A fellow by the name of Adyashanti ("Adya’) is one of my favorite teachers. I’ve been reading his books and watching his videos for a number of years, and I am currently taking his 3-month online retreat called A Revolution of Being. 

I have no idea how many people are attending this retreat, but 51 countries are represented. He doesn’t have this kind of reach for no reason – his teachings are extraordinary, and what’s he’s offering in this retreat is truly revolutionary.

Admittedly, this will be difficult to communicate because it involves very subtle aspects of perception, but I’ll do the best that I can to pass on what I am learning. Please don’t just read this with just your intellectual mind – as Adya advises, "see what it evokes within you."

What I’m learning contains familiar components, but it’s completely shifting the way I view myself, especially as it relates to the concept of Ego. Ego can be defined or understood in different ways, but for the purpose of this email, "Ego is the traditional mental, emotional image of oneself,which includes all of our beliefs, perceptions, memories, etc." 

It’s who we THINK we are for lack of a better explanation, but thoughts (good, bad, neutral) have nothing to do with the greater part of our identity. In reality, we are the Space/Awareness in which thoughts arise. 
It takes great courage and vulnerability to recognize the extremely subtle ways in which we identify with the content (e.g. thoughts, emotions, roles, accomplishments, etc.) of our minds. In the traditional understanding of Ego, we like to take credit for everything, good or bad.

But, here’s what I’m learning that is very transformative – we are NOT responsible initial spontaneous arising of thought/emotion/perception etc. 

Did you every notice how negative thoughts/reactions (anxiety, anger, etc.) just seem to HAPPEN to you – like you’re being attacked? 

I certainly have for the majority of my life, and before this revolutionary understanding, I didn’t realize how often I’d take credit for the initial "attack" and than "beat myself up" as if it was my own fault. Here are a few examples.

"How could I think that?!"

"I shouldn’t be anxiousI?"

"What’s wrong with me?"

Sound familiar? :)

We are all responsible for how we respond to what arises, but we’re NOT actually creating the initial spontaneous arising of thought, emotion, etc. 

This is so, so essential to understand because it’s difficult if not nearly impossible to modify our behavior when consumed by self-judgment.

So, how can start treating ourselves with kindness and compassion?

I’ll share what Adya recommended before he provided this teaching. 

Simply start to notice the spontaneous arising of everything. Here are a few examples. As I sit here typing, sounds come sounds go. A breeze comes a breeze goes. I breathe in, I breathe out. I’m not making anything of these things happen, they are occurring all on their own.

Once I started this practice, I began to notice that thoughts and emotional reactions arise spontaneously in the exact same way – I’m not (initially) making myself think or react– it just HAPPENS.
Before this new understanding, I remained very prone to harsh judgment of the initial "hit," which would only (as we all know) make things worse while providing self-created reasons to be more upset and or treat myself unkindly.

Now that I’m seeing this more clearly, I am avoiding the almost instantaneous reaction (to the reactions)  that would send me spiraling down the negative rabbit hole. Notice what may spontaneously arise within you (and how your mind may want to "run" with it) when I use the following analogy. This revolutionary understanding is helping me to "drain the swamp" of my negative mind. :)

Did you mind/belief system GET LOUD? I bet it did. Mine does too at the thought of anything to do with our political system.

By recognizing these patterns as just patterns, and nothing to do with who we are – we can stop feeding into them with greater ease.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes.
​
With Gratitude,


Dan

​I can’t believe it, but I’ve now been working as an OT for TWENTY YEARS. Yikes! In complete honesty, even though I did a better than average job in my first several years as a therapist, I was an emotional wreck on the inside. I was never satisfied, no matter how many people I helped, $ I made, vacations I took, etc.
 
In 2004, I hit rock bottom and finally did what resisted my entire life – I reached out for help. I made an appointment to see a therapist. Working with Anne Marie was just the start of an ever-evolving journey of self-discovery.
 
I was serving special needs children and their parents at that time. Naturally, I started sharing what I was learning about the importance of emotional balance with the parents who were so overwhelmed and stressed, and guess what happened?
 
The kids started doing DRAMATICALLY better. As the parents became emotionally healthier, the kids picked up on their improved energy and responded in amazing ways (e.g. listening more, following directions, etc.)
 
