when you’re finding an area of tension, consider what other areas that might be either sending a line of force there, or that may need that tone to support efforts elsewhere. For example, the calves, quads, and gluts are synergists that continually assess balance while standing. Since they work together, tension in one could contribute to tension in the other, and tuning into them as a group, creating a movement that involves the entire group could be more effective. The body doesn’t function in isolation, so giving it a frame of reference will help it better understand the change you are seeking. If you’re trying to stretch your hamstrings and are thinking of that as a goal, your body will become confused and can only minimally or mechanically participate as you hold a position that it is wired to work against. Pulling on a muscle to lengthen with stretching is counter-productive because it sets up reflexive protection, but it you hold it gently, repeatedly, long enough, it will cooperate. Being in a conversation using your body’s language is a different way to accomplish the same thing. If you tell your body by focusing on wanting to bring your chest to your thighs, your body knows it will have to lengthen your hamstrings to accom-

193 plish that goal. If you contract your quads while doing so, it will further inhibit the hamstrings because they are reciprocally wired to not be active while the quads are working. There are several little keys like this that will help you sit within the sensory-motor

feedback loop of your body’s communication system. Using these keys will assist you in working together with your body’s natural design rather than working against it and setting up counter-intuitive methods that will create unnecessary tension.

The body doesn’t function in isolation, so giving it a frame of reference will help it better understand the change you are seeking.

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When I say yoga, don’t think in terms of impossible physical postures or twisting yourself like rubber bands. This is a deeper understanding of your own body, mind, and energy, and about creating an inner situationwhere you are joyful and peaceful by your own nature. ~ Sadhguru

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Discovering a New Relationship with Your Body

Tuning In

B

abies always seem to have the natural, inborn joy that we tend to lose as life’s responsibilities kick in. This joy was never dependent upon having material things, because infants don’t even have or necessarily want the clothes on their backs. Love and attention is all they need for the natural bliss to express itself spontaneously. It’s just there as part of who we all inherently are. Very few parents or teachers will tell you that, but rather just enjoy it while it lasts in infants. It took me half a lifetime and an ocean of Grace to arrive at realizing where joy lives

in my own system and how to not obscure it. I was thick-headed and heavily veiled, so most people won’t take that long. It does take a certain amount of curiosity, wonder, and dedication to sustaining a new relationship with your body, mind, heart, and spirit. At some point, maybe even in the very beginning, it may mean shifting self-concept; changing your ideas about who you are and how your body functions. Many psychologists are now saying that it makes people miserable to try to be happy all the time because it isn’t realistic and it’s Chapter 7

196 more important to learn how to embrace and navigate the abundant variety of feelings we all have. I agree. Understanding where joy lives inside is more like realizing that it’s always there; that it’s married to the underlying nature of being. It’s uncaused. A phrase that one of my teachers used a lot was, “Get Out of Your Own Way”. Gradually it sinks in that there’s something that I’m doing that is in the way of what’s always already there. Then it was a matter of taking notice of what those habits are that veil an otherwise glowing perception of life. I remember my second day in Lucknow in 1992, when I was excited to meet the Master I’d read about in a book that inspired me to make the trip. I’d already been to India several times since the late ‘70’s and while enamored with the depths of spirituality there, I had a biting distaste for the harshness of the climate, smells, and noises on my delicate nervous system. This sultry August afternoon was no different. There were wild pigs roaming around the city in puddles of greyish, black sewage just off the road. While I usually loved seeing the elegant Brahma bulls and water buffalo strolling gracefully down the busy, rickshaw-riddled streets, the pigs with sewage socks on were new to me. There was always this incredible height of architecture, of colorful tapestry, along with culinary, floral, and bejeweled elegance surrounded by an almost unbearable squalor where a constant reminder of death and decay lurked just under my nostrils. Somatic IntelligenceTM

One of the Master’s students greeted me that afternoon and invited me to meet him in his room to orient me to the city, and to the Master’s teachings. He asked me a few questions that were simple at first, but went into a place inside that was silent and left no tracks. Something had shifted but I only really noticed it when I walked outside and suddenly everything was absolutely beautiful, radiant and perfect. The pigs were just glorious. It was just remarkable that my physical eyes were not different, but what they were seeing had been transformed. The seer was altered, or awakened to a different dimension of life where everything was glowing in its truth, radiant and full of life regardless of whether it was a rose or a pool of mud. I was on the other side of the looking glass where an uncluttered part of the mind immersed in its own aliveness could now see that aliveness in a more naked form in everything around me, rather than seeing from judgment or predispositions. It’s like looking at life from the side of awareness where uncaused joy lives, something biodynamic cranial practitioners call ‘inherent health’ also lives. There’s a place that is always healthy and true to itself that is available to flow into what has become imbalanced or out of sync with the joy of inherent health and restore balance. These glimpses are very likely the seeds that shape the body of holistic healing work. Dr. Randolph Stone, the creator of Polarity Therapy, made the statement that, “The soul swims in the CSF (ce-

197 rebral spinal fluid)”. After spending time with spiritual teachers like Krishnamurti, Yogananda, and Blavatsky in the early 1900’s, Dr. Stone completed degrees in osteopathy, chiropractic, naturopathy, then studied Ayurvedic, yogic, and alchemic practices during his sixty years performing drugless healing. In 1945 he had an epiphany after reading, “Mysticism, the Spiritual Path” which described where “energy comes from and how it can be harnessed for spiritual development. It also gave him insights into how the blockage of this physical energy results in illness and unhappiness.” The work he initially taught, however, was “a rational therapy”, and not immediately related to the miracles he’d experienced with spiritual healing. Three years later he wrote his book on Polarity Therapy, and in 1957 he pioneered the techniques of cranial sacral therapy. Just like the densities of thought and trapped energy I saw lying around my body causing discomfort, releasing rather than focusing on them frees my system to enjoy its natural state once again, where perception is no longer altered, but freed to reside in the more subtle aspects of life force. These subtle energies carry with them a sense of the uncaused joy of the subtle body that is ananda – bliss – that surrounds and permeates the physical body. This type of bliss is more than endorphins or biochemistry, it is part of the consciousness that makes up who we are. Probably whatever else we do to generate the biochemistry to try and replicate

