Category: Anxiety

To say that all people are different is an understatement. One could talk for days on all the types of humans and their personalities, preferences and quirks, behaviors and communication styles. Thanks to the fact that social psychology seems to be trending these days, the on-demand style of information consumption now applies to figuring out what type of career best suits your personality just as easily as it does to diagnosing (or misdiagnosing) your new symptoms of Avian Bird Flu on the internet.

There are tons of online resources that will tell you who you are, why you think the way you think, what you need, which colors will make you happy, what to stop doing in 2016, and how to bring more positive energy into your life. Who needs a therapist anymore when you have the internet, right? (joking.) But there’s something that no amount of article mining and quiz taking can prepare you for, because it originates in your gut and ends in your heart. You can’t just program yourself to do it or feed your brain internet mumbo jumbo, because it will affect the course of the rest of your life (and we’re not talking about how your friends will think you look in fuchsia at Brittany’s baby shower).

Two Opinions on Risk

I’m talking about risk-taking. Some people are born risk-takers – bold, fearless, unabashed, unapologetic, unfettered, daring, and edgy. Maybe they take risks with their money: gambling, investing, making hasty purchases. Maybe they’re risky in the verbal sense: unafraid to offend anyone, convicted and opinionated, not quite what you’d call tactful. Or career risk-takers: ambitious ladder-climbers with no qualms about abandoning their personal life and stepping on toes to achieve new heights at the office.

The opposite, of course, are the play-it-safe types. Cautious, ambivalent, analytical; the people who think things through and carefully weigh all sides, usually erring on the side safety even when the slightly more risky decision displays potential to yield apparent benefit. And there are those who fall somewhere in the middle – careful with financial and career pursuits but perhaps less guarded when it comes to their social lives; the wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve and kiss-and-tell types who, maybe, aren’t as private about their social lives or as cautious with their health as it would behoove them to be.

Risk is a tricky thing. Some attach fear to risk and become too paralyzed with thoughts of worst-case scenarios, fallout, and consequences to act, and so they do nothing. Others can remove fear from the equation and approach risk as nothing more than a logical transaction with two options – to take risk or not to take risk. Some believe that taking risks is the only way to really get anywhere in life; that playing it safe is for fools. Others believe that risk is a synonym for danger and that risk-takers are reckless and untrustworthy.

Mastering the Art

Whether you’re risk-averse or a habitual gambler who smokes and never wears a seat belt, there are times in life when you’re presented with choices that aren’t always obvious or comfortable. Learning how to take calculated risks is an art that everyone should master.

A calculated risk is a situation in which the presence of risk doesn’t necessarily outweigh the benefit of choosing that situation. There are usually two choices: the front-runner, which your mind naturally leans toward because it seems the smarter, safer choice, and the underdog, which might not be bad or unsafe, but puts you at less of an advantage than the front-runner, depending how you look at it.

You see, when faced with difficult decisions, most people will tell you it’s important to look at the big picture. And that’s true! But you have to develop your own context for the big picture. Is the importance of your life going to be rooted in your happiness, your career and financial outlook, your relationship security, or your freedom and independence? Maybe this would be a good time to take one of those online personality quizzes if you don’t know what’s most important to you.

In Context

I recently took a calculated risk and it has already paid off more than I ever could have imagined. It was a big decision that required a lot of thinking, but deep down I knew which way I was going to go. Trusting your gut might not always lead you in the right direction, especially if you’re the type of person who doesn’t have good instincts, but in most cases it will.

The decision I made, on paper, looked like I was giving up security, financial freedom, and a career stronghold. But in actuality, had I made that choice, I would’ve been giving up a lot more. The “underdog” I ended up choosing has provided me with support, freedom, happiness, fulfillment, and endless possibility (in addition to convenience, comfort, flexibility, and a new perspective on life and career). Many times, in choosing the safer option, self-doubt and fear can cripple one’s ability to see the potential of turning the underdog situation into the front-runner.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself next time you need to take a calculated risk:

1. Which of these choices will make me happiest?
2. Which of these choices feels the most natural?
3. Which of these choices represents a bigger lifestyle change, and is that desirable or undesirable for me?
4. What position will each of these choices put me in one year from now?
5. How will each of these choices affect the important people in my life?
6. How much can this make me? (Notice I didn’t say ‘how much will this cost me?’)

Along with asking yourself these questions, it’s just as important to notice what’s not on the list. I’m sure you’ll be thinking about more than just these six questions, though – if you’re the analytical type you’ll probably have spreadsheets and pie charts illustrating each possible outcome, and if you’re the worrying kind you’ll probably spend sleepless nights tossing and turning or calling your mom for advice.

Believe in Yourself

But no matter who you are, I’m here to tell you that risk-takers can get careful and tiptoers can step outside the lines. In the end, choosing the thing that will leave you with the least regret will usually be the smarter option, whether it causes initial discomfort, a lot of adjustment, or just flat-out anxiety. So, trust your gut most of the time, but when it’s too hard to decide, remember: risk-taking isn’t dangerous as long as it’s calculated.

