Concussions and spirituality
Website design By BotEap.comJill Bolte Taylor’s popular TED video, best-selling book, and interview about Oprah have really got people talking. Suddenly, the silent experiences of millions of stroke and brain injury survivors have entered general consciousness! As a TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) survivor and Intuitive Life Coach, I get a lot of questions from people wondering if biochemistry and trauma awakens spirituality in everyone, or just them. While I certainly can’t speak for everyone, I do recognize an above-average interest in spiritual growth and intuitive awareness in people whose brains have been short-circuited. The process is exciting and terrifying, so here are some tips for handling Awakening:
Website design By BotEap.com1) Know that you are not alone. Yes, it may seem that no one in the world has had this experience, but people have had mystical encounters for millennia. Some, such as Hildegaard von Bingen or Fyodor Dostoyevski, are now believed to have suffered from severe migraines and / or epilepsy. Many intuitive physicians, such as Carmen Bell and Tiffany Snow, attribute their gifts to a near-death experience. My own medical intuition increased dramatically after a moderate concussion.
Website design By BotEap.comDoes a biochemical component deny such experiences? Far from there! Scientists have recently studied long-term meditators, locating areas in the brain that show more or less activity than in “normal” brains. Yoga offers a four- to eight-thousand-year-old tradition of balancing biochemistry to relax the body, quiet the mind, and awaken a deeper spiritual awareness. If you suddenly feel like the veil has been opened, you may need to look for people who share similar experiences, but rest assured that they are out there.
Website design By BotEap.com2) Stay open. When a stroke, brain injury, or other neurological condition suddenly opens avenues you never knew existed, you may be tempted to “turn things off.” In fact, many people contact me because they do not know how to handle the attack of psychic consciousness. “How do I unplug things?” they ask. “I don’t want to know these things!”
Website design By BotEap.comIf you’ve lived life from a rational perspective and suddenly see the future, read minds, or know that your neighbor has cancer before they tell you, this information initially seems like too much to handle. But I learned something ironic about sight and knowledge when a brain injury destroyed my visual system; If you feel overloaded, take advantage of more information instead of running away from it.
Website design By BotEap.comHere’s why this works: Physiologically, our eyes are designed to scan the horizon for food and / or predators. Although most of us now spend more hours on the computer than hunting or gathering, our visual system is still quite similar to that of our ancestors, for whom any information equaled valuable information. If a saber-toothed tiger crouched to their left, or a buffalo prowled in the distance, they needed to know! Loss of peripheral vision meant a loss of general consciousness, which could spell death. Therefore, a reduced visual field still leads to a fight or flight response.
In today’s world, we can easily develop tunnel vision. If you spend eight hours at a computer and then go home and watch television for a few hours or relax reading a book (without looking into the distance or practicing eye exercises) you have effectively reduced your visual field. As the saying goes, “use it or lose it”. Constantly ignoring our peripheral vision can result in degradation, so we become less and less aware of our physical surroundings. Anxiety, irritability, and fear follow quickly, and it’s no wonder! Our bodies are programmed to fear a lack of visual information! Website design By BotEap.comEighty to ninety percent of the information we absorb comes from the visual system. The health of our visual system directly affects our thoughts, emotions, and ability to “see the forest through the trees.” As humans, we also have a third eye or intuitive center, which resides in the space between our eyebrows. According to yogis and long-term meditators, focusing awareness in this area increases intuition. This Vision Center remains closely connected to our visual center, because much of memory, imagination, and perception are based on visual cues. If you suddenly find that your center of vision or perception (your Third Eye) is overloaded with information, trying to exclude guidance will only increase your anxiety, just like going blind like a hunter-gatherer would have made your heart race. Website design