6 Practices for Deep Subtle Healing (Part 2/3)
In last week's article we explored two of six practices for deep subtle body healing that use alpha, delta and theta brainwave states, together with the imagination, for permanent personal resolution and deep healing.
This week we’ll explore two more of the six practices: Sitting In The Fire, and So What, Then What.
Sitting In The Fire
Let's say you have a fear that you are dreading. This deep practice works well for imagined problems. It is not for the feint of heart, and not for those whose mind skips tracks easily (squirrel!). But by practicing "sitting in the fire" with an experienced practitioner, you can subtly walk through fire of intense future-based concerns and come out the other side strong, simplified, clear and powerful.
Certain meditation traditions tell you that if you sit and simply observe your triggered emotions, and breathe, by allowing yourself to just feel them and let them be, without moving, without going away from them, without doing anything about them, you can dissolve the angst and free yourself of the thorn, permanently.
For example, let's say you're terrified of losing your partner. For a few minutes, conjure the horrible feeling of that fear, the dread, the burning feeling on your skin, the nauseous tightness in your gut. Breathe. Just observe the sensations. But don't run away. Your brain will try to skip off to another subject or want to suddenly take a nap or suddenly want to do your taxes, anything to avoid dealing with this fear. Bring yourself back to the terror. Feel it. Taste it. Let it burn. Breathe. Now try to turn up the fire, turn up the volume, make it even more vivid in your mind's eye. What would be the worst thing about this situation? Feel the horror of that. Look the paper tiger in the eye. Breathe. Feel the sensations. Breathe even more slowly and deeply. Let the pain, fear, terror, and horror wash over you like waves on a beach. Breathe. Go deeper into the fire. Breathe. What other loss about this do you fear? Breathe. Feel where the dread, afraid, anxious feelings live in your body. Just observe the sensations. Breathe.
After a while, the practice will go one of two ways. Either you will start to laugh at how silly the fear is, and you will be free of it, or, suddenly you will experience the fire just fizzles out. The fear or dread or anxiety will have no steam left. It will exhaust itself into stillness. By exhausting yourself of your speculative dread, you will evaporate it.
Cesar Milan uses this practice with nervous dogs. He sits close with the nervous dog while it snarls, rages, barks and shakes. The dog speculates it is in danger. He just sits with it. Within 20 minutes or so, the dog's body suddenly softens. The nervous anxiety exhausts itself. The dogs come out of the intensity of this experience appreciative, calm, and relieved. Permanently.
Let "sitting in the fire" calm your inner nervous dog of speculative fear, anxiety, anger, dread or terror.
So What, Then What?
“So What, Then What” helps us burn through the paper tigers of our speculation and fears by helping us look them in the eye. Here’s an example:
Client: I have a fear of being homeless.
Practitioner: What's the worst thing that can happen?
Client: I have no home. I have to live on the street.
Practitioner: So what, then what?
Client: I'm cold, I'm starving, I'm miserable and humiliated.
Practitioner: So what, then what?
Client: My clothes are dirty, people are walking by me. I smell.
Practitioner: So what, then what?
Client: It rains. I'm alone.
Practitioner: So what, then what?
Client: I starve to death and die.
Practitioner: So what, then what?
Client: I'm dead.
Practitioner: So what, then what?
Client: (looks stunned, quiet, calm)
Practitioner: (silent)
Client: Well, then, I guess either I die and it's done with, or something else happens to get me out of there - someone gives me food or I walk to a shelter or I get food in the hospital or I go into the woods and build a shelter.
Practitioner: How do you feel, realizing that?
Client: Calmer. I guess it's not as horrible as I thought. I'm not feeling so bleak about it. Actually, I have ideas for how I can make more money...
This is a brief example of how the "So what, then what?" practice goes. Just relentlessly keep asking that one question, "So what, then what?" Within 20 minutes or less, if you are relentlessly and patiently leaning gently into the terrors, worries, fears or pain, the emotional muscle will relax, just like a deep tissue massage.
Doing this practice:
- a client burst into tears, then fell into a trance state, then found access to her transpersonal self, where she felt infinite and omnipotent. She came out calm, with no more fear.
- a client get very quiet, while we spent 20 minutes silently together. Presumably he kept asking the question in his own mind. After the 20 minutes he said, "well, the subject just evaporated. It just doesn't bother me anymore."
While the brain wants to protect us from trauma and upset, it can be difficult to do this practice alone without meandering off-subject.
But when done with an experienced practitioner who tracks and keeps you on track, the "So What Then What?" practice can be extremely liberating for the mind.
Next week, we'll complete the remaining 2 of 6 practices for deep, subtle healing work.
(To Be Continued)