Today is a quiet day. I don’t just mean a lack of traffic noise and leaf-blowers. It’s empathically quiet as well. Which is unusual. Yesterday was very active. I had at least 3 people emotionally running through my system. I’m savoring today’s silence.

My mother always had the radio on. It was her constant companion. At night it would somehow help her sleep – probably distracting her from random thoughts. During the day it kept her up to date on the news and the weather – her favorite topics.

Now we have online noise. We’re wirelessly connected to everyone around the world. There’s a cacophony of chatter that continues even after you’ve turned off your devices for the night.

Are you easily overwhelmed by humanity? Do you find yourself relaxing when you’re away from the city, out in nature?

Highly sensitive people pick up on the ‘vibes’ around them. They’ll tune into the atmosphere of a restaurant or office. They’ll unconsciously feel input from groups they belong to.

Introverts need a lot of down time from social activities, because they are tired by the energies that invigorate extroverts.

Yet there are extroverts who are highly sensitive, too.

Even when I’m alone, solitude usually eludes me. I’m always tracking someone, somewhere. So I’m curious about what is really going on today, that I’m not feeling much of anything.

Is this the calm before the storm? I remember *the* 9/11. It was a beautiful, sunny day in the Seattle area. It felt immensely peaceful, which some attributed to the lack of airplanes. It was oddly serene, given the horrors happening on the East Coast.

Are we building towards something?

Or, are family members, whose depression and anxiety I normally experience, otherwise engaged?

Sometimes something serious is happening with them, and their energy is pulled back. They could be busy elsewhere.

It reminds me of when I had young kids. Any parent knows to be suspicious of silence. It means somebody is happily drawing on walls with permanent markers or giving their little sister a haircut!

It also occurs to me that my own body isn’t complaining about anything. We’ll distract ourselves with external noise to block our bodies communication. We’ll be stuck in our workday grind and ignoring our body being tired or hungry, angry or lonely.

I have noticed a lot of people struggling with depression (even with the days, in the northern hemisphere, becoming more sunny). It feels like we’ve been moving through a collective growth period, a phase of contraction before expansion.

Maybe the expansion is happening now.

If you’ve been struggling with internal – or external – challenges, and you notice a break in the storm that is raging about you, give yourself respite.

Savor the silence, when it happens. Know that there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Know that ultimately, all is very, very well.

Have a Thought and Act!

This technique is great for those that continually question themselves. When you have a thought, act immediately. Do not even allow a thought to come to mind. There is no limit to what you will accomplish when you continue to act on thought alone. This helps to take away the anxiety and stress you feel over a decision. It comes down to being confident in your own mind that you can trust precisely what you are thinking.

Complaining Doesn’t Help.

At one time in my life I thought complaining worked. What should be done is instead of complaining, coming up with something that will work. Concentrating on solutions is the best and only way to defeat things like procrastination and questioning yourself. There are many outcomes in life, an infinite amount even. If you choose one answer to a question it directs your life one way, if you answered it another your life could have gone in a whole new direction.

To begin using this information to direct your life where you want it to go. Let me use a simple example here. Let us say that there is a clump of wires behind the entertainment center that has been bugging the hell out of you. Next time you think to complain just go and organize the wires. Better yet make a whole trip of it going to the store getting the zip ties and start working on the organization of the wires. This way your problem is solved and you no longer must get mad about something that could just as easily be done with your hands.

Let dive into one more example. This example is thinking about something that you dislike that you do not have the skill set to fix. Do you have the example in your mind? Now go online and find someone that you could hire that would take care of that problem. This way you are no longer complaining about that problem, your thought process can now move on to better things that you could be doing like buying your wife a gift or setting up a donation for a charity. Do what you will.

Sit Down and Write –

Maybe you have had a thought that you have not acted on in the past. Can you come up with something that you have continued to put off. Maybe writing a piece of music, recording your podcast, writing art or calling a person to connect with. These are but a few examples. Write down what your answer is. In the next line write down actions that you can take right now that would get you on the way. Once you have those actions written begin immediately on one of those actions. Do not put it off anymore.

Life is way too short for us to be putting off what we want to do. I believe that anyone can achieve their dreams and these are some techniques that will help you get where you want to be in life. I wish you well.

Balancing the body’s chakras is an important part to staying both emotionally and physically well. Quartz is believed to be a particularly effective stone for enhancing and directing the energies that flow through these important points. Aqua Aura healing with crystals can be done in several different ways, depending on what changes one desires to manifest.

Quartz can be found in many different formations, though this particular type is believed to have some very unique qualities. It exudes a brilliant blue tone that ranges from electric, to sky blue, with the occasional iridescent shimmer of rainbow flashes, and has been infused with minute flecks of gold. With the natural powers of the stone being enhanced by bonding with the precious metal, its metaphysical properties are even more pronounced.

This blue toned quartz is said to have an intensely calming effect on both one’s body and spirit. The infusion with the precious metal, however, is done through a completely fabricated processes wherein the crystals are exposed to great enough heat that exposure to vaporized gold will condense and permanently bond with the surface textures of the stone. This change creates a higher vibration that has a very positive effect.

The enhanced vibration of these stones resonates particularly well within the higher chakras located at the heart and throat. They are also quite adept at intensifying the vibrations of other crystals that may be used in conjunction with them to create a desired effect. This quartz is so powerful that all seven energy points will be touched by it.