that inherent bliss, is a subconscious knowing that it is there, but we aren’t sure how to reach it. Sometimes it’s just a matter of hearing and accepting that something you never thought about is possible. You haven’t been told and it’s never crossed your mind so your attention never went there. For example, years ago the teacher of a class I was taking recommended a technique to help my mother with dementia to be able to swallow again. The method involved my mother sticking out her tongue and billowing her lips like we used to do as kids. Then she said, “Try it and feel what it does to your brain stem. That’s the area that controls swallowing.” My eyes opened wide as if to allow more space for the new concept to enter and land. When I could speak again I replied, “Are you saying it’s possible for a person to feel their own brain?” “Sure!” she said, as if she was talking about tying your shoes. The same thing happened a few years later in a class when the teacher mentioned that we could feel bones move; that we could bend them as well as notice an internal motility that enabled them to decompress. I’d never thought about it before and assumed that bones were rigid, unmoving support structures. Once my mind opened to the idea that they had capacities that were beyond what I’d originally thought, I could feel the new dimensions available within them and listen for their responsiveness. Part of what helps the creation and establishment of a new relationship with your Chapter 7

198 body involves realizing that it is much more than we ever imagined it to be. There is a growing body of naturopathic, osteopathic, and holistic or functional physicians who will be helping make their understanding and approaches more widespread in being fundamental to sustain health. This is not to say that modern medicine is to be thrown out or that it

doesn’t have some highly evolved techniques that are life-saving. Rather, it is just to say that it should not replace or displace your contact with your own inner knowing, capacity to self-regulate, and maintain wellbeing on a regular basis. Your body’s responses to that tuning in, listening and care will be validation enough to warrant the effort.

Learning to Discern Your body has its own language, and it’s up to us to find out what that language is and how to respond to it. It may sound like just a whisper of a sensation at first, but just like a slight change in the face of a loved one, because you know them so well, you’ll know what it means. The same holds true for your body. For the first few decades of my life, although I was very athletic and used my body actively in a variety of ways, I realized later that I hadn’t really noticed my body; I just used it. I felt changes that produced strong sensations like in the flu, a skin rash, or a painful injury, but really only responded to it with a simple question of, “Should I Somatic IntelligenceTM

take an aspirin or go to the doctor?” There weren’t many options available in my mind’s data banks and I wasn’t in a close enough relationship to my system to think in any other terms. For example, when I sprained my ankle, I put ice on it and applied an Ace bandage. I never noticed if muscles were becoming tight or imbalanced as a result, and I had no idea what other treatment could be considered. Then I began meditation practices and internal martial arts, and began the somatic education studies in 1990. It was as if doors and windows to a whole new world opened up. Now when I sprain my ankle, I apply a variety of topical, natural

199 anti-inflammatories along with taking systemic enzymes internally to help with the swelling, inflammation, and adhesions. I work the surrounding ligaments with gentle soft tissue techniques, use micro-movements to wake the area up again, release the peroneous muscle that always gets over-stretched and treat the fibula along with the lateral epicondyle. I soak it in a bath with Dead Sea salts and tape the ligaments for extra support. I still use a little ice and keep an elastic support on it if I’m going to be standing or moving around a lot during the day. Now the injury heals in two to three weeks instead of six to eight. It began with the gradual process of opening to the possibilities, then learning how to listen to my body and distinguish the variety of sensations it could produce.

Sensations connected with health, integration, and homeostatic balance are just as important to recognize as those reflecting discomfort, injury or disease. That’s usually the time when we don’t pay attention because nothing grabs our attention when the system is functioning well; few sensations stand out of the smooth functioning whole. Part of this, though, is because we’re used to tuning in to big sensations and it’s easy to dismiss or overlook the small ones, particularly if you’re not sure how to interpret them. Let’s take a stroll through some ways you can learn how to compare and contrast what your body feels like. When you have a baseline throughout a range of sense abilities, it’ll be much easier to notice variations from the norm. Not only that, the norm gets better and better.

Start Sensing Something External It’s easier to begin to train your tactile/ kinesthetic sensing abilities if you start with something that’s already within your perceptive wheelhouse. Maybe you’re used to touching the texture of a tomato or a melon when you shop

and get a feel for how ripe it is, or you sense the weight of an object as you pick it up so you can adjust how you’ll carry it. This time, for practice, choose various household items or things that you normally work with each day and Chapter 7

200 as you touch them consciously, see how many adjectives come to mind as a descriptive characteristic or quality. Feel for the temperature, the weight of it and how your arm or hand responds to the weight. Where do you feel your limb bracing to balance and adjust for the weight of the object? Notice how rough, or how sharp, smooth, prickly, tiny, round, oddshaped, firm, or squishy it feels. Then pay attention to how it feels to hold that object in your hand. What sensations run through your body as you make contact with it? Is it neutral, pleasant, uncomfortable? Where in your body do those sensations arise? Add more pressure to your grip and notice what happens in your body, where it happens and if your body enjoys the extra effort. Keep adjusting the pressure until it feels just right - secure, comfortable, and pleasant. Explore the same with objects you carry around often, like a briefcase, a portfolio, gym bag or a purse. Let your body tell you where

Somatic IntelligenceTM

to place the object for the most efficient, least strenuous and most comfortable position. Explore some very light objects that would easily ordinarily be missed by your consciousness, like a piece of paper, hold different sized pieces of paper in your hand and feel what something delicate, and extremely minor or reduced in sensation feels like. Try a feather, a penny, or a piece of silk and compare them with your eyes closed. Then take note while you get dressed and feel the way your shirt, socks or other items of clothing feel on your skin, or on back, your belly, or how each pair of shoes feel for your toes, your arch, or on your instep. Sense what happens in your body as you step out of the house; is there a noticeable influence of the natural world on your sense abilities? Does it change your mood, your breath, your energy? As you grow in your awareness of how things register in your senses externally, you’ll have the tools to begin noticing internally.