By BotEap.comHumans instinctively fear the dark. If you have too much intuitive awareness, turning on your inner light will help a lot more than trying to turn it off. Website design By BotEap.com3) Learn to develop a calm conscience. Okay, you’re not supposed to censor information, but it still seems like a lot – how do you strike a balance? Website design By BotEap.comTry to focus, either alone or with a guided meditation. Repeating a mantra or listening to chants like those sung by Deva Premal or Krishna Das can help your mind relax without being distracted. Ideally, you want something that draws you into your heart rather than playing hide and seek with your thoughts. Focus on your Heart Chakra (in the center of your chest) and imagine a warm, golden, pink, or green light pulsing in a slow, radiant rhythm. As impressions fly to your head, bring them to your heart to feel and hear a response tempered with loving-kindness. In the Christian tradition, Jesus says, “Perfect love casts out fear,” and you know what? It really does! Experiment and you will discover that saturating yourself with unconditional compassion instantly eliminates worry. Website design By BotEap.comNote that the words “scared” and “sacred” contain all the same components, only slightly rearranged. We don’t need to take things away to sanctify them. We just need to change perspective. In her awake heart meditation CD, teacher Sally Kempton notes that in Sanskrit, the word for the heart chakra, hridaya, is also the word for “the highest door to reality.” Let your heart balance the information overload in your head. Website design By BotEap.com4) Have fun! Your attitude toward these new gifts determines much of your experience. Approach intuitive strokes with fear, and life turns into a series of dire predictions and forebodings. On the other hand, recognizing the jostles of the universe can save you a lot of time, energy, and heartache. Many people find that greater intuition coincides with greater capacity for manifestation. If you’ve read or heard of “The Secret,” then you already know that your thoughts influence your reality. Why not have fun creating more of the life you want? Practice the intention to have abundant and happy days. Ask about synchronicities. Align your intentions with the highest good of all and watch beauty unfold before you. Website design By BotEap.comThey say that God is in the details, but they also say that God has a wonderful sense of humor. Supposedly, the ability to understand jokes in another language marks fluency. When you start getting jokes from Spirit, you laugh at the universe. Life becomes comedy, and in theater, comedy always means a happy ending. Lighten up! Website design By BotEap.com5) Seek guidance. Just because you’re suddenly accessing more information doesn’t mean you’re alone. When you go to graduate school, you still have teachers. Life offers endless opportunities to learn and discern. If you are unsure of the guide, ask for clarity. If something exceeds the limits of rationality, you can order custom-made posters to activate your faith. Website design By BotEap.comThe biblical story of Gideon reminds us that we can pray for interactive lessons. God told Gideon to save the Israelites by leading them into battle against their enemies. Gideon was inclined to believe in God, but because the lives of others were at stake, he asked for a sign. Specifically, he requested that if the Israelites were supposed to go into battle, then the wool he laid on the ground would be wet while the ground remained dry. The next morning, he found the wool wet and the soil dry, so he felt that God had answered his request. Still, he wanted to be sure, so he asked for another sign. This time, he asked for damp earth and dry wool. The next morning, he found dry wool on wet ground, and he knew he could confidently lead the Israelites against their enemies. As Gideon intuited, the Israelites won. Website design By BotEap.comYou can order any sign you want, but don’t be surprised when events respond. Over time, you will gain experience and feel more easily which nudges come from intuition and which are disguised projections of the ego. If you find yourself holding on to an intuition and trying to manipulate it, consider this a signal to reread the suggestions in this article, beginning with number 1. The ego generates fear, competition, anger, attachment, obsession, and anxiety. Rather, the fruits of the Spirit include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. Website design By BotEap.comAwakening your intuition takes courage, but you will also learn to love your life. Many blessings on your journey!