There are many ways in which these crystals may be used to improve one’s physical health, beginning with boosting the immune system and strengthening the thymus gland. It is believed that utilizing this stone, with its enhanced vibrations, could even aid in various aspects of certain conditions such as autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, polarity imbalances, cerebral palsy, and some genetic disorders. The extent of the effects will be unique to each situation.

Emotional well being is greatly benefited with this quartz, especially when it is held during meditation. Its ability to soothe the flow of energies to calm and relax the entire person are particularly advantageous to individuals who are dealing with issues like stress, tension, and anxiety. Wearing, or carrying the stone can help counteract negative energy and assist one to remain controlled when under pressure.

When used to stimulate the throat chakra when meditating, this blue quartz can boost soul energy and increase spiritual connections, as well as stimulating one’s psychic abilities. By removing the limitations one may perceive within themselves, a person might be better able to enact latent gifts like clairvoyance, channeling, intuitions, and automatic writing. It also aids in the defense against negative energies.

These beautiful, gold infused quartz crystals can open a clear line of communication between the head and heart to help one improve their ability to speak truthfully, and freely, from the heart. This particular type of stone can make a connection with each of the seven chakras in a unique way to heal any imbalances within the body. There are multiple methods by which its power can be channeled effectively.

Do you ever struggle with feelings of unworthiness, find it challenging to love yourself, or wonder if you’ll ever be able to overcome the heartbreak of losing someone you love?

Do you long to experience deeper, more loving relationships, but find that the pain in your past is like a wall of protection that keeps love away? Behind that wall is there a hole in your heart that nothing seems to fill?

What if you could connect with your heart in a way that was deeply nurturing, in a way that released the pains of the past, let down your walls of protection, and helped you feel safe to love yourself and others in a way that finally healed your emotional wounds?

Research by the HeartMath Institute reveals a surprising new understanding of the heart. In this article, you’ll learn four fascinating facts and a simple practice to activate the healing energy of your heart.

Let’s begin with the first fact.

1. Did you know that your heart is more than a simple pump for your blood? It is a highly-complex information processing center that has a mind of its own. It is like a second brain, that is, in some ways, even more powerful than the brain in your head-and more capable of promoting deep healing.

As Director of Research for the HeartMath Institute, Rollin McCarty, Ph.D. writes:

“The heart-brain, as it is commonly called, or intrinsic cardiac nervous system, is an intricate network of complex ganglia, neurotransmitters, proteins and support cells, the same as those of the brain in the head. The heart-brain’s neural circuitry enables it to act independently of the cranial brain to learn, remember, make decisions and even feel and sense.”

(Science of the Heart, Volume 2: Rollin McCarty, Ph.D., HeartMath Institute, 2015, p.5)

This leads to a second fascinating fact.

2. The heart actually sends more information to the brain than it receives from the brain. This is why you can’t just “think yourself better.”

Your heart communicates with your body and brain through four pathways: neurologically through nerve signals, biochemically through hormones and neurotransmitters, biophysically through the pressure waves of your pulse, and energetically through electromagnetic field interactions represented in your emotions.

Because of the power of emotional signaling, the feelings experienced in your heart dramatically impact how you think and feel, as well as how well your body functions-and even how people react around you.

So, how can you put these two facts to work for you? A third finding tells that story.

3. Research has shown that self-generating positive, core-heart feelings such as appreciation, gratitude, love, and trust in your heart, shifts you into a state of optimal function and healing.

As McCarty says, “Self-induced positive emotions can shift psychophysiological systems into more globally coherent and harmonious orders that are associated with improved performance and overall well-being.” (SOTH, p.28)

“The feelings we label as positive actually reflect body states that are coherent, meaning “the regulation of life processes becomes efficient, or even optimal, free-flowing and easy,” and the feelings we label as “negative,” such as anger, anxiety and frustration are examples of incoherent states. (SOTH, V2, p.24)

We’ve all experienced these shifts into and out of coherence. In moments of euphoria, all-of-a-sudden our aches and pains recede, our stress and emotional hurts fade to the background-and we feel great. Yet, the next bad mood or emotional upset is only a careless word or random thought away. Our emotional wounds are still there and easily triggered.

Is it possible to heal our hearts so we create a state of coherence that lasts?

This brings us to the fourth fact.

4. Through the consistent practice of self-generating core heart feelings, you can create a new baseline state, a new way of perceiving the world in a heart-centered way.

Every time you consciously shift into core-heart feelings, you initiate healing. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to stay in a state of coherence for longer periods of time and the easier it is to shift back there when you are stressed or upset.

Over time, you re-pattern your dominant outlook on life. You heal the hole in your heart and create a new baseline. Calm, positive coherence becomes your default mode, the state you rest in more and more of the time.

You can begin this process very simply by closing your eyes, taking a few, slow, deep breaths, smiling into your heart, and focusing on feelings of appreciation, gratitude, love, and trust there.

For a guided audio to support you in doing this deeply and effectively, check out the link to my “Core Energy Technique” in the Resource box below.

Enjoy your practice!

