Comedy and Trauma

To be (present) or not to be. That is the question...

Mankind's eternal quest for living "In the Moment" seems to be about as likely as finding the Arc of the Covenant.

What is it that separates us from being fully present? First of all, it would behoove us to look at what causes us stress. I once heard that our level of stress is directly proportionate to the degree to which we are currently not accepting our present circumstances. And, yet, sometimes, it is not the present circumstances that are stressing us out, as much as it is lamenting past events or anticipating future possibilities.

My work with trauma survivors has led me to a VERY simple technique that I have developed, which I call Embodied Meditation. But, finding a truly "meditative state" seems to be elusive for most, simply because there are so many preconceived ideas of what mediation is, not to mention the confusion of which modality of the plethora of meditation practices is most effective. The general consensus seems to be that mediation is the state of having a quiet mind or, in other words, being without the encumbrances of thought. But, we all know that if we are asked to not think of pink elephants, then all we can think of is pink elephants. So, how can we achieve "thoughtlessness", if we are asking ourselves not to have thoughts? Talking about "having the Tiger by it's tail"...

I have found that trauma survivors have a very difficult time being fully present. It seems they have become hard-wired for stress, worry and anxiety. On one hand, this is a very effective survival strategy that morphs in time into a defense structure. "If I can anticipate the future, then I can be prepared for the possibility of threat and circumvent it before it has a chance to effect me." Obviously, from this perspective, the future is unsafe and the present moment is of no consequence.

My understanding is that trauma occurs in the body and not in the event. The side-effects or symptomatology of traumatic events is the result of unresolved or un-discharged survival energies, which have become "stuck" in the lower-brain (LB) and autonomic nervous system (ANS). The LB is without thought and thereby limited in it's form and function. It is pure animal drive or instinct - freeze / flight / fight / fornicate / feed. Hence, the LB and ANS is our "early-detection warning system." Therein lies the question, "How does the LB and ANS determine the safety of the organism?" The answer is through orienting to the environment for that which makes us feel safe and that which makes us feel unsafe. Thusly, the LB and ANS is accessing the current external environment 24/7. How does it gather it's information? Through the five senses.

Embodied Meditation was born from this understanding: if the LB and ANS determines the safety of the organism (in the present moment) through orienting to the environment by way of the five senses, then perhaps we can provide that information through consciously connecting to the external environment through focused attention. This is, after all, the only way that the organism can determine where it is in the time/space continuum and whether or not it is safe IN THE MOMENT NOW.

If you would like more information on Embodied Meditation, please do not hesitate to contact me!