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Creative
Ways to Transform Challenges: From Survival to Serenity: Six Steps to Peace in
the Midst of Chaos Jo Anna Shaw,
MBA Here we
are in the wake of a terrorist attack. Through our will and effort many of us
are back to “business as usual” while others continue to feel the affects and
are challenged to return to some semblance of normal. We must go on but not at
the expense of our physical and emotional health. Historically,
we have learned well how to survive after traumatic experiences. Some of us are
able to pick ourselves up and go on by burying ourselves in our work. Others choose
to repress the emotional pain through drugs or alcohol. If we have not chosen
to heal the trauma, it is still active in us. It is really pushed more deeply
into the subconscious, into the cells of the body. Denying
and repressing feelings blocks our peace and joy. It creates dis-ease in the
body and separation from our Essence. There are many who support the recovery
from traumatic life experiences. It is beneficial to seek help and support when
we become aware of how trauma is affecting our life. In truth,
the fear, pain and related behaviors that have been so dramatically brought
into our awareness recently have been with us for a very long time. To the
extent we have not healed from being raised in dysfunctional families, broken
homes, families affected by the disease of alcoholism, substance abuse or other
traumatic life events, the survival patterns we learned from these experiences
continue to affect our thoughts, feelings, physical health and behavior. Survival
patterns are still active to the extent that the childhood needs were not fully
met even for those who would consider they are from healthy families. We all
have learned patterns to protect ourselves from being hurt again. Nature teaches
us about the law of attraction. For example, the vibrational
essence of a flower organizes molecules to form a rose. A different vibration
might form a daisy. This principle is also active in our life. We attract people
and experiences based on our consciousness. Typically they reflect patterns of
our past to help us come to resolution and to evolve into a more loving,
compassionate being. A key is to become conscious
of ineffective patterns as they arise with intention to evolve them. It is easier
to see our patterns when we react to the major dramas of our life. It is more
difficult to see without the drama. Our survival patterns also show up whenever
we struggle with anything and cannot achieve a successful resolution in a
reasonable period of time. For example, the child who is in 5th
grade and is reading at a 2nd grade level is stuck in a survival pattern
anchored in the earlier years when he or she learned to read. The adult who is
unable to find fulfillment at work or success in any activity is stepping into
the pain of the past in the present challenging moment. When we choose to
recover, this same law will reorganize our life into a more serene state. I am an
advocate for healing my survival patterns as much as possible without the need
for crisis. As I embrace the path of recognizing and transmuting my limited patterns
moment to moment, I am more present and at peace in my life. I can to respond
to crisis in choice rather than the old reactive ways. Or, the dramatic events
are less because I have healed the pattern of needing crisis to create change
in my life. The door to
shifting survival patterns is to go into the moment of your daily life
activities and notice your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations and actions.
If you are reading a book and notice a challenge focusing, or are listening to
your child and notice impatience, or are afraid to speak your truth in a loving
way to a co-worker, these behaviors are based in a survival pattern that has
been learned through experience. It served to protect you then. However as
adults, these patterns are ineffective. With awareness, these moments can be
used to re-configure your daily life skills. It is a way you can help yourself
between traditional therapies. The
physiological fear response is for the body to hold the breath, for muscles of
the body to tighten, and for energy to be at the large muscle groups and not
available for proper digestion. The body is chemically prepared to freeze, run
or fight depending on conditioning. For
some the eyes diffuse. They loose the natural function of centralized focus.
For others the eyes and body become over-focused in the details. The
physiological survival patterns can vary for each depending on childhood
conditioning that anchored the survival behavior. For some, sensitivity to
light and sound will become acute and for others a lessened sensitivity or
numbness will result. Childhood developmental reflexes can reemerge controlling
our ability to move, breathe, think and feel in a balanced way. Regardless of
the pattern the mind/body system can reorganize itself into a balanced state
through awareness, intention and movement. Here is how. Step one: Awareness ¥
Become
Aware of your pattern. Practicing meditation and other techniques of centering
and balance lay the foundation to live in the moment in awareness. Step two: Intention ¥
Stop!
Do not reinforce the pattern. Create the intention to be balanced, centered,
patient, at peace. Choose a clear intention that is the highest good of all. Step three: Explore the Edge ¥
Make
space to learn a new way. Revisit the experience that has triggered the
pattern. Notice your thoughts, feelings and senses. Step four: Reconfigure the
mind/body system ¥
Sit
in Hook-ups. Cross your ankles. Cross your wrists with thumbs down and interlink
your fingers. Let your hands rest on your heart. Put the tongue on the roof of
your mouth and focus on slow, relaxed, deep breathing. ¥
Breathe
into a relaxed belly the awareness of the pattern. As you Breathe out, the
pattern is releasing, focus on your intention. ¥
Do
some lengthening activities especially the calf muscles and the neck muscles.
Hold the muscles long for a count of 8 while breathing. ¥
Do
some cross lateral movements like walking in place touching the opposite knee
then add focusing the eyes in all directions without moving the head while
moving the body. Step five: Integrate ¥
Take
a walk, meditate, focused on your breath for a few minutes. Step Six: Expand the edge ¥
Begin
to revisit the activity that triggered the pattern. The more
you do this the more aware you will become, the less fear will run your life
and the more your light will shine. Celebrate your awareness for you have
chosen the path of a warrior committed to preventing war and tragedy by healing
the inner chaotic patterns that attract challenges and pain. Survival
is about living in fear: fear of death, fear of failure, fear of abandonment,
you add to this list. This fear weighs heavy on our physical and emotional
health and affects all we do. It can be scary to open the door to healing these
core wounds. Sometimes it is easier to stay in the patterns because they are
known. The unknown lies on the other side of letting go of the fear. It takes
courage to take this step. Using daily life activities as the door is a gentle
way to begin. As a
child, I was raised in an abusive, alcoholic environment. I learned survival
patterns early on. The crisis in ă Jo Anna Shaw 2001. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission of Jo Anna Shaw. This article first appeared in The Sentient Times, Ashland, OR, December/January 2002. Jo Anna Shaw, MBA, is an international facilitator
of Inner Flight workshops. Jo Anna has created the For
more information on Educational Kinesiology go to www.braingym.org or call 1-800-356-2109.
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