Do you ever struggle with feelings of unworthiness, find it challenging to love yourself, or wonder if you’ll ever be able to overcome the heartbreak of losing someone you love?

Do you long to experience deeper, more loving relationships, but find that the pain in your past is like a wall of protection that keeps love away? Behind that wall is there a hole in your heart that nothing seems to fill?

What if you could connect with your heart in a way that was deeply nurturing, in a way that released the pains of the past, let down your walls of protection, and helped you feel safe to love yourself and others in a way that finally healed your emotional wounds?

Research by the HeartMath Institute reveals a surprising new understanding of the heart. In this article, you’ll learn four fascinating facts and a simple practice to activate the healing energy of your heart.

Let’s begin with the first fact.

1. Did you know that your heart is more than a simple pump for your blood? It is a highly-complex information processing center that has a mind of its own. It is like a second brain, that is, in some ways, even more powerful than the brain in your head-and more capable of promoting deep healing.

As Director of Research for the HeartMath Institute, Rollin McCarty, Ph.D. writes:

“The heart-brain, as it is commonly called, or intrinsic cardiac nervous system, is an intricate network of complex ganglia, neurotransmitters, proteins and support cells, the same as those of the brain in the head. The heart-brain’s neural circuitry enables it to act independently of the cranial brain to learn, remember, make decisions and even feel and sense.”

(Science of the Heart, Volume 2: Rollin McCarty, Ph.D., HeartMath Institute, 2015, p.5)

This leads to a second fascinating fact.

2. The heart actually sends more information to the brain than it receives from the brain. This is why you can’t just “think yourself better.”

Your heart communicates with your body and brain through four pathways: neurologically through nerve signals, biochemically through hormones and neurotransmitters, biophysically through the pressure waves of your pulse, and energetically through electromagnetic field interactions represented in your emotions.

Because of the power of emotional signaling, the feelings experienced in your heart dramatically impact how you think and feel, as well as how well your body functions-and even how people react around you.

So, how can you put these two facts to work for you? A third finding tells that story.

3. Research has shown that self-generating positive, core-heart feelings such as appreciation, gratitude, love, and trust in your heart, shifts you into a state of optimal function and healing.

As McCarty says, “Self-induced positive emotions can shift psychophysiological systems into more globally coherent and harmonious orders that are associated with improved performance and overall well-being.” (SOTH, p.28)

“The feelings we label as positive actually reflect body states that are coherent, meaning “the regulation of life processes becomes efficient, or even optimal, free-flowing and easy,” and the feelings we label as “negative,” such as anger, anxiety and frustration are examples of incoherent states. (SOTH, V2, p.24)

We’ve all experienced these shifts into and out of coherence. In moments of euphoria, all-of-a-sudden our aches and pains recede, our stress and emotional hurts fade to the background-and we feel great. Yet, the next bad mood or emotional upset is only a careless word or random thought away. Our emotional wounds are still there and easily triggered.

Is it possible to heal our hearts so we create a state of coherence that lasts?

This brings us to the fourth fact.

4. Through the consistent practice of self-generating core heart feelings, you can create a new baseline state, a new way of perceiving the world in a heart-centered way.

Every time you consciously shift into core-heart feelings, you initiate healing. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to stay in a state of coherence for longer periods of time and the easier it is to shift back there when you are stressed or upset.

Over time, you re-pattern your dominant outlook on life. You heal the hole in your heart and create a new baseline. Calm, positive coherence becomes your default mode, the state you rest in more and more of the time.

You can begin this process very simply by closing your eyes, taking a few, slow, deep breaths, smiling into your heart, and focusing on feelings of appreciation, gratitude, love, and trust there.

For a guided audio to support you in doing this deeply and effectively, check out the link to my “Core Energy Technique” in the Resource box below.

Enjoy your practice!

The body’s second brain is often referred to as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). There are hundreds of millions of neurons connecting the cranial brain to the second brain. This is the part of the nervous system that controls and monitors the entire gastrointestinal system from the esophagus to the anus. The really important thing to remember is this. The second brain or enteric nervous system is so extensive that it can act autonomously, with the discovery that if the main connection with the brain – the vagus nerve – is severed the ENS remains capable of coordinating digestion without input from the central nervous system. The second brain and cranial brain are of course in constant communication, however, as the Taoists understand and scientist are beginning to comprehend the second brain is about pure or primal awareness. It is absolutely essential that we bring daily focus into this centre if we are to bring balance back into our bodies and mastery of our human vehicles. Unfortunately as we age we become more disconnected from the gut and second brain preferring instead to constantly be “in the head”. On a superficial level this can be seen when we exercise the mid section less and accumulate fat in this area as a “protection” against life or perhaps more appropriately as a protection against our perceptions of life. It is further demonstrated by our lack of correct breathing techniques often chest breathing instead of abdominal breathing which has a catastrophic effect on the body in the long term.

Our cranial brain performs complex computations and rational thinking. Our second brain gets messages from both our external and internal environment which it sends back to our cranial brain. Unfortunately these messages are often ignored much to the detriment of our bodies and the smooth running of our lives. We often fall back into the rational of the mind. Ignoring these messages of “discomfort” both from our external and internal environment chronically will lead to gastrointestinal issues and mental/emotional issues leading finally to physical diseases.