The irony is that this is EXACTLY what I was experiencing in my role as a therapist. As I started improving my energy and finding a greater sense of emotional balance, I began having a much greater impact on those I was serving.
 
This was only the beginning of learning what I believe is the most important lesson we can learn as Healthcare Providers: Self-Care is the Foundation Quality Healthcare.
 
It took me 10 years of experiencing this truth this until I developed enough courage to write my first book, The Clinical Success Formula. I wrote it speaking to students of healthcare, but it’s really for everyone, no matter how long you’ve been working.
 
It addresses what I believe is the “elephant in the healthcare room” (i.e. we often don’t practice what we preach) and lays out a practical guide to improving both personal and professional satisfaction.
 
It’s also a great introduction on how to take more of a holistic, or dare I say human, approach to work that you do. It really is a formula, and it works. You’ll notice profound changes even just by implementing the smallest of changes.
 
Recently, one reader said, “Wow – that one exercise shifted my entire mood for the last week!”
 
The book is powerful, but it’s really in the ongoing processing/discussing of how all the pieces fit together where the magic really happens.  I’m in the process of creating something for this purpose, so be on the lookout in the next few months.
 
But for now, please enjoy this little video for a little inspiration and guidance on how you can begin to discover a greater sense of personal and professional satisfaction.

As a so called "expert" in the area of mindfulness & meditation, I was recently humbled attending my first Silent Retreat.

It was five days. No talking. No phones. No computers. No eye contact. No where to "run" from whatever was happening on the inside.

In a way, this was not my first "rodeo." I've been going to intense workshops over the last 4 years which included meditations up to 4 hours. So I am quite used to sitting with myself for long periods of time, and I had countless transformational experiences at these events.

However, while the Silent Retreat shared common ground with the workshops I attended, it had one fundamental difference: there was no goal in the traditional sense. It wasn't about overcoming any obstacles, having mystical experiences, or even improving myself in any way.

The only "goal" was to simply rest as Silence, with no attempt to manipulate or control any object (e.g. Thought, emotion, memory etc.) that may arise. Now, even though there was no goal, resting as Silence has an amazing byproduct: troubling thoughts and emotions tend to diminish.

The reason is because resting as Silence (as opposed to thinking/trying to control emotions) allows space for everything to come and go like passing clouds. We feel at peace when we aren't thinking for this reason - we are focused on the core of our being.

I think most of use would agree that the noise (i.e. Thoughts emotions judgments) that arise in the mind isn't always pretty, so we are very quickly to identify, judge, and try to control our experience in some way. Every attempt to control our internal experience inevitably fails in the long run, which is why so many of us experience familiar "emotional storms" on a regular basis.

Here is an example (and a good learning experience) from the retreat where I was forced to take a closer look at my patterns of thinking and behavior.

My randomly assigned roommate snored quite loud, and I'm a light sleeper, so you can imagine the thoughts and emotions running through my mind and body. I was initially (a few minutes) consumed and identified with internal dialogue which sounded like...

"What the f*** am I supposed to do!"
"I am so angry!"
"I can't believe this is happening!"

You get the idea.

I fortunately remembered why I was there and simply started focusing more on the silent background, the space behind my noisy mind. A number of things immediately became crystal clear...

1. I realized there really isn't an "I" this experience. Yes there is a anger, but I am not the anger I am experiencing.
2. The noise in my mind was MUCH louder than the snoring.
3. While it would be nice to have a quiet roommate, if I'm really honest, it's not going to ultimately (relatively yes ) make my life so much better.
4. A solution arose - I got my noise canceling headphones out of the car which helped.

 
My roommate situation was first of literally thousands of moments where my mind/body wanted to "run" (or something to be different) but I had no where to go. Eventually a questioned popped into my mind: I silently asked my body, "where do you think we are going to go that's better than right here???"

Certainly, relatively speaking, I prefer some moments (e.g. Eating) over others, but ALL of those moments are fleeting - they can never be ultimately fulfilling. As I started to rest in silence more each day, I became more aware that I am in fact the Silence in which I am sensing, and when I am truly attending to "me," I am at peace and don't need anything to satisfy me. We all know peace comes from within, but this was a deeper realization of this truth.

