But hilariously still, I must admit, that the first thought I did have as my body collided with a lovely ( and might I add rather solid) tree in the forest hubby and I go mountainbiking in, was ...... Where is the benefit?????. Ridiculous... right?
But I was grinning from ear to ear:) Here I was... mud all over me, bits of my knee threatening to spill out of my kneecap .... and yes I was smiling like a cheshire cat thinking " Where is the benefit?" ... all that collapsing is finally paying off(so cool)!!!!!!
Although not the main point of the story, it leads me down a lovely aside and gives a bit of an answer to a question I hear so often:
"So, what can I expect using and practising the Demartini Method?".
Answer :" Well one of the things that can happen is that as you become more proficient at using the method and developing that "mind muscle" that can instantly see the challenge and support. Your mind just seems to somewhat give up on panicking because it knows through evidence that challenge and support are always equal and simultaneous"
Just a couple of years earlier ..... I would have been an absolute bag of tears and sobs and probably put myself in one heck of a panic.
So how did I arrive at this magical moment?? Technically down a very steep hill where I was now slighted twisted, one leg wrapped around the now somewhat wobbly remains of a bike and the other doing a ragdoll impression hanging of a branch. My husband was now sprinting towards me with the most amazing amount of guilt written all across his concerned/petrified forehead ( yes, he DID say ... oh don't worry honey, this isn't the steep part :):):))
But here is me :):) cool as a cucumber, with a slight giggle under my breath mumbling through the earthen remains of a molehill still in my mouth : "I wonder what ON EARTH the benefit is in THIS?"
To answer the question of how did I arrive at that cool calm place in my mind is that I consistently apply what I call the "plaster" questions in all emergencies.
Emergency question NO.1
Q: WHERE IS THE OPPOSITE????
So in this particular case it would be where is the pleasure in all this pain - and believe me it was hellishly uncomfortable and friggin painful as soon as I put ANY weight on it. Here I run a quick list in my mind of what exactly is the challenge and look for its opposite.
a) pain - where is the pleasure?
b) can't move - where in my life am I free to move?
c) injured - where am I well and whole in my life?
Although this is not as comprehensive as a full collpase..... it has the incredible advantage of making sure that you see that in that moment where you are feeling incredibly challenged, at exactly the same time to the opposite degree you are being supported.
... if there is pain ... where is the pleasure?
.... if there is depression ... where is the fantasy of how it should be?
......if someone is challenging you ... who at the same time is supporting you?
Panic, anxiety and fear are all connected to a perception that a person, event or situation will have more drawbacks than benefits. The universe is however always in perfect balance... it is only our thoughts based on perceptions that tell us that some things are more "wrong" than "right". Just like night and day, winter and summer as well as the constant building and destroying that is evident simultaneously in your body systems - whenever there is challenge, there is support at the same time to the same degree....... and you are able to see that balance too by asking yourself the next question:
Emergency question NO.2
Q: WHAT IS THE BENEFIT OF WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW?
of course, if you are in an emergency or panic situation your physiology will be pumping with adrenalin and your fight/flight response that mobilizes you to run away/be alert and avert danger will be in full force.... asking yourself what is the benefit of the situation seems non-sensical or initially contrary to coping with what is happening. The trouble with panic & fear is that you may find yourself unable to think straight and make balanced decisions. Our bodies and minds are genetically programmed to avoid pain and strive for survival and as such when we get injured ( .. or perhaps ill?) asking yourself what is "good" or beneficial in that situation may seem a weird question to ask yourself.
The reason we pursue this line of questioning is to take our minds out of the depth of resentment (.. or fear.. or panic) and restore a sense of balance both to our thoughts as well as our physiology. Although initially the fight/flight response is triggered to enable us to be vigilant to danger and avoid it, when this state of danger-readiness persist driven and fuelled by fear and panic ... our bodies and minds start to break-down. Stress, which is now medically accepted as a key factor in most disease processes is often caused by this ever-present state of uber-vigilance resting on an ever-constant perception of "more challenge than support".
Wether your aim is to reduce stress, have the ability to think "straight" in difficult or high-pressure situations .... or just want to break the cycle of fear and panic the two
EMERGENCY QUESTIONS of
1. Where is the opposite?
2. What is the benefit?
..can effectively assist you in preventing yourself slipping into a state of unbalanced thinking which will eventually lead you to lobsided perpections about life, the people around you and ultimately yourself.
**DISCLAIMER**
In ALL medical or mental health emergencies please contact the appropriate emergency services!!!!!!
Happy collapsing!!!!
StephX
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