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Serving a community of private individuals and professionals
who have the desire to cultivate a life of clarity, compassion,
and creativity. Your feedback is encouraged. Please
contact us at seishindo@seishindo.org.
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Workshop Announcement
This workshop will offer you significant value if...
You are a therapist, coach, social worker, physical
therapist, consultant, or bodyworker, looking to
add to your current professional skills.
You are a spouse that would like to better understand
your partner.
You want to live your life with a greater sense
of vitality and passion.
You want to understand how to enter into fulfilling
personal relationships.
You are a parent that would like to understand how
to better nurture your children.
You are an individual yearning to join a warm spiritual
community of life long learners.
Learn how to identify and shift the somatic underpinnings
of limiting beliefs, health concerns, and debilitating
habits.
Please click on the title to find out more.
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1. Starting Line
Several years ago I had the good fortune to make the acquaintance
of a new friend named Tara. She is as beautiful a Shetland
sheep dog as I have ever seen. Like many of us human beings,
Tara had a sad tale to tell. When just a pup, the first time
she was taken for a walk she came upon a horde of kids who
suddenly started shooting off firecrackers. Tara was frightened
beyond belief and she escaped from her leash and bolted into
the far distance. Perhaps never to be seen again her owner
feared! Several hours later though, Tara made it back to her
house on her own and in one piece.
When I first met Tara, I didn't really meet her. I came into
her house on the ground floor, and she was up on the third
floor where she normally hid out when guests arrived. Tara's
owner told me about the firecracker incident and how ever
since she had difficulty getting Tara to go out for a walk.
Tara used the tiny backyard for her exercise and toilet activities
as that seemed to be the only place she felt safe.
Tara's owner needed to run out on an errand. I asked for
a piece or Tara's favorite bisquit, broke it into several
pieces, and set the pieces out well in front of me as I sat
on the couch. I waited quietly for about ten minutes, before
finally hearing the patter of little feet upstairs. Upon hearing
Tara gathering up her courage and her curiosity, I began to
intermittently make some playful sounds as if I was a tiny
tiny firework, showering its brilliant colors in the distance.
Psss, Pahh! I concentrated on being a beautiful firework,
and not a loud one. Then with my colors expended I sat quietly
again and waited. It took an additional fifteen minutes for
Tara to finally show her head at the top of the stairs, and
then she immediately ran all the way back up to the third
floor. From there it took another ten minutes before she made
her way down to the ground floor, ate one piece of biscuit
and then bolted upstairs again, with no intention of returning
in the near future. I marveled at her braveness and was exceedingly
pleased with the development of our relationship.
Starting the next day our friendship developed rapidly. On
our second day together I sat on the floor and waited with
the biscuits closer to me. After a couple of fitful starts
and stops, Tara was sitting on my lap. Next I introduced the
leash, but didn't try and put it on her. Next I waited for
Tara out in the back yard. By the third day she was making
her way down to my bedroom in the basement, wondering why
I hadn't gotten up yet. Finally, we were walking around together
out in the neighborhood, and passing by the very place of
her initial horror.
Tara's friendship has been a sacred gift to me. She has helped
me to better understand my own fears, and the fears of my
clients. She has also helped me to understand that beneath
our fear there is a longing to be reconnected to life, and
to loved ones. A longing to be out and about with a friend
on a mild spring day. Whenever I have a client who seems frightened,
I always start out by telling them about Tara. It's amazing
that a couple of cookies and a cup of tea can calm a new human
client as much as Tara's biscuits helped to calm her.
2. Main course
"Waiting quietly for a friend," "Safeguarding
the space," and "Extending out into the world"
are three core activities of Seishindo, and therefore it is
only natural that this is what I did with Tara. Our emotional
experience cannot be fully explained or understood in words,
unless we move to the realm of poetry. Poetry creates a bridge
that allows for communication between our intellect and our
emotions, our thoughts and our feelings. Why is such a bridge
necessary? Well, if for no other reason, our emotional experience
and our intellectual experience are created and interpreted
by different parts of the brain (limbic as compared to cortical).
Emotion and intellect live in different neighborhoods within
ourselves, and our limbic-emotional experience was developed
eons before our ability to grok the world intellectually.
As living beings evolved from reptiles to mammals they developed
a limbic brain and an emotional life which included rearing
one's young rather than just dropping eggs and letting nature
take its course. Emotions were developed along with our limbic
brain, eons before our intellect and the neocortical portion
of our brain showed up on the scene. We can sit and talk about
our emotions, whether in therapy or with a friend or colleague,
but unless we find a way to tap into our limbic experience
and comfort and calm our mammalian consciousness, be it our
own or Tara's, little change in emotional experience will
tend to take place. This comforting and calming of our limbic-somatic-emotional
self, thus needs to be one of the main tasks of anyone interested
in changing one's emotional reactions in the world. In Seishindo,
we strive to calm the mind that comes before the thinking
mind. To calm the overall physiology, the breathing, the muscular
holding patterns and the organization of our movements and
stillness.
Vocal communication as compared to verbal communication
In Seishindo we pay greater attention to the vocal communication
we have with our clients and ourselves (via our internal dialogue)
than we do to the verbal communication that ensues. By this
I mean the following: There is a vocal communication system
understood by every mammal thanks to the intelligence of the
limbic brain. Every mammalian mother-child relationship has
a vocal communication system that is understood by both, even
though neither one of them is speaking English. As hard as
this might be for many Americans to believe, all you need
is a couple of hours watching Discovery Channel to understand
the truth of this statement. The shrill cry of a mother bird,
the whining of kittens left alone, the distress signals of
a young calf finding itself in danger. These are the communications
of the limbic brain, and such communications are structured,
grammatical, and complete. Whether I am talking to Tara in
dog whispering language, or talking to a human client in soothing
reassuring tones, my primary concern is to talk to and reassure
their limbic-somatic self, and thus my tone, tempo, and pausing,
is of greater importance than the actual words spoken.