I still experience the same old urges (and certainly satisfy them at times), but now that I am attending more to the Silence that is my true nature, less and less do I feel the need to indulge in external gratification in ways I've always known were not in my best interest. 

I enjoy giving and receiving gifts as much as anyone, but I've come to better appreciate that the greatest gift we can give anyone is the peaceful Silence & Stillness of our very own being - each one of us is truly enough. Everything else is ultimately really only icing on the cake.

I'd like to invite you to experiment with this yourself during this holiday season and upcoming new year.

Even though I am fairly introspective guy, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t squander my attention way too often. Now, I don’t officially “check-in” on Facebook (e.g. “Look where I am eating lunch!), but I’m definitely guilty of mindlessly scrolling my news feed hoping to find, well I have no idea. Like a said, it is a mindless activity. And of course Facebook is just the beginning, there is email, sports, news etc.
 
I know this is a common addiction (yes, it is an addiction) because not a day goes by when I don’t see countless others doing the same thing. In moments when I’m not consumed by phone and I notice others falling into the all too familiar trap, I sometimes half-jokingly ask, “anything good?”
 
The answer is always a resounding “No.”

The fact that we intuitively “know” we won’t be fulfilled through our screens, but we do it anyway, is a clear indication of what an addiction social media (and especially “reality TV”) has become in our culture.
 
The reason may not be immediately apparent, but if we dig a little bit deeper (i.e. actually start checking in with ourselves), the root cause of our behavior becomes undeniably obvious.
 
We are trying to distract ourselves from our busy (mostly negative) minds, and looking elsewhere does (like a drug) temporarily numb the pain. The problem of course is that it “works” in the short-term, so we don’t often notice the long-term effect, which is becoming dependent on external gratification.
 
Even though we intuitively know peace comes from within, we look outside of ourselves.
 
As I’ve learned from Dr. Joe Dispenza and many other teachers, we only want what we want (e.g. social media) because we think it’s going to make us feel a certain way. But it’s a fallacy; the feeling already (and only) exists inside.
 
Just the other day a client said, “I was in a really bad mood this morning and I saw this cute dog that made me feel better.” I replied, “the dog didn’t make you feel better – it was your attention to the dog. If you weren’t giving the dog your full attention, you wouldn’t have experienced a shift in your mood.”
 
Again, the feeling is inside.
 
Recently I thought to myself, what if I “Checked-In” with myself even a fraction of the times I checked my phone? What if I started listening to my body, instead of reading my news-feed?
 
When I am truly paying attention, the message from my body is crystal clear – “Hey, just stay with me. Sense the stillness & peace that exists right here. You don’t need to see what’s happening on Facebook to distract yourself from anything right now.”
 
The “trick” is that we have to get comfortable allowing the negative thoughts/emotions to run their course (instead of numbing them out) to be able to sense the peace that already exists. Like riding a bike, it’s a skill that can be learned.
 
I can tell you from both personal and professional experience that it is well worth the effort. 
 
Here’s the challenge today. Instead of checking your phone with each impulse, see how many times you can check in with yourself instead.
 
You can accomplish this by focusing on your breathing, feeling the energy in your body, whatever works for you. Try it out and take notice of how you feel in your brain and body.
 
Initially, you may notice your body REALLY craving the familiar, but if you can allow it to be, I’m betting you will be pleasantly surprised at what you experience.
 
Please leave a comment and let me know how you’re doing with the Check-In Challenge.
 
Talk to you again soon.
 
Dan

p.s. If you'd like a practical guide to making this a regular part of your life, I'd highly recommend checking out The Clinical Success Formula. It's a practical guide that can make your journey considerably easier

One of the fundamental principles of Occupational Therapy is that engaging in purposeful activity improves both physical and mental health. But have you ever considered why? And what makes one activity purposeful, and another not?

I've asked a number of therapists this question and very few (if any) could come up with a clear answer. Just last week a friend/OT replied, "that's a really difficult question!"

As David Foster Wallace beautifully illustrates in this related video, the answer to is so obvious that it is difficult to see.