We now know that the second brain is not just capable of autonomy but also influences the cranial brain. In fact, about 90 per cent of the signals passing along the vagus nerve come not from above, but from the ENS (American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, vol 283, p G1217). However the subconscious “gut instinct” much spoken about is a double edged sword. When we are in complete balance and not in “our heads” the second brain does send signals to the brain that may or may not be acted upon by the cranial brain. Very often and much to our detriment these signals are not acted upon because they contradict the logical and limited mind. When we do move on them we are often pleasantly surprised by the outcome feeling more “connected” to something much greater. Often though the signals coming from “gut instinct” are actually instigated by the cranial brain because of past subconscious programming or cellular memory, and we shut down an otherwise sound intuitive and inspirational idea because of anxiety and fear.

The network of neurons in the gut is as plentiful and complex as the network of neurons in our spinal cord, which may seem overly complex just to keep track of digestion. Why is our gut the only organ in our body that needs its own “brain”? Is it just to manage the process of digestion? Or could it be that one job of our second brain is to listen in on the trillions of microbes residing in the gut? Could it be that this hugely complex ecological system requires a brain to manage it and keep it in balance with both our internal and external environment? The answer is of course yes!!!!

Operations of the Enteric Nervous System are overseen by the brain and Central Nervous System. The Central Nervous System is in communication with the gut via the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, the involuntary arm of the nervous system that controls heart rate, breathing, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system is tasked with the job of regulating the speed at which food transits through the gut, the secretion of acid in our stomach, and the production of mucus on the intestinal lining. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, is another mechanism by which the brain can communicate with the gut to help control digestion through the action of hormones.

The second brain also shares many features with the first. It is made up of various types of neuron, with glial support cells. It has its own version of a blood-brain barrier to keep its physiological environment stable. It produces a wide range of hormones and around 40 neurotransmitters of the same classes as those found in the brain. In fact, neurons in the gut are thought to generate as much dopamine as those in the head. Another interesting fact is that about 95% of the serotonin present in the body at any time is in the ENS. Best known as the “feel-good” molecule involved in preventing depression and regulating sleep, appetite and body temperature, seratonin is another important neurotransmitter transmitting signals in the second brain. But its influence stretches far beyond that. Serotonin produced in the gut gets into the blood, where it is involved in repairing damaged cells in the liver and lungs. It is also important for normal development of the heart, as well as regulating bone density by inhibiting bone formation (Cell, vol 135, p 825).

Serotonin is also crucial for the proper development of the ENS where, among its many roles, it acts as a growth factor. Serotonin-producing cells develop early on in the ENS, and if this development is affected, the second brain cannot form properly. This can happen in a child’s earliest years due to gut infection or extreme stress and may have the same effect. Later in life this could lead to irritable bowel syndrome, a condition characterised by chronic abdominal pain with frequent diarrhoea or constipation that is often accompanied by depression. The idea that irritable bowel syndrome can be caused by the degeneration of neurons in the ENS is lent weight by recent research revealing that 87 out of 100 people with the condition had antibodies in their circulation that were attacking and killing neurons in the gut (Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, vol 18, p 78).

So can a person’s mood be influenced by the nerve signals coming from the gut? Yes of course, it is absolutely crucial that the second brain is kept in holistic balance. It is clear that nerve signals from the gut area is affecting mood. Indeed, research published in 2006 indicates that stimulation of the vagus nerve can be an effective treatment for chronic depression that has failed to respond to other treatments (The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol 189, p 282).

There is further evidence of links between the two brains in our response to stress. The feeling of “butterflies” in the stomach is the result of blood being diverted away from it to your muscles as part of the fight or flight response instigated by the brain. However, stress also leads the gut to increase its production of ghrelin, a hormone that, as well as making you feel more hungry, reduces anxiety and depression. Ghrelin stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain both directly, by triggering neurons involved in pleasure and reward pathways, and indirectly by signals transmitted via the vagus nerve.

Dr Michael D Gershon suggests that strong links between our gut and our mental state evolved because a lot of information about our environment comes from our gut. “Remember the inside of your gut is really the outside of your body,” he says. So we can see danger with our eyes, hear it with our ears and detect it in our gut. This is what the Taoists indicate when they say that the lower “Tan Tien” is concerned with pure or primal awareness of the self and indeed martial artists are very familiar with holding their awareness in this area. Pankaj Pasricha, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology in Baltimore, Maryland, points out that without the gut there would be no energy to sustain life. “Its vitality and healthy functioning is so critical that the brain needs to have a direct and intimate connection with the gut,” he says.

If nothing else, the discovery that problems with the ENS are implicated in all sorts of conditions means the second brain deserves a lot more recognition than it has had in the past. “Its aberrations are responsible for a lot of suffering,” says Pasricha. He believes that a better understanding of the second brain could pay huge dividends in our efforts to control all sorts of conditions, from obesity and diabetes to problems normally associated with the brain such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Yet the number of researchers investigating the second brain remains small. “Given it’s potential, it’s astonishing how little attention has been paid to it,” says Pasricha.