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Learn to Develop Internal Self-Sensing Moving into sensing from inside, try to get a baseline - get a general idea of what ‘normal’ feels like for your body, wherever there is barely any sensation other than what the presence of muscle or bone feels like. You need to begin with some comparisons. First feel into the areas that feel open, spacious, balanced, springy, supple, energized, and light. Some of you may laugh because you don’t think your body has these qualities right now, but for sure there is somewhere, even if it’s the middle joint on your little finger or the tip of your nose, maybe your left triceps - there is some place in your body that has these characteristics. Focus on that sensation for a few seconds before you move to an area that you can compare it to. Make a note internally of what the differences are. Can you sense the difference between a relaxed, open muscle and a tight one that doesn’t hurt, but feels more contracted possibly because you use it more, or because you put more

weight on it? Can you sense whether it feels like there’s an adhesion or ‘knot’ in the tissue, or what restricted or altered movement feels like? There are times when a joint will reroute its trajectory due to muscular imbalances or a tight tendon that doesn’t allow it to flow through its articulation properly, and maybe you can hear or feel little pops or bumps as the tendon moves over the bone. Move your attention back and forth from the soft tissue to the bone, and try to tell the difference between muscle and bone. Muscle becomes tendon or ligaments which transitions into the periosteum which becomes bone. It’s like a street that changes names as you drive along, but it’s really the same street. The same is true for muscle as it journeys into bone, the main differences being the density, mineral content, its architecture and function. Understanding that these tissues transition into one another helps you to realize Chapter 7

202 that forces building up in one area can be transmitted or distributed in another. In this way you can know to check the bone if the muscle next to it feels tight, and check the muscle or tendon if the bone feels rigid. Try standing in and through your skeleton instead of using muscular strength. As you shift your attention and intention along with your position, your entire system will also shift and many muscles that were working more than they needed to will relax. Using the same method while you walk will create some interesting changes as well, allowing your bones to participate in a new way that will immediately reorganize the participation of your soft tissue fields. It helps to see what you’re leading with as you move. Try leading with the momentum of your arms, then your pelvis, then your feet, and compare which way seems the most balanced and integrative. Next, tune into your energetic systems as you walk, and feel the changes in your systems level of effort to propel you down the street. You’ll discover what you have been doing, and can now compare this to some other ways that might save you a degree of wear and tear and save you some effort and energy at the same time. A fun way to sense your body is through the other senses. Tune in to

Somatic IntelligenceTM

what happens anywhere in your system as you listen to different sounds. Feel your system’s response to birds singing, then the wind blowing, rain falling, the fridge motor running, a lawn mower outside, listening to the news, the dishwasher; then compare what happens inside when there’s very little sound, or if there’s a time of silence in your home, and take a baseline that way. Do the same exercise with smells. Take a whiff of your coffee or tea, your eggs, fruit juice or yogurt. Sense the difference in what happens and where it happens in our body when you notice the smell of a flower, of a field of grass, or wet hair, your soap, or your favorite perfume. Next, pay attention to how your system responds to the food you eat. Check out what changes as soon as you put the food on your tongue and compare the difference between a variety of foods, trying not to take into account whether you like the item or not; you’re just paying attention to what your body has to say about it. You may make different choices about many things in your kitchen or your home and life in general when you take stock in the choices your body prefers. Those messages can be masked until you clean out a little with a short fast, or a colon cleanse. Then your senses will become more keen and more refined.

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Recognize Your Body’s Messages Once you’ve established what your baseline - what resting tone feels like throughout your system - you can begin to distinguish when there’s a message from your system that may begin as a mild discomfort. For example, you may have begun to slouch while working at the computer or while watching television - something that happens with almost everyone. When you’re more focused on what you’re doing than on your body and how it holds itself - you won’t be in the room to hear the phone when it rings so you can hear the message from your body; your mind will be elsewhere and won’t notice your body signaling you. There will always be an initial sensation of discomfort in the areas that are registering the strain, either in the low back, the neck or shoulder girdle, your abdomen as the rib cage drops, or your hands, fingers and wrists from the ongoing typing or use of the mouse. Keep a little at-

tention on your body as you work so that you’ll be able to make the appropriate modifications. Begin to answer these small messages whether you’re driving, standing and washing dishes, stooping and working in the garden, in yoga class, sitting in a meeting, turning over in the middle of the night or walking through the mall. Try to tune into other areas that may hold a similar sensation or that might be calling you also and rest a gentle hand on both places at the same time. They may be in relationship to one another. Connect the two areas in your mind, visualize a line between them. Because your mind is in your body, your body will also make the connection, sense the strain and begin to make adjustments. Attuning to these little bells along the way will greatly reduce the likelihood of a big alarm going off, and when you become used to tracking and following your body’s smaller Chapter 7

204 signals you’ll also take care of the major signals right away. Start making a mental or actual note on paper of things you notice, when and where you notice them so they will eventually tie themselves together in a synergistic pattern that you’ll immediately recognize. You’ll know that the pain between your shoulder blades, for example, is often related to your chest muscles or your posture. The pull on your neck might be found to be connected to your biceps, or your knee twinge could be coming from your feet, and your shoes could be throwing your feet off. Then you can start experimenting

with different shoes, you’ll massage or stretch your arm, use a movement that includes your neck and begin to be able to track the source of each message and prevent harm. It could be that getting tired is related to what you ate for breakfast, or what you didn’t eat, a smell in your office or in your backyard. There will be many sources of influence that have been impacting your energy or mood that might have been overlooked before you tuned into your body’s little signals. Very often a small adjustment goes a long way in feeling better in little ways that can make a big difference overall.

