This love has made me crazy.
I keep forgetting to rise up, to worry,
and I’m dancing around in meadows,
silly and stupid with your ecstasy.
Where were all these meadows before?
Next to you in the car,
the discord of lights and smog
becomes Spring itself.
All of humanity is on the same path, at the same time,
red lights guiding the way.
I only bother to sleep to hold
your hand in those unconscious moments.
Butterflies and moths fly out of my eyes.
Two trees use me as their telephone line.
I try to tell the man watering red hibiscus plants.
He gives me a round stone.
How can I explain this insanity?
I just follow the owl flying overhead,
downtown, at midday. Your eyes glisten,
you hold me close. I’m late again
for another meeting.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
More States of Attention
For the last 6 months, I’ve been working with Nelson Zink’s 12 States of Attention.
Mary Ann Reynolds taught them to me at the September Austin NLP Meetup, and she had been talking about them for some time before that. You can read previous blog entries about Mary Ann’s presentation or how the 12 States have made parts of my life much more rich, especially in settings like the black sand beach in Maui, where I wanted to expand my awareness of the place. You can also read an excerpt from Nelson's Zink's The Structure of Delight and his explanation of the 12 States of Attention.
There are several parts of this model that I’ve wanted to refine, especially about the kinesthetic sense. Broad-External-Kinesthetic is supposed to be what I can feel right now on the surface of my skin (and maybe a few inches out, depending on how you want to do it). But there’s no distinction to describe me remembering a Broad-External-Kinesthetic sensation or planning one. The same thing applies to Narrow-External-Kinesthetic, Broad-Internal-Kinesthetic, and Narrow-Internal-Kinesthetic.
Also, what about one’s sense of where the body is in space, sometimes called the proprioceptive sense? And what about olfactory and gustatory senses?
So, I’ve been playing around with several different ways of organizing these senses to accommodate that. Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Broad / Narrow (stays the same)
Sensed / Constructed (much like the original Internal / External, but this accommodates for the fact that you might construct a kinesthetic feeling, be it internal (on the skin) or external (inside the body).
Visual / Auditory / Kinesthetic – Skin / Kinesthetic – Viscera / Kinesthetic – Proprioception / Olfactory / Gustatory
That makes for 28 States of Attention! I have to admit, I like the simplicity of Nelson’s original model. Are the extra distinctions really worth it?
As I’ve experimented with this expanded model, here’s what I’ve learned. The last 3 types of perception (Kinesthetic – Proprioception, Olfactory, and Gustatory) are “bonus” states. Because they are often far beyond conscious awareness, sometimes they contain very interesting information. Sometimes, they are so secondary to the other states of attention, they provide less useful information.
I’ll probably continue to teach my friends Nelson’s original model, or my expanded model without the bonus states.
Mary Ann Reynolds taught them to me at the September Austin NLP Meetup, and she had been talking about them for some time before that. You can read previous blog entries about Mary Ann’s presentation or how the 12 States have made parts of my life much more rich, especially in settings like the black sand beach in Maui, where I wanted to expand my awareness of the place. You can also read an excerpt from Nelson's Zink's The Structure of Delight and his explanation of the 12 States of Attention.
There are several parts of this model that I’ve wanted to refine, especially about the kinesthetic sense. Broad-External-Kinesthetic is supposed to be what I can feel right now on the surface of my skin (and maybe a few inches out, depending on how you want to do it). But there’s no distinction to describe me remembering a Broad-External-Kinesthetic sensation or planning one. The same thing applies to Narrow-External-Kinesthetic, Broad-Internal-Kinesthetic, and Narrow-Internal-Kinesthetic.
Also, what about one’s sense of where the body is in space, sometimes called the proprioceptive sense? And what about olfactory and gustatory senses?
So, I’ve been playing around with several different ways of organizing these senses to accommodate that. Here’s what I’ve come up with:
Broad / Narrow (stays the same)
Sensed / Constructed (much like the original Internal / External, but this accommodates for the fact that you might construct a kinesthetic feeling, be it internal (on the skin) or external (inside the body).
Visual / Auditory / Kinesthetic – Skin / Kinesthetic – Viscera / Kinesthetic – Proprioception / Olfactory / Gustatory
That makes for 28 States of Attention! I have to admit, I like the simplicity of Nelson’s original model. Are the extra distinctions really worth it?
As I’ve experimented with this expanded model, here’s what I’ve learned. The last 3 types of perception (Kinesthetic – Proprioception, Olfactory, and Gustatory) are “bonus” states. Because they are often far beyond conscious awareness, sometimes they contain very interesting information. Sometimes, they are so secondary to the other states of attention, they provide less useful information.
I’ll probably continue to teach my friends Nelson’s original model, or my expanded model without the bonus states.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Spider Joe's Spirituality of Wonder
He threw his arms around the tree trunk, gently bit off a small piece of bark and ate it, passionately kissed the tree, and ran off laughing.
My nephew is two years old.
