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Focus on Feeling

  • In the Classroom - Lesson 16
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Lesson:    

 

  • When we focus on our senses we can disengage the mind from the story (and drama) that may be inspired by the physical sensation or an emotion. Someone who is “trapped” in a negative emotion, thought, physical sensation, is trying to solve the problem by changing the situation or moving away from it. This response usually only exacerbates the problem because it stimulates stress hormones. Throughout these exercise the student has learned that they can detour the nervous system from the fight-flight… outward response towards the inward-directed relax-repair response. And this inward directed response is the one that can actually promote healing (if there is an injury involved), reduce pain, and clear out the inflammation producing stress chemicals. The technique we use in this exercise is simply directing awareness aware from the story (the cause, the meaning, the problem) of what’s happening, to only the physical feeling, without interpretation.
     

  • For this exercise, rather than cause pain to help the demonstration, we will use any physical sensation. And, even for pain reduction, the participant can either focus on the physical sensation being interpreted as pain, or not. And often it is easier, more pleasant, and best that they do not. They can, in the case of pain, learn to divert their attention to another physical sensation upon which to concentrate their awareness. 

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