Seeing Your Body through Different Eyes

As Your Transportation The biomechanics of getting around day-to-day is very real for your body. It is a most amazing if not miraculous biological machine, but its ability to mobilize itself readily and efficiently needs maintenance, just like any form of transportation. All of our joints Somatic IntelligenceTM

initially have the ability to be as fluid and smooth in their articulation as ice in water. Over time with experiences of illness, shock or trauma, falls, adhesions, stagnation, toxicity, stress, injuries and surgeries, the slippery glide in our joints begin to dehydrate

205 and stiffen. Muscles and fascia shorten, contract, strain, energies become restricted, nutrition becomes inhibited, waste materials become trapped, shearing and compressive forces limit motion, and the synergistic, interdependent machinery begins to show ‘wear and tear.’ This is generally what we call ‘aging’. Imbalances of muscle and joint position, restriction of the flow of nutrition, hydrating fluids and sources of energy are compensated for and adapted to for several years, until a point where symptoms begin to appear as your transport’s way of letting you know it needs to go to the shop for repair. Ideally, however, you will take this wondrous mechanism in regularly for maintenance that unwinds those acting forces, rehydrates the joints and tissues, opens the flow of chemistry, waste, and energy, and resets the system so it can continue to work as efficiently and elegantly as possible. Like any transport, it will function better when you use high quality fuel. Finding the right diet for your body type, for your metabolism and historical tendencies will be a great assistance in the way it functions for you. As much as I wanted to maintain a vegetarian diet for spiritual and philosophical reasons, my body fell into extremely poor health due to the malnutrition that diet created in my system. I subsequently met several other people who had their doctor tell them to go out and get some read meat because some people need it more than others. Although I resisted for at least

seven years, my health finally began to return when I began to include some red meat in my diet again. It’s generally going to be healthier to respond to what your body is telling you rather than what a book, or theory, or belief system is offering you. The bottom line is, your transportation is going to need high quality fuel, and good nutrition is a major source of that fuel. Your transportation will need wheels. The base needs to be both a solid support as well as freely moving, so special attention should be given to your feet and legs. The feet transmit forces up through the ankle and into the legs, so aligning the bones so the transmission can be as accurate as possible will help determine whether those forces can move straight up the bones or be captured by the tissue in the calves, knees and thighs. Even so, the shape and architecture of the feet will have bearing on how you stand and walk, and will dictate where those forces will land and how they will form the areas above. In any case, using a few rebalancing somatic movements and checking in with a practitioner from time to time will allow your wheels to open, realign, and reset will add years to your wellbeing. More often than I’d like I see, clients have compromised their ability to exercise and stay fit due to issues in their feet or knees that could have been prevented. Mechanically speaking, be sure to keep this magnificent engine running smoothly, and all the gears and moving parts lubricated and working Chapter 7

206 efficiently together. Like an expensive sports car, your body will run better if you take it out on the highway routinely to let the engine go full tilt. In the same way you can’t let your car sit idle if you leave town, your body won’t respond at its best if you let it sit still for many hours a day, many

days at a time. A wise elder gentleman said to me once on a paddleball court after he’d finished a game of doubles, “You have to keep healthy legs, because they’re going to get you where you’re going for the rest of your life.” I never forgot those words, and I hope you won’t either.

As Your Information Processor Part of how your system functions on every level is scanning, filtering, processing, digesting, absorbing or integrating, and excreting information. There are several types that operate on different levels. Each byte of information has a variety of forms that can be sensed and processed. If you touch a flower, there will be information that comes to you consciously in the form of its softness, its color, texture and shape, its temperature and smell through one set of senses. On an unconscious level you’ll be picking up Somatic IntelligenceTM

the frequency of the color spectrum, the frequency of its scent, along with the energy of its specific species of plant and flower, triggering biochemical, energetic, brain wave, mood, and neurological responses in your system. The same goes for food – it is a form of information. There is also an enormous amount of information that comes from thought and emotion. They also carry a variety of messaging potential on how your muscles, bones, nervous system, hormones and physiology in general should behave.

207 The underpinning of every organism is fundamentally based upon self-preservation. Each piece of information will be initially scanned for its threat vs. safety index, whereby approach or avoid responses will begin to be mobilized. Your body will be listening for these types of data whether or not an experience is in front of you. The same mechanisms will be on board in relation to how your thought processes are running. Thoughts can be patterned just like tissue fields and biochemistry, so internalized or automated thoughts that arise with specific conditioned triggers can loop in your mind and give your body a sense of threat when there is none. The opposite is also true. There can be a challenging situation in your day that, just like an innocent child, your body is waiting to see whether it should worry, contract, confront or avoid, or it can remain open, light-hearted, curious, resourceful and engaged. Information from your mind can be treated by your body as real, even if the facts say otherwise. In many cases, your body will choose your in-

terpretation of reality over what may seems factual. Researchers are continually surprised by the placebo effect because the body consistently makes changes within itself according to expectation and intention. For example, science researcher Jo Marchant stated in an interview for Scientific American, that Parkinson’s patients given a placebo were able to have their systems produce more dopamine, and people at high altitudes who were given fake oxygen had responses in their bodies as if it were real oxygen, namely the reduced production of the prostaglandins that create altitude sickness. Patients who were given a placebo for a gut condition and told it was a fake pill still experienced relief for reasons science cannot yet explain. Your body is willing to cooperate with and support your return to balance with using almost any information, including if the only stimulus is your ‘yes’ to getting better. Your body is ready to be as neutral about a situation as you are, no matter how long ago or how powerful the experience was.

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As Your Best Friend When you envision or perceive your body as your best friend, the way you treat it will change. In building a relationship with your body, it really helps to notice its humanity. It is very, very sensitive and has feelings. As talked about in earlier chapters, every cell processes information, emotions, and images, and has the ability to store memory. It works hard for you every moment of every day, doing its very best to accommodate your every need in the most effective way it knows how, like an awesome, devoted friend. It’s human though, and needs time to rest, it needs time to nourish or refuel, it needs time to play, to reflect, and to do nothing. It needs time to nurture its spirit and to be cared for with love and affection. If you saw your best friend struggling and not taking care, you might give the same advice, and you might even set something up for your friend Somatic IntelligenceTM

so you could spend time together just relaxing and having fun. You might go out to dinner together and take in a movie or a concert, you might go for a hike or out on a bike ride. You could show up with a present in your hands, a smile on your face, and a big hug in your voice and in your heart. Your friend would take a deep breath, express a sigh of relief, and spill over with gratitude. You’d laugh and feel your body begin to let go of a lot of tension you may not have realized was there. A simple hug, especially a long, juicy one of 20 seconds or more, has healthy medicine for everyone. It lowers blood pressure, reduces heart rate, can soften fears and anxiety, reduces stress hormones, and it releases oxytocin into your system elevating mood and a sense of bonding and connection. People with more social support and connections are sick less often and