Fear and love
Both fear and love have specific and different organizational
patterns within each of us. The electrochemical network of
fear and the electrochemical network of love, as well as the
network of muscle usage for the two, are quite different.
Once we learn how the body communicates to us we can begin
to interact and affect change on the limbic level of primary
experience. Deep breathing, stroking by an appropriate other,
hugging and physical closeness, all help us to know that we
are not alone, and that we are protected. With our limbic-emotional
system taking in such sustenance, we can relax, expand our
spirit, and be in the world with a sense of belonging, comfort,
safety, and excitement. What more could we really ask for
from life?
3. Practice
Today's Practice "Waiting
quietly for a friend" is one of the core activities
of Seishindo. In this Practice we acknowledge the presence
of "an intelligence greater than myself" and we
invite this presence into our life, into our home, into our
heart. The concept of acknowledging a presence greater than
one's self is of course found in various religions, as well
as in poetry from around the world, and it plays a central
role in the overall process of Alcoholics Anonymous. As time,
and my own practice continues, more and more I am coming to
the understanding that a connection to an intelligence greater
than my self is of prime importance for my emotional and spiritual
well being. As always, what I present in this Practice, is
done from a Seishindo somatic perspective.
Give this Practice a try on a regular basis. I am sure you
will feel rewarded if you do.
4. Links
The Association for Humanistic
Psychology: http://www.ahpweb.org
The Association for Humanistic Psychology is the voice of
ordinary people with an extraordinary vision for a more conscious
and humane global society. Founded in 1962 as a bold new affirmative
approach to psychology and life.
5. Suggested Books by Cindy Franklin
"The Man Who Listens To
Horses" by Monty Roberts
This deeply moving and illuminating book is about the man
whose life and work inspired the movie and book, "The
Horse Whisperer." It is the story of how Monty Roberts
learned to "train" horses by listening to their
language instead of breaking their spirits. Contemplating
his story can lead us to see with new eyes, how we too have
the choice to either brutalize or listen deeply to, our own
mammalian nature. Such an insight clearly animates much of
the work of Seishindo, and has the power to profoundly enrich
our lives. I found reading this book a thoroughly worthwhile,
as well as enjoyable, adventure.
6. Suggested Music
CD: "The Mask & Mirror" by Loreena McKennitt
A bit hard to describe what "kind" of music this
is. For sure it is mood music of a sort, and it is an excellent
complement to other music used in the Seishindo process.
It is music that will engender internal movement and emotion,
as well as physical movement.
7. Endnote and Invitation
Based on our last
newsletter before the New Year break, our friend Eileen
Cauley writes:
"Here is a blessing for friends of the aged like Kirsten,
who is making a difference with her dog Charlie, in nursing
homes in Germany. Much respect and love to you, Kirsten.
Blessed are they who understand my faltering step and palsied
hand.
Blessed are they who know that my ears today must strain to
hear the words they say.
Blessed are they who seem to know that my eyes are dim and
my wits are slow.
Blessed are they who looked away when coffee spilled at the
table today.
Blessed are they with a cheery smile who stop to chat for
a little while.
Blessed are they who never say "You've told that story
twice today."
Blessed are they who know the ways to bring back memories
of yesterdays.
Blessed are they who make it known that I'm loved, respected
and not alone.
Blessed are they who know I'm at a loss to find the strength
to carry the Cross.
Blessed are those who ease the days on my journey Home in
loving ways."
* * *
In regard to her practice of Seishindo, Karen
Calabrese writes:
"For me Seishindo fosters a perpetual state of transition,
stretching and growth through a continuous reminder to open
to a pure heart, a simple mind, and a fully embodied presence.
Seishindo is a new way of listening with expanded ears - heart
ears, mind ears, body ears and soul ears. Seishindo enhances
my awareness - self awareness, other awareness, world awareness
and God awareness.
For me the practice of Seishindo is also a practice of acceptance.
Acceptance of what is - in this moment, without judgement,
without fear - Acceptance with a pure heart and a simple mind
- Acceptance which leads to peacefulness and calmness in the
midst of unknowing. I use Seishindo to enter into a state
of self acceptance, which leads me to a deeper state of connection
with my higher self.
Seishindo, for me, is also a practice of connection. Through
the practice of Seishindo I have more resources available
to me to enhance my connection with those I am in relationship
with, with those I teach, with those I learn from, with those
who come to me for guidance in transformation and healing.
The art of Seishindo becomes, for me, a sixth sense."
8. Milestones
On December 6th, 2003 the Westminster Aikido Dojo in Southern
California hosted a book signing for the recently released
book "Aikido
Basics" by Tuttle Publishing. The authors, Phong
Sensei and Dr. Seiser,
were present to talk about the book and sign copies. Congratulations
to both men! You can read more about this event here.
Please let us know about YOUR milestones, or the milestones
of organizations that you belong to or especially like.
Have you just launched a website?
Succeeded with a challenging client?
Realized an important truth?
Gained a new supportive understanding of your teenage son
or daughter?
Written an article or a book?
Please send your news to seishin@seishindo.org
and we will be happy to publish it on our website.
9. Copyright
Unless otherwise attributed, all material for the newsletter
"Pure Heart, Simple Mind"(tm) is written and edited by
Charlie Badenhop ©. All rights reserved.
You may reprint, copy, or distribute "Pure Heart, Simple
Mind” (tm) provided you: a. Receive our written permission
(which is likely). b. Attach the above copyright notice
to our material. c. Do not sell our material to others.
d. Keep the content of our material intact without any
editing whatsoever.
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