In today’s world, we can easily develop tunnel vision. If you spend eight hours at a computer and then go home and watch television for a few hours or relax reading a book (without looking into the distance or practicing eye exercises) you have effectively reduced your visual field. As the saying goes, “use it or lose it”. Constantly ignoring our peripheral vision can result in degradation, so we become less and less aware of our physical surroundings. Anxiety, irritability, and fear follow quickly, and it’s no wonder! Our bodies are programmed to fear a lack of visual information! Website design By BotEap.comEighty to ninety percent of the information we absorb comes from the visual system. The health of our visual system directly affects our thoughts, emotions, and ability to “see the forest through the trees.” As humans, we also have a third eye or intuitive center, which resides in the space between our eyebrows. According to yogis and long-term meditators, focusing awareness in this area increases intuition. This Vision Center remains closely connected to our visual center, because much of memory, imagination, and perception are based on visual cues. If you suddenly find that your center of vision or perception (your Third Eye) is overloaded with information, trying to exclude guidance will only increase your anxiety, just like going blind like a hunter-gatherer would have made your heart race. Website design By BotEap.comHumans instinctively fear the dark. If you have too much intuitive awareness, turning on your inner light will help a lot more than trying to turn it off. Website design By BotEap.com3) Learn to develop a calm conscience. Okay, you’re not supposed to censor information, but it still seems like a lot – how do you strike a balance? Website design By BotEap.comTry to focus, either alone or with a guided meditation. Repeating a mantra or listening to chants like those sung by Deva Premal or Krishna Das can help your mind relax without being distracted. Ideally, you want something that draws you into your heart rather than playing hide and seek with your thoughts. Focus on your Heart Chakra (in the center of your chest) and imagine a warm, golden, pink, or green light pulsing in a slow, radiant rhythm. As impressions fly to your head, bring them to your heart to feel and hear a response tempered with loving-kindness. In the Christian tradition, Jesus says, “Perfect love casts out fear,” and you know what? It really does! Experiment and you will discover that saturating yourself with unconditional compassion instantly eliminates worry. Website design By BotEap.comNote that the words “scared” and “sacred” contain all the same components, only slightly rearranged. We don’t need to take things away to sanctify them. We just need to change perspective. In her awake heart meditation CD, teacher Sally Kempton notes that in Sanskrit, the word for the heart chakra, hridaya, is also the word for “the highest door to reality.” Let your heart balance the information overload in your head. Website design By BotEap.com4) Have fun! Your attitude toward these new gifts determines much of your experience. Approach intuitive strokes with fear, and life turns into a series of dire predictions and forebodings. On the other hand, recognizing the jostles of the universe can save you a lot of time, energy, and heartache. Many people find that greater intuition coincides with greater capacity for manifestation. If you’ve read or heard of “The Secret,” then you already know that your thoughts influence your reality. Why not have fun creating more of the life you want? Practice the intention to have abundant and happy days. Ask about synchronicities. Align your intentions with the highest good of all and watch beauty unfold before you. Website design By BotEap.comThey say that God is in the details, but they also say that God has a wonderful sense of humor. Supposedly, the ability to understand jokes in another language marks fluency. When you start getting jokes from Spirit, you laugh at the universe. Life becomes comedy, and in theater, comedy always means a happy ending. Lighten up! Website design By BotEap.com5) Seek guidance. Just because you’re suddenly accessing more information doesn’t mean you’re alone. When you go to graduate school, you still have teachers. Life offers endless opportunities to learn and discern. If you are unsure of the guide, ask for clarity. If something exceeds the limits of rationality, you can order custom-made posters to activate your faith. Website design By BotEap.comThe biblical story of Gideon reminds us that we can pray for interactive lessons. God told Gideon to save the Israelites by leading them into battle against their enemies. Gideon was inclined to believe in God, but because the lives of others were at stake, he asked for a sign. Specifically, he requested that if the Israelites were supposed to go into battle, then the wool he laid on the ground would be wet while the ground remained dry. The next morning, he found the wool wet and the soil dry, so he felt that God had answered his request. Still, he wanted to be sure, so he asked for another sign. This time, he asked for damp earth and dry wool. The next morning, he found dry wool on wet ground, and he knew he could confidently lead the Israelites against their enemies. As Gideon intuited, the Israelites won. Website design By BotEap.comYou can order any sign you want, but don’t be surprised when events respond. Over time, you will gain experience and feel more easily which nudges come from intuition and which are disguised projections of the ego. If you find yourself holding on to an intuition and trying to manipulate it, consider this a signal to reread the suggestions in this article, beginning with number 1. The ego generates fear, competition, anger, attachment, obsession, and anxiety. Rather, the fruits of the Spirit include: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, and self-control. Website design By BotEap.comAwakening your intuition takes courage, but you will also learn to love your life. Many blessings on your journey!