209 when they do get sick, they heal faster. Give that to your body. Be an honest, patient, good listener and if you make a promise to your body, keep it. If you ask it to do something difficult for you, reward your body or do something special afterwards to make it up to your body like you would a friend. Spend quality time with your body, being sure to include what you know is good for it, because whatever is good for your body is also good for you. There is nothing that can make a day feel worse than having a bad day with your body, having a migraine, or pain in your back, your tooth.... whereas when your body feels amazing, so will you. Make an effort to always be on the good side of your system, like you would care for your relationship with an intimate friend. Do nothing to hurt its feelings, to injure or betray it in any way. Give yourself a pat on the back regularly and let yourself be proud of how amazing you are in your own eyes, and know it to be true! Feel the difference inside when you say yes to what your body needs compared to when you say no. It’s like the difference between a door opening and a door closing in your face. Saying yes to what it needs or wants is not the same as indulgence in a bad habit or agreeing with a dysfunctional pattern. Taking care and being there for you is as important as being there for your body. Sometimes I’ll take a look in the mirror to make more definitive contact with myself rather than telling myself what we’re going to do inside

my head. It has a completely different effect when you make an agreement with yourself that you intend to keep and seal it with direct eye contact. It’s like a handshake and wires the intention in more fully. Most changes you want to make in your life require a fundamental decision backed by the intention to honor that decision. It needs to happen on more than just a mental level if it’s a long term pattern or a pattern that has a lot of charge. For example, a change in your diet, or addictive habits like smoking or drinking or a dysfunctional relationship with good sex can have a strong pull in your system and be much more difficult to break. Remember that mental or emotional patterns follow a similar path that creating change in physical patterns do. Physiological processes become linked into thought or behavior patterns just like physical or postural patterns become linked to use patterns. In the same way that becoming aware and present inside your physicality facilitates reorganizing imbalances in your body, becoming aware and present with your being by looking in the mirror and really connecting with yourself greatly empowers any behavioral change you want to make. Just like you’d caution a friend if they were getting into trouble or going in a negative or worrisome direction, don’t take your body into a troubling direction; keep it safe, warm, happy, and healthy! Remember that every archetype is available to your, waiting in your subconscious to be called upon. Just

People with more social support and connections are sick less often and when they do get sick, they heal faster.

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210 like a particular friend you would call upon who has the quality or characteristic you might need in that instance in facing a particular challenge, within you there is every solution. You can call upon the Higher Power to invoke those qualities, whether it be courage, patience, endurance, strength, more compassion,

deeper wisdom or clarity, more humor, creativity, support, or whatever you can imagine you need. If you don’t feel you need your Higher Self in order to access those qualities, you can go straight for them as the template that already exists within you. That multi-faceted intelligence that you are will bring it forward for you.

As Your Home Your body is your abode. You live in this vehicle, this transport system, this miraculous biological house for your soul. Like any home it needs a certain type of care. It needs to be kept clean inside and out, not just with cleansers, but also with cleansings. Has it been exposed to toxins or products that might be harmful either immediately or down the road? Do a check periodically to see what the internal systems are looking like, just like you might check for mold or mildew or termites or fungal infestations in your house. Somatic IntelligenceTM

Do a hair analysis or a live blood panel to see what the status is from time to time; add a colonic or a juice fast to let the internal organs rest and do the job they do to cleanse when they don’t have to maintain other processes with food intake. Take care of your skin or your hair like you would your lawn or your garden. Trim it occasionally, fertilize it, nourish it, add things that make it both beautiful to you and healthy so that it continues to flourish year after year. What makes your home feel like

211 it’s ‘you’, like it expresses something meaningful about who you are and what you treasure in your life experiences? What makes it comfortable in a way that it feels like home when you’re there? You can do the same for your body, in the way you dress and adorn yourself, the way you protect and care for what’s valuable to you, and the way you invest in it so that

it’s viable for you to live there long term. Are the products you use safe for yourself and others, for a fetus that may take up residence and grow with you for a while? When you treat your body as a retreat space that you find peace in, that you love and enjoy being in, it will feel like a home to you and you’ll want to make sure it remains with that feeling for you.

As Your Temple Consider doing a periodic cleanout of the basement and closets of your subconscious memories as well. There will be held memories in any number of places in your psyche and body that begin to ripen in middle age and produce a variety of symptoms as they begin to interfere with clarity and clear information processing and response. There are many wonderful somatic or other body-based therapies that gently shed light into these veiled areas and bring understanding, release, and integration of those sup-

pressed energies. In recent decades, Emotional Freedom Technique, Focusing, Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing, Holotrophic Breathwork, and Bioenergetics have surfaced to take a place among those therapies. An annual ‘spring cleaning’ when you toss away those things that don’t serve you in the present, or that were compensatory patterns from childhood can greatly improve availability of options in the present day. As those dusty windows become clean, so does perception as you are able to see without the Chapter 7

212 early filters that predispose how you perceive and believe life to unfold. Now your home is fresh, clean, and a comfy, nurturing place to reside. Dr. Bruno Chikly, a French osteopath who offers classes on the brain, views the structures of the brain as sacred. When you consider that the highest energy centers exist there, that the pineal gland which has ancient mystical significance is perched there, and that the seat of consciousness can be seen to reside and flow from there, his view is accurate from many perspectives. Whenever a sacred perspective is adopted with the body, its own intelligence responds differently and the ways in which you may care for it also changes. There are many aspects to our bodies that are sacred. It exists on many dimensions, including one that is very spiritual and magical. Like a book that you might pick up to read, if you don’t reach that chapter you won’t be in touch with that aspect of its nature and as a result it may not be able to reveal itself to you. The body is also like a mirror that reflects your perception and perspective towards it. If you do relate to the intuitive, divine nature that inhabits and expresses through this temple you’ve been lucky enough to be given, countless sublime qualities can be experienced. As mentioned in an earlier chapter, the DNA in every cell responds to our thoughts