Our brain (in our heads) performs complex computations and rational thinking. Our second brain gets messages from both our external and internal environment which it sends back to our cranial brain. Unfortunately these messages are often ignored much to the detriment of our bodies and the smooth running of our lives. We often fall back into the rational of the mind. Ignoring these messages of “discomfort” both from our external and internal environment chronically will lead to gastrointestinal issues and mental/emotional issues leading finally to physical ailments and disease.

The simplest and most effective way of bringing awareness back to the second brain and gut area is to bring your focus to it several times a day for a few minutes at a time. This can be done while abdominal breathing. It is also highly effective to locate your different organs and as the Taoists would do just smile at them. This is enough as both a beginners and advanced routine to bring energy back to the gut area and take it away from the left cranial brain which is now “overdeveloped,” not working in balance with our right brain and causing much of the dysfunction in modern society. It uses a vast amount of energy and cannot conceive the ‘bigger picture’ on its own. It only sees the intellectual picture and often with the back drop of past emotional patterning. Only when we move back into the body and in particular the second brain, and heart space of course, do we begin to gain mastery of the human vehicle whilst moving further into our divinity and evolution, that is the return journey.

The body’s second brain is often referred to as the Enteric Nervous System (ENS). There are hundreds of millions of neurons connecting the cranial brain to the second brain. This is the part of the nervous system that controls and monitors the entire gastrointestinal system from the esophagus to the anus. The really important thing to remember is this. The second brain or enteric nervous system is so extensive that it can act autonomously, with the discovery that if the main connection with the brain – the vagus nerve – is severed the ENS remains capable of coordinating digestion without input from the central nervous system. The second brain and cranial brain are of course in constant communication, however, as the Taoists understand and scientist are beginning to comprehend the second brain is about pure or primal awareness. It is absolutely essential that we bring daily focus into this centre if we are to bring balance back into our bodies and mastery of our human vehicles. Unfortunately as we age we become more disconnected from the gut and second brain preferring instead to constantly be “in the head”. On a superficial level this can be seen when we exercise the mid section less and accumulate fat in this area as a “protection” against life or perhaps more appropriately as a protection against our perceptions of life. It is further demonstrated by our lack of correct breathing techniques often chest breathing instead of abdominal breathing which has a catastrophic effect on the body in the long term.

Our cranial brain performs complex computations and rational thinking. Our second brain gets messages from both our external and internal environment which it sends back to our cranial brain. Unfortunately these messages are often ignored much to the detriment of our bodies and the smooth running of our lives. We often fall back into the rational of the mind. Ignoring these messages of “discomfort” both from our external and internal environment chronically will lead to gastrointestinal issues and mental/emotional issues leading finally to physical diseases.

We now know that the second brain is not just capable of autonomy but also influences the cranial brain. In fact, about 90 per cent of the signals passing along the vagus nerve come not from above, but from the ENS (American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, vol 283, p G1217). However the subconscious “gut instinct” much spoken about is a double edged sword. When we are in complete balance and not in “our heads” the second brain does send signals to the brain that may or may not be acted upon by the cranial brain. Very often and much to our detriment these signals are not acted upon because they contradict the logical and limited mind. When we do move on them we are often pleasantly surprised by the outcome feeling more “connected” to something much greater. Often though the signals coming from “gut instinct” are actually instigated by the cranial brain because of past subconscious programming or cellular memory, and we shut down an otherwise sound intuitive and inspirational idea because of anxiety and fear.

The network of neurons in the gut is as plentiful and complex as the network of neurons in our spinal cord, which may seem overly complex just to keep track of digestion. Why is our gut the only organ in our body that needs its own “brain”? Is it just to manage the process of digestion? Or could it be that one job of our second brain is to listen in on the trillions of microbes residing in the gut? Could it be that this hugely complex ecological system requires a brain to manage it and keep it in balance with both our internal and external environment? The answer is of course yes!!!!

Operations of the Enteric Nervous System are overseen by the brain and Central Nervous System. The Central Nervous System is in communication with the gut via the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, the involuntary arm of the nervous system that controls heart rate, breathing, and digestion. The autonomic nervous system is tasked with the job of regulating the speed at which food transits through the gut, the secretion of acid in our stomach, and the production of mucus on the intestinal lining. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis, is another mechanism by which the brain can communicate with the gut to help control digestion through the action of hormones.

The second brain also shares many features with the first. It is made up of various types of neuron, with glial support cells. It has its own version of a blood-brain barrier to keep its physiological environment stable. It produces a wide range of hormones and around 40 neurotransmitters of the same classes as those found in the brain. In fact, neurons in the gut are thought to generate as much dopamine as those in the head. Another interesting fact is that about 95% of the serotonin present in the body at any time is in the ENS. Best known as the “feel-good” molecule involved in preventing depression and regulating sleep, appetite and body temperature, seratonin is another important neurotransmitter transmitting signals in the second brain. But its influence stretches far beyond that. Serotonin produced in the gut gets into the blood, where it is involved in repairing damaged cells in the liver and lungs. It is also important for normal development of the heart, as well as regulating bone density by inhibiting bone formation (Cell, vol 135, p 825).