Why did he do this? His world is a mystery to me. There seems to be no future and no past. Things from the past -- learnings, beliefs he's already formed, fears, expectations -- do influence his life. But he doesn't live there.
That's what the Spirituality of Wonder (my new favorite term, coined by my friend Spider Joe) is all about, at least in my current interpretation: flinging yourself into the present moment so thoroughly that you shake off the past and the future, and you look up to see a hawk flying overhead. For that moment, only the hawk exists. And that present moment is full of causes-and-effects that may or may not make sense, but they arise from somewhere most of us long to visit. And some of us long to live.
We use the word "spirituality" because it's hard to find a word that expresses what we're talking about. Think about the last time you were pleasantly surprised. Maybe someone actually planned a surprise for you. Or maybe you were given a gift you didn't expect. Perhaps something random happened, which turned out to be good for you.
Let yourself be absorbed in the feelings of being pleasantly surprised. It's a nice time to linger, isn't it? What were you seeing and hearing? Where were you? Seeing the events through your own eyes, notice the people around you. What were you feeling?
That's the spirituality of wonder, too. It's being completely absorbed, however briefly, in something that brings you wonder, awe, and curiosity.
When do you experience the spirituality of wonder?
My nephew is two years old.
Why did he do this? His world is a mystery to me. There seems to be no future and no past. Things from the past -- learnings, beliefs he's already formed, fears, expectations -- do influence his life. But he doesn't live there.
That's what the Spirituality of Wonder (my new favorite term, coined by my friend Spider Joe) is all about, at least in my current interpretation: flinging yourself into the present moment so thoroughly that you shake off the past and the future, and you look up to see a hawk flying overhead. For that moment, only the hawk exists. And that present moment is full of causes-and-effects that may or may not make sense, but they arise from somewhere most of us long to visit. And some of us long to live.
We use the word "spirituality" because it's hard to find a word that expresses what we're talking about. Think about the last time you were pleasantly surprised. Maybe someone actually planned a surprise for you. Or maybe you were given a gift you didn't expect. Perhaps something random happened, which turned out to be good for you.
Let yourself be absorbed in the feelings of being pleasantly surprised. It's a nice time to linger, isn't it? What were you seeing and hearing? Where were you? Seeing the events through your own eyes, notice the people around you. What were you feeling?
That's the spirituality of wonder, too. It's being completely absorbed, however briefly, in something that brings you wonder, awe, and curiosity.
When do you experience the spirituality of wonder?
Monday, February 9, 2009
Spatial Relations Changework (SRC) and Fanning
Kathleen Radebaugh’s Spatial Relations Changework (SRC) is a way to finally get your Conscious and Unconscious Minds talking… and sometimes even collaborating.
First, some background. In NLP, we talk about the Conscious and Unconscious Minds. The Conscious Mind is in charge of setting conscious goals and thinking through problems, issues, memories, etc. The Unconscious Mind (or other-than-conscious mind) is in charge of interpreting the myriad details that your Conscious Mind can’t process, and focusing the attention of the Conscious Mind on what’s important. The Unconscious Mind seems to have its own goals and also processes problems, issues, memories, etc.
Many people have had the experience of setting a goal (Conscious Mind) but not being able to get started for some reason, often for an unknown, seemingly unsolvable, or indefinable reason (Unconscious Mind). Many different modalities, hypnosis and NLP included, aim to help the Conscious and Unconscious Minds to work together. SRC does this in a unique way, and I’ll describe my experience of it in a moment.
Second, some information about a recent class on SRC and Fanning that Kathleen facilitated and I attended. There were 11 attendees. SRC is the set of tools that Kathleen uses to help people create new worlds for themselves, and it includes her own renderings of David Grove’s Clean Space, Clean Language, and Emergent Knowledge work, along with some NLP and some of Stephen Gilligan's Self Relations work. Fanning is a shamanic breathing practice that helps to disconnect inappropriate connections you have with a person, place, or thing. Fanning is very much like an NLP technique, and you do not have to believe in shamanic principles (or NLP, for that matter) for it to produce results for you.
First, Kathleen guided us to represent what we wanted to work on. I used a piece of paper, some glitter pens, and some crayons to make a drawing. Then, we started interacting with the paper with Kathleen guiding us through a series of Clean Space questions, reviewing it from 6 different places. Throughout the entire process, we never reported any content to Kathleen nor did we tell her our responses to her questions. We wrote down notes and insights. Then, she asked us to take what we knew from that series of interactions and use it to “fan” something. We repeated this process several times.
What’s happening on the inside for each individual is magnificent. My experience was that SRC is, over and over, requesting that the Unconscious Mind deliver information to the Conscious Mind about what’s going on. The Conscious Mind makes meaning and takes note of this, and the process is repeated. When you add Fanning into the picture, it gives the Conscious Mind the chance to practice taking a small, meaningful action right away (by Fanning) to provide for and honor the Unconscious Mind. For me, the process solidified into an interaction like this:
Conscious Mind: What do you want? What is going on for you? (Clean Space and Clean Language questions from facilitator.)