Somatic IntelligenceTM

and intention, as does water, energy, and emotions, which also reflect in biochemistry, in our nervous system, viscera and soft tissue formation. When you view and treat your body as a temple, as your sacred abode, it responds in kind and begins to emit its sacred dimension. A new type of formation begins to happen on every level and a light, integrated balance emerges that instantly makes it feel like life is a precious gift. Your skin seems to sparkle, your heart feels radiant, your mind feels like a vessel in tune with its surroundings and gratitude arises for the enormity of wonder it inspires. In this space, the whole earth feels like a temple with unmistakable magnificence and immeasurable beauty. While holding the view that your body is a temple, it becomes cherished in a way that brings you to places and activities that nourish the spirit. Just like the food we eat nourishes our mechanism and maintains its physical health, the spiritual food we eat nourishes the body’s spiritual health. The subtle and gross energies can more easily flow, flourish, send and receive information of any kind, and keep us tuned in to what best serves the balance in our lives. In many ways, the way you see and treat your body is the way you see and treat others and the world around you.

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Tying it All Together I’ve been describing the many ways and many levels or dimensions that we all exist and function upon, including the ways in which our intelligence works. Not only are our bodies profoundly intelligent, but they are the very source and foundation for the effective processing of any type of information from within or without. Our body is a living, breathing, genius of an organism that responds to our intentions, thoughts, emotions, and to how we view the organism itself. If you touch your hand and tune in to the muscles, it will respond very differently than if you tune in to the bones in your hand, or to the fluid systems, the nerves, to the skin, or to the energy therein. Each layer has a different set of ears and a slightly different way to move through and influence your hand. Any part of your system will respond differently if you touch it with love and gratitude compared to indifference. As you contemplate the many

mysterious if not magical ways it can function with you, with nature, and with the universe, a slightly different response will be elicited with each facet of the diamond that the body reflects. Feel what happens when you go to the ocean and look at the horizon, then notice the difference when you contemplate the ocean floor, or watch a dolphin leaping. Each system and every cell is alive and imbued with consciousness, with awareness, energy, light, and with many types of intelligence that can operate at rates that are faster than the speed of light. It is an interconnected, interdependent, ever-expanding receiver, processor, transmitter and filer of massive quantities of tiny bytes of information. That information exists on and through several forms that we are still trying to understand. The intelligent, organizing principle that drives all of life can encode and decode chemistry, elecChapter 7

214 tricity, energy, position, purpose, frequency, shape, size, rhythm, rate, force, weight, trajectory, and intention. Each layer has a door to and influence upon the other layers. For example, a thought can trigger an emotion, which can signal hormonal release and other biochemistry that travels through the blood and incites neuronal firing that excites muscle contraction attached through connective tissue to bone. Accessing the cerebral spinal fluid layer and its rhythm, as well as its connection to other fluid systems that interface with the biochemistry, regulatory, and musculoskeletal systems can induce deep calm and rebalancing throughout the body. One of the most important goals of this book is to inspire a wider view of how we view and understand this miracle we live in. Just for fun, contemplate and receive in your mind these concepts that can forever change how you organized around your body, and how it organizes around and for you: • Your body is now.

• Your body is a mirror.

• Your body is innocent.

• Your body is a food processor.

• Your body is a prism. • Your body is a tape recorder with a camera. • Your body is an elegant bio-computer.

Somatic IntelligenceTM

You will notice a significant difference when you treat your body like your best friend, when you keep it clean, uniquely beautiful and tidy like you would your home, and another change when you view it as a temple, as something sacred. The structures, substances, energies and their functions overlap in such a way that an impediment, imbalance or disturbance in one will eventually spill over onto the other areas, like it would in your car. Maintenance is absolutely essential. Most of us will get a ‘pass’ or warranty for the first 10 or 15 and possibly 25 years, but somewhere after that the accumulation will require a service call. If you want your vehicle to last and run smoothly, you’ll need to keep it in good repair. Your ability to tune in to the different dimensions or layers will increase the more your awareness is directed toward those distinctions. Meditation and mindfulness are capable allies. Some people receive the messages on an intuitive level if not a direct per-

• Your body is a hologram. • Your body is conduit for Divinity • All of life is food.

• Your body is a radio with many stations.

• All food is a form of information

• Your body is a portal to infinity.

• Your body encompasses all of life.

215 ception on a physical, physiological or energetic level. An imbalance may take months or years to show up in a symptom of discomfort or disease, and some of them don’t resolve by themselves. Establishing a close relationship on all the levels your body operates on enables you to notice when something is a little off and to have a sense of how to respond to the messages you’ve learned to decode from your system. Then when the signs that your adaptability needs more space as evidenced by things taking longer to heal or coming more frequently, they will remain in the minor stages because you will have been taking care all along. You’ll be able to see and feel the differences in your body’s replies depending upon which area you

tune into. You’ll notice how musculoskeletal symptoms can dissolve when tuning into the fluid system, the breath, the energetic systems or viscera. There can be endless discovery and a lot of fun in exploring the inherent intelligence you are made of. Not only that, as you gently move and continue to awaken all the levels of sensitivity your organism can experience, the bandwidth of life you’ll be sensing gains more clarity, more capacity for love, for nuances of color, aroma, sounds and intricacies of sensation that had previously been unavailable to you. The newfound integration within and between the layers of what you are will afford a light, effortlessness in how you use your body that in itself will prove to be a gift that keeps on giving.

One of the most important goals of this book is to inspire a wider view of how we view and understand this miracle we live in.

