Empowering Your Innate Capacity to Heal Osher Lifelong Learning Institute College for Seniors Spring 2014 Class 4

One Good Moment

Where Are We? Discussion: Homework/Feedback

It’s not what happens, but our thoughts about what happens, that upsets us.

Recall That… The brain has a “negative bias” for survival purposes. Negative thoughts/beliefs activate the Sympathetic System and can actually interfere with physiological healing. Positive thoughts activate the Parasympathetic System which promotes physiological healing.

Influencing the Autonomic Nervous System Thoughts and Self-Talk Thoughts generate feelings based on our associations previously made and stored in our brain. Self-Talk – what we say to ourselves based on our enculturation and previous experiences.

Psychological Modes of Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Activity Sympathetic Parasympathetic Activity Receptivity Speed Slowness Tension Relaxation Focus Scope Convergent thinking Divergent thinking Extroversion Introversion Goal oriented Process oriented Agency (intentional action) Presence Direction Elaboration Feeling associated - fear Feeling associated - Peace

Empowering Your Innate Capacity to Heal Course Objectives: ~Basic understanding of nervous system ~Internal awareness of autonomic activation ~Empowerment to consciously choose to activate the healing system

The only time we suffer is when we believe a thought that argues with reality (what is). It is not our thoughts but our attachment to our thoughts that causes suffering. Wanting reality to be different than it is, is hopeless. ~ Byron Katie, “The Work” From her book, Loving What Is

The Feeling of “Shift” or “Relief” When the body moves from the Sympathetic Nervous System to the Parasympathetic Nervous System, it is often felt as an internal “shift.” Others describe the internal feeling as one of “relief.”

Choosing to Activate the PNS Many paths, one journey. This class is to expose you to tools you can use to empower your ability to consciously activate your PNS. Breathing, Heart Math, Open Focus are some of those tools. Another too is called Emotional Freedom Technique or EFT. It helps you to release beliefs you are attached to that are causing you to suffer.

A Piton For the Journey Be compassionate and gentle with yourself during these explorations.