Dr Joe’s Blog

In Chicago this summer, the band the Grateful Dead celebrated their 50^th anniversary with three sold out concerts at Soldier Field Stadium. Love’em, hate’em, or don’t understand’em, it’s a commendable achievement of longevity, devotion, practice, and fruition.

Our workshops have historically been about people overcoming themselves, about an individual getting something they want or need by using the meditations we provide. This focus on self is healthy given the right context. After all, only when we take care of ourselves are we truly able to care for others. Put another way, people who are hyper focused on themselves are less likely to think about the issues others face.

You wake up; rub the sleep from your eyes, maybe yawn and then what? If you own a smart phone the next step probably includes checking your email, Facebook, texts, or a favorite news site. The world is quite literally in our hands. We have 24/7 access to a wealth of information that has radically transformed how we live.

In recent weeks a number of people have contacted my office with concerns about the refugee and migrant crisis in Europe. Millions have fled their homes in places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. These people are leaving behind countries torn apart by war and economic hardship in hopes of finding a better life elsewhere.

The Placebo Effect is a fascinating field of science because it challenges established notions of how we heal.  In the traditional model you would go to a doctor and he or she would present you with a diagnosis and some treatment options.  Placebos work differently in that they heal from within, not without and this presents a choice: you can either heal from a drug or from a placebo.

The past is an interesting concept. By definition the “past” refers to a time that has already happened. However, that isn’t how we experience it in our own lives. We have the ability to relive events over and over again in our minds. This ability to recall and relive is a gift that many of us fail to properly utilize. We tend to focus on the negative aspects of our lives and forget the positive.

Technology has made it easier to communicate with each other. Not too long ago the fastest way to reach someone – outside of a face-to-face conversation – was via letter or telegraph. Responses could take days or even weeks and by then the information may have no longer been relevant. The advent of cell phones, social media, and email has provided us near instantaneous communication whenever or wherever we want – most of the time.

Modern medicine has changed the course of human history.  Advances in disease prevention and treatment have allowed us to live longer, healthier lives.  Our expanded knowledge of the human body has provided order to what seemed like chaos.  We currently have more control of our destiny than any other time in history.

There are trillions of cells that make up your body. For the moment I want you to think about just one. That one cell is incredibly busy. In just the last second there were over 100,000 chemical reactions that occurred in this cell. Now, step back and consider your body as a whole. The sheer volume of activity happening inside you at any given moment is almost incomprehensible. With so much information being processed all at once, it’s fair to ask how it all works.

In many ways, anxiety is a healthy response to an external stimulus. We should be in a heightened or aroused state when we give a speech, fly in a plane during times of intense turbulence, or encounter a potential threat from a neighbor’s Rottweiler who has broken lose from their yard. Typically, when the stressful event is over, we expect to return back to physiological balance…and most of us do.

Wow! That’s really the best way I can think of to describe my experience at the Advanced Workshop in Carefree, Arizona. I’ve been a part of many workshops over the years but this one was arguably the best. 500 people came with the desire to further their development, hone the skills needed to cultivate lasting change and literally become supernatural.

If you’ve seen 2001: A Space Odyssey you’re probably familiar with the movie’s iconic theme song. The piece – Also Sprach Zarathustra by composer Richard Strauss – starts quietly with a low, almost menacing organ. The composer holds the notes for about twenty seconds then breaks the tension with a soft horn that builds into a triumphant bum-bum. A lumbering bass drum enters with what has become an instantly recognizable cadence that resets the music and starts the theme over again.