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Touching Joy The beauty of movement reeducation and somatic intelligence is that it immeasurably helps to keep the system open, sensitive, and current with itself. Joy lives in that open, innocent, vulnerability that resides within us. We can still, as adults, remain sensitive and open energetically, enjoying the fullness of emotions which are complex, wonderful, and useful. There’s a tendency as adults, even in spiritual circles, to believe that in order to evolve we leave behind the density of thought, ego, and emotion; we throw the baby out with the bathwater. There are in fact, glorious, sublime spaces where those features don’t appear and seem non-existent; where the peace is therefore quite deep. There are also spaces of embodied living that includes a recognition of our more sublime, awakened nature that includes the workings of the bodymind. They are wired into Somatic IntelligenceTM

the systems that are responsible for learning and memory, for decisionmaking, and for survival. There are ways to adjust patterns of expression that might be emotionally inappropriate or overly dramatic for social harmony. We can consider also using our ‘feeling’ sense, the gut feeling you get about a decision, or the instinct and intuition that lend a hand in how to proceed without dialing up the fight/flight emotions. This way the body doesn’t get overloaded with stored emotional content that puts noise into your sensibilities and may cloud clarity. The bodymind is a recorder of stimulating events, not a producer of facts. It will only be able to draw upon what you’ve interpreted to be significant for whatever reason and pull up those files in any decisionmaking process. The meaning will also be assigned, and not inherent. Therefore you won’t be able to

217 count on how you feel about something, or that you have emotions about something as the sole determining factor in how to view it. Once some time has been spent in observing and contemplating your system on a variety of levels, the patterns will become apparent along with their source, their relevance, and usability. You’ll know whether to take the patterns seriously, and when the information provided has features of your higher nature that is uninvested and more neutral. Self-knowledge in and of itself is such a joy and a comfort, because it removes a measure of doubt and confusion that accompanies the question of whether you’re doing the right thing. Another possible adjustment or ally to the emotional body is the proprioceptive system. Opening your physical reality will naturally open you emotionally, so as you let go, old emotional content may naturally surface. Emotions can be born out of an attitude, belief, predisposition, or conditioning, whereas a feeling from the proprioceptive system is neutral. Something in the environment can feel hot or cold, sticky, fun, unsavory, or harrowing without emotions having to be generated to seal the assessment. Psychologists will report that, “emotions control your thinking, behavior, and actions. People who ignore, dismiss, repress, or just ventilate their emotions are setting themselves up for physical illness.” Dr. Maurice Ellis states, “Emotions are our most reliable indicator of how things are

going in our lives. They operate on many levels and affect many aspects of a person.” Human emotions can be rich and impassioned, motivating all forms of creative expression, producing the excitement that underscores innovative ideas. They can inspire compassionate, humanitarian acts, and contribute to all types of deepened enjoyment of what life has to offer. They offer tremendous support in relating to others and in getting along socially in different types of rela tionships. Developing emotional intelligence will include the ability to identify and manage the emotions that arise, including the capacity to monitor and assess the appropriateness of that emotion before it is expressed. The source of emotions is a vast terrain full of slippery slopes, but realizing that a vast number of stimulants might produce an emotional response is helpful in not taking every one that arises personally. Just like physical pain or discomfort can be a sign that something is off in the physical or physiological realm, so can emotional discomfort. The nervous system along with the endocrine and energetic systems may produce a physical symptom that indicates restriction, chemical imbalance, pressure, or mal-alignment, or an emotional reaction may arise to signal that something is off in our physiology. If a person you meet generates an emotional response, it could be due to a subconscious impression that became triggered due Chapter 7

218 to a similarity in their personalities, in their scent, or some discomfort in them you may be picking up on that is being mirrored in your system. We are not nearly as separate as our skin makes us appear. Emotions can be a sign of overload, or of fatigue. Once you’ve developed a relationship with your body and have established the witnessing of your thoughts, you’ll better understand your emotional world as well. Remember also, that the mental body trumps the emotional body, and the wisdom body is beyond both. Meditation and mindfulness can provide an emotional stillpoint and reset just as they can provide a reset for the body and mind. When the attention becomes attuned to the stillpoint instead of the activity of the body, mind, or emotions, clarity can arise that leads to resolution, as well as the understanding of why the activity showed up for you. The vibration, or frequency and configuration of our thoughts, feelings, and emotions have a physiological and therefore a tissue-field counterpart that contributes a great deal to our well-being. This doesn’t mean at all that we should put effort into shutting them down, but into observing and listening for what they want to communicate to us. Then we can keep what’s useful input and throw the rest away. Your system will automatically flush whatever isn’t useful as long as those excretory systems are freed up enough to function optimally. In the 1960’s, Norwegian psychotherapist, Somatic IntelligenceTM

Gerda Boyesen, developed a process called Biodynamic Therapy when she noticed the interlacing of the body’s responses when working with psychological issues. Her patients would often get flu symptoms or diarrhea, have fluid changes in their faces, and rumblings in their intestines. She noticed, “as soon as the fluid pressure in the tissue was more normal they would feel ‘light’, at peace with themselves. The building up and release of fluid pressure in the tissue seemed to be related to the building up and releasing of some sort of emotional burden, even if the patient hadn’t consciously recognized it. In the same way that diversity and refinement in sensing and executing complex movements can increase somatic intelligence, supple eloquence, diversity and refinement of emotional expression can enhance emotional intelligence. They can work hand-inhand, since increased awareness and sensitivity in one supports the same happening in other areas of intelligence. I remember the shift into joy for my body in the 1980’s which was so sudden and unexpected, I wrote a song about it with the lyrics, “Joy unbounded, joy, I found it!” In truth, it found me and I have no recollection of anything that could have inspired it since I was in pain and depressed with a bad back at the time. Afterwards, though, I started exploring what could have happened and what could have shielded it from me up until then. Eventually, there did seem to be a predictable ‘place’ where joy