Unconscious Mind: I want a pony! (Participant’s response to questions.)
Conscious Mind: OK, here’s a pony. (Participant using Fanning based on response to questions.)
Conscious Mind: What do you want? What is going on for you?
Unconscious Mind: I want less traffic in my life
Conscious Mind: OK, here’s less traffic in my life.
Conscious Mind: What do you want? What is going on for you?
Unconscious Mind: I want perfect attendance in 3rd grade.
Conscious Mind: OK, here’s perfect attendance in 3rd grade.
It’s quite wonderful to practice listening to and responding to the Unconscious Mind. Kathleen closed the session by having us write down a series of Action Steps that we could complete soon to further this process.
I left with a lot of insights.
Fanning continues to surprise me because it is such an effortless process that only requires that I do it. Things shift if I do it, and they often shift in unanticipated, unexpected ways that are more ecological and immediate that other solutions I was considering. I also like SRC because it’s so personal, and in a group session, that content mostly stays with each individual. I was in a room full of people doing deep work on their most personal issues, and it was very private. Finally, Kathleen brings her work with Steven Gilligan and his notion of the Field into how she conducts sessions. That means that she “holds the space” for the group and acts to make sure that whatever comes up is given full permissions to express and explore. That makes for a very accepting environment in which to do deep, personal change work.
First, some background. In NLP, we talk about the Conscious and Unconscious Minds. The Conscious Mind is in charge of setting conscious goals and thinking through problems, issues, memories, etc. The Unconscious Mind (or other-than-conscious mind) is in charge of interpreting the myriad details that your Conscious Mind can’t process, and focusing the attention of the Conscious Mind on what’s important. The Unconscious Mind seems to have its own goals and also processes problems, issues, memories, etc.
Many people have had the experience of setting a goal (Conscious Mind) but not being able to get started for some reason, often for an unknown, seemingly unsolvable, or indefinable reason (Unconscious Mind). Many different modalities, hypnosis and NLP included, aim to help the Conscious and Unconscious Minds to work together. SRC does this in a unique way, and I’ll describe my experience of it in a moment.
Second, some information about a recent class on SRC and Fanning that Kathleen facilitated and I attended. There were 11 attendees. SRC is the set of tools that Kathleen uses to help people create new worlds for themselves, and it includes her own renderings of David Grove’s Clean Space, Clean Language, and Emergent Knowledge work, along with some NLP and some of Stephen Gilligan's Self Relations work. Fanning is a shamanic breathing practice that helps to disconnect inappropriate connections you have with a person, place, or thing. Fanning is very much like an NLP technique, and you do not have to believe in shamanic principles (or NLP, for that matter) for it to produce results for you.
First, Kathleen guided us to represent what we wanted to work on. I used a piece of paper, some glitter pens, and some crayons to make a drawing. Then, we started interacting with the paper with Kathleen guiding us through a series of Clean Space questions, reviewing it from 6 different places. Throughout the entire process, we never reported any content to Kathleen nor did we tell her our responses to her questions. We wrote down notes and insights. Then, she asked us to take what we knew from that series of interactions and use it to “fan” something. We repeated this process several times.
What’s happening on the inside for each individual is magnificent. My experience was that SRC is, over and over, requesting that the Unconscious Mind deliver information to the Conscious Mind about what’s going on. The Conscious Mind makes meaning and takes note of this, and the process is repeated. When you add Fanning into the picture, it gives the Conscious Mind the chance to practice taking a small, meaningful action right away (by Fanning) to provide for and honor the Unconscious Mind. For me, the process solidified into an interaction like this:
Conscious Mind: What do you want? What is going on for you? (Clean Space and Clean Language questions from facilitator.)
Unconscious Mind: I want a pony! (Participant’s response to questions.)
Conscious Mind: OK, here’s a pony. (Participant using Fanning based on response to questions.)
Conscious Mind: What do you want? What is going on for you?
Unconscious Mind: I want less traffic in my life
Conscious Mind: OK, here’s less traffic in my life.
Conscious Mind: What do you want? What is going on for you?
Unconscious Mind: I want perfect attendance in 3rd grade.
Conscious Mind: OK, here’s perfect attendance in 3rd grade.
It’s quite wonderful to practice listening to and responding to the Unconscious Mind. Kathleen closed the session by having us write down a series of Action Steps that we could complete soon to further this process.
I left with a lot of insights.
Fanning continues to surprise me because it is such an effortless process that only requires that I do it. Things shift if I do it, and they often shift in unanticipated, unexpected ways that are more ecological and immediate that other solutions I was considering. I also like SRC because it’s so personal, and in a group session, that content mostly stays with each individual. I was in a room full of people doing deep work on their most personal issues, and it was very private. Finally, Kathleen brings her work with Steven Gilligan and his notion of the Field into how she conducts sessions. That means that she “holds the space” for the group and acts to make sure that whatever comes up is given full permissions to express and explore. That makes for a very accepting environment in which to do deep, personal change work.
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