Serotonin is also crucial for the proper development of the ENS where, among its many roles, it acts as a growth factor. Serotonin-producing cells develop early on in the ENS, and if this development is affected, the second brain cannot form properly. This can happen in a child’s earliest years due to gut infection or extreme stress and may have the same effect. Later in life this could lead to irritable bowel syndrome, a condition characterised by chronic abdominal pain with frequent diarrhoea or constipation that is often accompanied by depression. The idea that irritable bowel syndrome can be caused by the degeneration of neurons in the ENS is lent weight by recent research revealing that 87 out of 100 people with the condition had antibodies in their circulation that were attacking and killing neurons in the gut (Journal of Neurogastroenterology and Motility, vol 18, p 78).

So can a person’s mood be influenced by the nerve signals coming from the gut? Yes of course, it is absolutely crucial that the second brain is kept in holistic balance. It is clear that nerve signals from the gut area is affecting mood. Indeed, research published in 2006 indicates that stimulation of the vagus nerve can be an effective treatment for chronic depression that has failed to respond to other treatments (The British Journal of Psychiatry, vol 189, p 282).

There is further evidence of links between the two brains in our response to stress. The feeling of “butterflies” in the stomach is the result of blood being diverted away from it to your muscles as part of the fight or flight response instigated by the brain. However, stress also leads the gut to increase its production of ghrelin, a hormone that, as well as making you feel more hungry, reduces anxiety and depression. Ghrelin stimulates the release of dopamine in the brain both directly, by triggering neurons involved in pleasure and reward pathways, and indirectly by signals transmitted via the vagus nerve.

Dr Michael D Gershon suggests that strong links between our gut and our mental state evolved because a lot of information about our environment comes from our gut. “Remember the inside of your gut is really the outside of your body,” he says. So we can see danger with our eyes, hear it with our ears and detect it in our gut. This is what the Taoists indicate when they say that the lower “Tan Tien” is concerned with pure or primal awareness of the self and indeed martial artists are very familiar with holding their awareness in this area. Pankaj Pasricha, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Neurogastroenterology in Baltimore, Maryland, points out that without the gut there would be no energy to sustain life. “Its vitality and healthy functioning is so critical that the brain needs to have a direct and intimate connection with the gut,” he says.

If nothing else, the discovery that problems with the ENS are implicated in all sorts of conditions means the second brain deserves a lot more recognition than it has had in the past. “Its aberrations are responsible for a lot of suffering,” says Pasricha. He believes that a better understanding of the second brain could pay huge dividends in our efforts to control all sorts of conditions, from obesity and diabetes to problems normally associated with the brain such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Yet the number of researchers investigating the second brain remains small. “Given it’s potential, it’s astonishing how little attention has been paid to it,” says Pasricha.

Our brain (in our heads) performs complex computations and rational thinking. Our second brain gets messages from both our external and internal environment which it sends back to our cranial brain. Unfortunately these messages are often ignored much to the detriment of our bodies and the smooth running of our lives. We often fall back into the rational of the mind. Ignoring these messages of “discomfort” both from our external and internal environment chronically will lead to gastrointestinal issues and mental/emotional issues leading finally to physical ailments and disease.

The simplest and most effective way of bringing awareness back to the second brain and gut area is to bring your focus to it several times a day for a few minutes at a time. This can be done while abdominal breathing. It is also highly effective to locate your different organs and as the Taoists would do just smile at them. This is enough as both a beginners and advanced routine to bring energy back to the gut area and take it away from the left cranial brain which is now “overdeveloped,” not working in balance with our right brain and causing much of the dysfunction in modern society. It uses a vast amount of energy and cannot conceive the ‘bigger picture’ on its own. It only sees the intellectual picture and often with the back drop of past emotional patterning. Only when we move back into the body and in particular the second brain, and heart space of course, do we begin to gain mastery of the human vehicle whilst moving further into our divinity and evolution, that is the return journey.

Today, I want to share a powerful insight from the practice of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that will help you release stress and increase relaxation in the face of any challenge.

One of the primary things you learn from NLP is that your experience of life is in your control.

That doesn’t mean that you can control every event or circumstance. What it does mean is that you can choose HOW you experience events and circumstances and HOW you relate to them. You can choose HOW you are doing your life.

Richard Bandler, the father and co-creator of NLP, began his work in the 1960s with a simple empirical approach. Rather than theorizing about “why” people did what they did, he would investigate “HOW they did it.”

For example, he looked at how people who were successful in kicking habits, getting over loss, achieving success, and creating relaxed positive experiences used their minds to get those results.

He also looked at how people who were stuck in bad habits, lost in depression, ridden with stress and anxiety, and frustrated in moving forward used their minds.

What he discovered is that recurrent experiences are the result of habitual ways of perceiving things. It’s all about how you are in the habit of interpreting your experiences.

If this is so, then, you have the ability to have new experiences by adopting new ways of perceiving the same situation.

As Bandler says, “When you think in a new way, you get to do new things and you get to feel new things.” (p.xxvii, Get The Life You Want)

So how does NLP work? It begins with a present experience. You begin by looking at your present experience as something that you are doing rather than as something that is happening to you.