219 lives, and it’s right behind the screen that thoughts are projected upon – anandamaya kosha. As soon as I pierce the mental activity, or manomaya kosha - with awareness, joy is experienced again as part of what we’re made of. In an open, balanced, supple place, joy is unhindered, circulates freely, and tickles the sensibilities. Your body is a joyful place. The energy that circulates in the fluids and rides along your nervous system is full of joy that is subtle, sublime, and delivers contentment. Whether you tune in to your own ease and flow of all your body’s systems, or you periodically have a professional do it for you, when they’re balanced and humming along, so is joy, right along with it. A type of contentment arises just from tuning in to those pulsating rhythms; a deep breath comes, a settling of your system follows. You’ll be able to tell by comparison if something feels different in any joint, or if a new sensation appears near or around an organ, a fascial plane, or in the overall integrated, coordinated, smooth flow of your system’s relationship to itself. In becoming more familiar with your body through developing a closer relationship and in caring for it, you’ll also be able to tell which way to move towards resolving any imbalance that the movement doesn’t take care of. If we’re all taking care and have a little luck in the karmic bank, there won’t be a need for much more than that. Much of it is in where your atten-

tion is. Moving freely and consciously is in itself such a joy, although it may not feel like it initially when the stiffness or soreness is making the most noise and stealing your attention. I’ve noticed that often what needs to offload or discharge are the day’s stimulation from the use of the senses, the organs and glands, the soft tissue, and skeleton in life’s experiences. When tuning in to the body as the processor, it means making sure all the day’s happenings have been sufficiently moved through on a physical, mental, emotional, and energetic level. That affords enough clarity in the system to see where the load bearing in the structure has been taken, so the mechanical transport needs have been met. Here’s where a few moments of exercise and a good meal can reset the system on that level. Now there will be much more integrated neutrality on the layers that could be producing the most ‘noise’ in the body neurologically, and I can tune in to it as my home. I ask myself at the end of the day if there anything else that it needs to help my body to feel more comfortable and settled? How about a little stretching, or a bubble bath? As a friend to my body, are there any notable highlights that want to be shared, put in the journal, in an email, on the ‘to do’ list for tomorrow so my mind and heart are clear and unencumbered? Is there a review of conversations or events that could be a little more flushed out, better understood, or filled in with a couple more details? Is there any reChapter 7

220 assurance I can give myself that I’ve done my best in each circumstance, had fun with the day, and feel grateful to have lived it in the fullness it provided? As my temple, is there anything I can do to better tune in to the more subtle, most sacred, spiritual aspects of my body, like a meditation, a puja, some chanting, or expression of gratitude, of forgiveness? As your relationship with your body is enhanced, you’ll know what questions to ask yourself. This inquiry naturally opens the connection to our body as a temple. When the appreciation and love begin to be expressed and its sanctity is felt, our spirit can flourish, which is where the real nurture comes from. That is the nectar that is always present but the other layers need to slow down, settle, align, cleanse the ‘debris’ and tune in to the subtle nature that is easily drowned out by the noise of the activation of daily life. It’s also a wonderful practice to turn attention and acknowledgment to it as a temple throughout the day, whereby much less noise will interfere, more wisdom and clarity will be available, and less settling or reset will be needed at the end of the day on those levels. There will also be fewer opportunities for inadvertent tensions to set in when conscious presence is maintained during the day with more easeful interactions, and the loads that do take hold from posture, sitting, standing or carrying items will be more easily released. As mentioned earlier, time is a Somatic IntelligenceTM

factor. We move, engage, and initiate activity faster than it can unwind, so just taking the time to let it reset in each of its functions at the end of each day can be revelatory and invaluable. The body, whether it be envisioned like your car, or like a dear friend, will always be listening and responding on all those levels to every nuance of your thought, feeling, bodily activity and energetic information. You want to make sure you’re giving it the optimal environment to perform its many functions elegantly, but it needs cues from you to be able to do that. It will be continually messaging and communicating with you in subtle and not so subtle ways, and as long as you remain in an intimate relationship with your system, balance will be easy to maintain. The next volume in the Somatic Intelligence series, “The Conversation that Every Body Wants to Have With You”, is full of techniques that will release each major muscle in your body in a few minutes, and the integration of the information in this book will facilitate them working for you right away. Just like any relationship, when you’ve built an intimate understanding and open communication within it, you flow well and respond well, finishing each other’s sentences. The same holds true for you and your body. Once you ‘get’ your body and your body gets you, it knows what you’re about to do, it gets your intention, trusts you, is open to your requests, and responds immediately with whatever resources it has available.

221 This process is a way of becoming more embodied. As conscious presence attends to the areas that have fallen into automatic patterns and begins to awaken more cells to their sensitized, intelligent, coordinated capacities, they open, reset, and return to optimal sensing, transmitting, and integrating. Once those little

creaky places start to open and become more supple and pliant again, the juices will begin to flow from the subtle internal energy systems. These energies carries with them the nectar from your own body that is sometimes just felt as contented balance, and optimally experienced as love, or as peace.

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About the Author

S

uresha was inspired into athletics by her grandfather, DeHart Hubbard, who was the first black man to win an Olympic Gold Medal in 1924. She began martial arts classes in college and continued for thirteen years before switching from the external forms of karate to the internal forms like chi kung and Dwa Shaan. During these years, she also took up dance, tennis, paddle ball, racquet ball, and other sports. After graduating from Kent State University with degrees in Elementary Education, Special Education, School Psychology, with the Specialty of Systems Intervention and Prevention, she lived in India with spiritual teachers and learned meditation techniques which began to influence her life and work. After noticing that many of the children she assessed had body-based issues, Suresha studied and practiced numerous forms of hands-on bodywork that examined the many layers that our system functions on. She then extended her studies to Breath Therapy, Hypnotherapy, and energy balancing techniques before dedicating the last 25 years to various forms of neuromuscular reeducation. After studying Hanna Somatic Education in the 1990’s, she developed her own approach called NeuroSomatic Integration and founded the Marin Center for Somatic Education. Attracted to the holistic principles of osteopathy, she studied the brain, the viscera, cranial sacral therapy, and many forms and techniques within that system before becoming a Diplomate in Osteopathic Manipulative Theory & Practice in 2013. This book creates an opportunity to share the cause of numerous remarkable changes this body of work has been able to generate in thousands of clients over the years, many of whom have been able to transform their lives as well.

Somatic IntelligenceTM