IF Insider — №4 — April 14, 2020
Special “Calm” Edition — April 14, 2020
In this week’s IF Insider:
Finding a sense of calm in the midst of chaos, how to invoke your body’s relaxation response, using this pandemic as an opportunity to explore the inner world of dreams, what we are reading, and how to become a member of our exclusive Fast Factor Circle Community.
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Finding A Sense Of Calm — What Works
What’s this?
In our last IF Insider, we noted the rapid explosion of COVID-19 cases all across the United States, with community spread common. Over the past two weeks since our last issue, many of you have been sheltering in place under orders from your state or local governments.
And although there is some hope that we are reaching the peak in terms of new cases and deaths in some geographic areas, we obviously have a long way to go. This is especially true in terms of getting back to any semblance of a “normal” life for most of us.
Maintaining a sense of calm centeredness has never been more important. Stress itself can wreak havoc on your immune system’s ability to function optimally, putting you at even more risk of both getting the virus and impairing your ability to recover if you do get it.
In our last issue (IF Insider №3 -3/24/20) we outlined a basic program of self-care aimed at helping keep you as healthy as possible, including suggestions for sleep, nutrition, exercise, particular vitamins and so forth. If you have not had a chance to look at that list, please take a few minutes to do so now and implement all of those you possibly can.
Today, we want to dive more deeply into what you can specifically do, in addition to those suggestions, to lower your stress levels. One of the most effective ways to lower your stress levels and build an “inner reserve” of calm, is to learn to invoke what is known as the relaxation response, an innate, automatic response your body has to certain stimuli.
The concept of the relaxation response was developed in the 1970s by cardiologist Dr. Herbert Benson at Harvard University. You can think of this relaxation response as the exact opposite of the stress response and you can learn to cultivate it in many ways, some of which we will outline here.
Five Easy And Powerfully Effective Ways To Invoke The Relaxation Response:
Breathing Focus — Because your breathing is the only bodily function that is both automatic (as when you are asleep for example) and also to some extent, under your conscious, voluntary control, certain breathing patterns can help you tap directly into your nervous system. Learning to breathe “from your belly” is a prerequisite for many types of meditation and relaxation practices. This diaphragmatic breathing will naturally help you to relax as it stimulates the vagus nerve as it travels through your diaphragm.
To do this type of breathing, place one hand on your chest and one on your lower abdomen. It’s helpful to lie down when first learning to do this. As you breathe in, allow the belly to expand as if filling a balloon with air. The hand that is placed over your abdomen should rise as you breathe in, and the hand over your chest should not move very much or at all.
As you breathe out, the hand over your belly should fall, as if deflating the balloon. Again, the hand over your chest should not really move. Practice this breathing for about five minutes every day until it’s second nature. You can easily do this just before sleep as you are already lying down and it’s a great way to help ease pre-sleep anxiety.
Once you have the hang of diaphragmatic breathing, you can take time during the day to sit in a comfortable chair and just focus for a few minutes on your breathing, in…and out…in…and out Allow your mind to disengage from the rush of thoughts and focus on your breath. When your mind wanders back to the thoughts (as it inevitably will!) just gently return your focus to your breathing. Over time, you will find it easier and easier to focus solely on your breath.
The relaxation response will kick in. Your heart rate will slow, your blood pressure will go down and a sense of peace and calm will come over you. Some people do this breath focus as their only type of meditation.
The Body Scan — This is an ancient technique, also known as yoga nidra, which builds on the breath focus then transitions to a mental scan of your body while you simultaneously relax and release tension in the muscles of each area, one after another.
Begin with a few minutes of breathing as described above, then bring your awareness to one area of the body after another, perhaps starting with one hand, then your arm and shoulder, relaxing any tension you may feel there. Move from one area of your body until you have covered your entire physical organism.
This practice can invoke profound feelings of relaxation and calm. Again, you can do this practice right before you go to sleep. In fact, it’s so effective, you likely won’t get through an entire body scan before you are asleep!
Imagery — Mental imagery has the capacity to induce feelings of calm and relaxation. You can do this practice yourself or go to any of the free or low-cost apps that will guide you on a soothing journey. If you want to do this yourself, think about a place, usually in the natural world, that you find particularly appealing and beautiful.
Go there in your mind’s eye, re-experiencing with all of your senses how it is to be there. Feel the breeze on your skin, notice the sounds that come to you, immerse yourself in the beauty of the place. Stay there as long as you like, soaking up the calm.
If mental imagery is not your strong suit, you can rely on any number of apps available, either on the App Store for iPhone or Google Play for Android. Calm or Headspace are two good apps that use a variety of guided imagery meditations that will automatically guide you to a relaxed space.
Binaural Beat Technology — This interesting technology was actually discovered back in 1839 by German researcher Heinrich Wilhelm Dove and then later brought into the modern mainstream in 1973 by Gerald Oster with the publication of an article in Scientific American.
Here’s how it works: Tones of a specific frequency are presented to each ear, perhaps a tone of 200 Hz is presented to the left ear and a tone of 210 Hz is presented to the right ear.