This is a powerful mental shift that is the key to overcoming stress as well. Stress is the result of looking at yourself as a victim of events that are happening to you, rather than seeing what you can do to make things better.

With this as a starting point, your first goal is to discover how you are mentally creating your experience of stress, consciously and subconsciously.

You can get a feel for how you do this by calling to mind a recent experience of stress…

When you have this experience in your mind, ask yourself the following simple series of questions.

What do I feel in my body?

Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling?

Does it make me hot/cold? Does it make me breathe fast? Does it make my muscles contract? Is it heavy or light?

Where does the feeling start from? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

You can move your hand in circles in different directions and see which one matches how your feeling is moving.

What images are associated with this feeling?

How many images are associated with my feeling? Are they moving or still? Are they in color or black and white? Are they small or large?

Where do I see them? (In front of me? Behind? Above? Below? Left? Right? In the middle?) Am I in the image or looking at it?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

What words do I hear in my head? Who is speaking them? What is the tone, tempo, and rhythm? How do those words make me feel?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

Mr. Bandler calls this taking an inventory of the “submodalities” of your experience.

Now, bring to mind an experience of “relaxation” and go through the same questions:

What do I feel in my body? Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

What images are associated with this feeling?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/ image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

As you witness how you are doing relaxation and how you are doing stress, you see that these experiences are generated by doing different things. Since stress and relaxation are the result of what you are doing, you have power to step into these experiences and do something different.

You can imagine being relaxed in any situation, focus on relaxing thoughts, embody relaxing feelings and sensations, and take actions that make you feel empowered to take yourself out of stress and into relaxation.

One of the most powerful ways you can practice this is through meditation. In meditation, you learn to calmly witness how you are “doing stress”-and let that go-so you can consciously choose to “do relaxation and empowerment” instead.

Enjoy your practice!

Today, I want to share a powerful insight from the practice of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) that will help you release stress and increase relaxation in the face of any challenge.

One of the primary things you learn from NLP is that your experience of life is in your control.

That doesn’t mean that you can control every event or circumstance. What it does mean is that you can choose HOW you experience events and circumstances and HOW you relate to them. You can choose HOW you are doing your life.

Richard Bandler, the father and co-creator of NLP, began his work in the 1960s with a simple empirical approach. Rather than theorizing about “why” people did what they did, he would investigate “HOW they did it.”

For example, he looked at how people who were successful in kicking habits, getting over loss, achieving success, and creating relaxed positive experiences used their minds to get those results.

He also looked at how people who were stuck in bad habits, lost in depression, ridden with stress and anxiety, and frustrated in moving forward used their minds.

What he discovered is that recurrent experiences are the result of habitual ways of perceiving things. It’s all about how you are in the habit of interpreting your experiences.

If this is so, then, you have the ability to have new experiences by adopting new ways of perceiving the same situation.

As Bandler says, “When you think in a new way, you get to do new things and you get to feel new things.” (p.xxvii, Get The Life You Want)

So how does NLP work? It begins with a present experience. You begin by looking at your present experience as something that you are doing rather than as something that is happening to you.

This is a powerful mental shift that is the key to overcoming stress as well. Stress is the result of looking at yourself as a victim of events that are happening to you, rather than seeing what you can do to make things better.

With this as a starting point, your first goal is to discover how you are mentally creating your experience of stress, consciously and subconsciously.

You can get a feel for how you do this by calling to mind a recent experience of stress…

When you have this experience in your mind, ask yourself the following simple series of questions.

What do I feel in my body?

Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling?

Does it make me hot/cold? Does it make me breathe fast? Does it make my muscles contract? Is it heavy or light?

Where does the feeling start from? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

You can move your hand in circles in different directions and see which one matches how your feeling is moving.

What images are associated with this feeling?

How many images are associated with my feeling? Are they moving or still? Are they in color or black and white? Are they small or large?

Where do I see them? (In front of me? Behind? Above? Below? Left? Right? In the middle?) Am I in the image or looking at it?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

What words do I hear in my head? Who is speaking them? What is the tone, tempo, and rhythm? How do those words make me feel?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

Mr. Bandler calls this taking an inventory of the “submodalities” of your experience.

Now, bring to mind an experience of “relaxation” and go through the same questions:

What do I feel in my body? Where is this feeling located? What are the qualities of this feeling? How does the feeling move in my body? Is there a direction to it?

What images are associated with this feeling?

Are there any thoughts, beliefs, or words in my head associated with the feeling and images?

Are there any other sensations associated with the feeling/ image/thought? Any smells, tastes, or bodily sensations?

As you witness how you are doing relaxation and how you are doing stress, you see that these experiences are generated by doing different things. Since stress and relaxation are the result of what you are doing, you have power to step into these experiences and do something different.

You can imagine being relaxed in any situation, focus on relaxing thoughts, embody relaxing feelings and sensations, and take actions that make you feel empowered to take yourself out of stress and into relaxation.

One of the most powerful ways you can practice this is through meditation. In meditation, you learn to calmly witness how you are “doing stress”-and let that go-so you can consciously choose to “do relaxation and empowerment” instead.

Enjoy your practice!