Here’s where it gets interesting. The brain actually constructs a “third tone” composed of the difference between the two original tones, in this case, 10 Hz. This 10 Hz tone is equivalent to the frequency of the alpha brain waves your brain produces when you are in a relaxed state of consciousness. These tones can be manipulated to encourage your brain to follow or “entrain” to a specific frequency, from relaxed alpha to the deeply meditative theta state and even to deep sleep delta.
There are many apps, both free and paid, with which you can experiment. Most people find they have to try several different apps and settings to get one that is most effective for them, but when you do find one that works for you, this is a great way to do practically effortless meditation, as you just put on headphones (you must use headphones for this to be effective) and let the program take you into whatever state you desire.
Banzai Labs has been in this space for over a decade and offers a variety of apps dedicated to entrainment of relaxed states as well as apps designed to enhance creativity and focus.
Exposure To The Natural World — Research has clearly shown that humans respond positively to natural settings which invoke feelings of pleasure, decreased negative emotions such as anxiety and anger, and a feeling of “relaxed wakefulness.” While most people would no doubt prefer to visit their favorite vacation spot in the mountains or on the beach, in these days of restricted travel, this is not possible for most of us.
But research has also shown that you don’t have to be in a vacation setting to enjoy the benefits nature provides. Walking in a nearby park, sitting on your deck or balcony or being able to look out a window overlooking an area of grass or trees, caring for green plants or even seeing pictures or videos of natural areas can give you many of the same benefits.
Pick one or two or more of these which resonate with you and begin to practice them regularly. In short order, you will develop a deep well of calm that you can invoke at any time to counteract the effects of stress on your mind and body.
Why It Matters — We have said this before but it bears repeating: Now more than ever, you need to be able, as both an individual and as part of society, to think calmly, rationally and strategically. High levels of stress effectively short circuit your ability to function at your best, emotionally as well as physically.
Coronavirus Stress Is Causing a Pandemic Of Bizarre Dreams
Like it or not, we are as a society, now engaged in a collective experiment on the effects of stress combined with social isolation. This combination is apparently producing bizarre, sometimes frightening dreams, even in people who don’t usually remember their dreams.
Dr. Mary-Ellen Lynall, a neuroscientist and psychiatrist at the University of Cambridge, states that “…the puzzle here is why so many of us are having such realistic and memorable dreams as this crisis develops.” She also believes that as this crisis abates, for most of us, the vivid dreams will pass.
Why It Matters — But what if we dared look at this a bit differently? What if we viewed this time of increased openness to dreams as the opening of a portal that is actually an invitation to learn more about our often mysterious inner world instead of simply a result of an increase in stress hormones?
Here are some excellent resources to explore the fascinating world of dreams:
International Association for the Study of Dreams — the IASD is “a non-profit, international, multidisciplinary organization dedicated to the pure and applied investigation of dreams and dreaming. Our purposes are to promote an awareness and appreciation of dreams in both professional and public arenas; to encourage research into the nature, function, and significance of dreaming; to advance the application of the study of dreams, and to provide a forum for the eclectic and interdisciplinary exchange of ideas and information.”
Individual Dream Consultations — If you want personalized insights into your dreams, Paula Chaffee Scardamalia, author, weaver, tarot expert has been consulted by People Magazine to offer dream insights for country music stars Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw, Kellie Pickler, Luke Bryan, Rodney Atkins, and more.
Books Recommendations — Jungian psychoanalyst Robert Bosnak is the author and editor of 7 books of non-fiction in the fields of dreams, health, and creative imagination. His bestselling book is A Little Course in Dreams, which is “a hands-on manual” for anyone who is interested in dreams.
He is also the author of Tracks in the Wilderness of Dreaming which relates Bosnak’s journey to the Australian outback to investigate the nature of dreaming with an Aboriginal spirit doctor. He also developed a dreaming method called ‘embodied imagination’ used in psychotherapy and applied globally to a range of creative endeavors.
What We Are Reading
Each issue, both Denise Wakeman and I will bring you a short blurb on what we are currently reading, including books (or watching), articles and research papers of value.
Denise — Fantastic Fungi is a beautiful documentary about mushrooms. Yep, mushrooms. Actually it’s about fungi and the network of mycelium that exists all over the planet, underneath our feet.
I was blown away by the time-lapse photography and educated by the science and how much mushrooms can positively impact many of the problems our world is currently experiencing. Available to rent or buy to watch online.
Ellen — Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization by Scott Barry Kaufmann is a wonderful reimagining of Abraham Maslow’s famous hierarchy of needs. Robert Greene, author of The Laws of Human Nature says “Mastery in whatever field is an important goal to aspire to, but in these times, when people are experiencing depression and emptiness at an epidemic level, transcendence is an even more critical goal. Scott Barry Kaufman manages to integrate more than seventy-five years of research on the subject to show that the only way to fully self-actualize is, paradoxically, by getting outside of one’s self. This is one of the best books on human potential I’ve ever read.” Available on Amazon.
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Published by Dr. Ellen Britt & Denise Wakeman, Fast Factor Community