When we dig a little bit deeper, what becomes apparent (as Eckhart Tolle teaches) is that the most satisfying element of any purposeful activity is our attention to the present moment, NOT the activity  itself.  Being focused isn’t just psychologically enjoyable – it’s been scientifically proven to create healthier brain activity.

This is why activities we typically enjoy aren't satisfying when distracted. Consider these examples.

• How meaningful is a nice warm shower when you're thinking about your long "To Do" list?
• How satisfying is cleaning the house when you just can't wait to be finished?
• How fulfilling is your job when you're counting the minutes to the end of the day?

Again, this is so "obvious," right?

But what isn't so obvious are the infinite ways in which we distract ourselves from the present moment. In fact, it takes a great deal of courage and vulnerability to admit just how "all over the place" we can be at times. I heard a statistic that goldfish have one second more attention span than human-beings. Truly, we are living in a culture of ADD.

It’s no wonder we are living in an epidemic of stress – we have become addicted to splitting our attention. Perhaps the most common example is mindlessly browsing through the phone while in “conversation” with someone in person.

The secret ingredient in "occupation" is focus. Anything we do, while unfocused, is essentially mundane, meaningless. On the other hand, even the most seemingly "mundane" activities like washing our hands or brushing our teeth become incredibly meaningful, purposeful, when we are truly focused.

People often mistake Mindfulness as "alternative." Given this understanding, nothing could be further from the truth.

By incorporating mindfulness (which improves self-awareness and attention), we are addressing the core what makes healthcare effective. We are also teaching our clients to find incredible purpose in the seemingly most ordinary moments of life.

While there are infinite ways to incorporate mindfulness into your practice, if you'd like a little support, check out Mindful Healthcare. It is a practical guide that summarizes the evidence supporting the use of mindfulness and offers twenty simple but powerful exercises help you get started.

This simple but powerful video demonstrates how you can easily begin to experience the benefits of mindfulness. It includes a brief exercise to help you tap into what mindfulness is really about. Please check it out, leave a comment, and share with others.

My friend and writing partner (Jennifer Llado, SLP) and I would like to welcome you to our new blog (and soon to be released book) – Mindful Healthcare. 
 
Our intention is to inspire other healthcare professionals (and to constantly remind ourselves) to explore the personal and professional benefits of mindfulness.
 
So, what exactly is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a 2,600-year-old Buddhist tradition that is becoming increasingly popular for good reason.  It has been shown to offer profound physical, mental, and emotional healing benefits, all of which lead to improved personal and professional outcomes. 

For the purpose of this blog (current and future), we are going to use mindfulness and meditation somewhat interchangeably (and together at times). They are not exactly the same thing but they go hand-in-hand, as they both involve observing your thoughts (like watching a ticker on a TV screen), and more importantly becoming aware of and sensing the space or energy that exists behind the thinking brain.

Despite the extensive research, the notion of mindfulness is grossly misunderstood and is often considered to be “alternative," when it is arguably the most essential component to both physical and mental wellness.

Instead of thinking of mindfulness as a technique, we would encourage you to think of it as simply paying attention and being aware of the present moment. It is foundation of being “in the zone” where we feel and perform at our best. What could possibly be more important?

Understanding the science can facilitate the process of letting go and tuning into what the idea of mindfulness is really about: tapping into the energy or space in which all things exist.

In his book You are the Placebo, Dr. Joe Dispenza explains that everything physical is made of atoms.  Yet atoms are 99.999% empty space, or energy.  So, if we are not paying attention to the space, we are literally missing out on 99.999% of reality, while simultaneously creating unhealthier brain activity. 

On the contrary, The Open Focus Brain illustrates how paying attention to “space” or “no-thing’ (another way of saying energy) results in more coherent, organized brain activity. In a nutshell, it keeps our energy more balanced, which is the foundation for health on all levels.

Being mindful is important in all areas of life, but perhaps even more so in healthcare because of its profound healing benefits. Yet, the stigma and or lack of understanding continue to make it appear “alternative,” when in reality mindfulness (which improves focus and energy balance) is the foundation for quality healthcare.

We are committed to providing regular blog entries, videos, and practical tips to help spread the word that there is absolutely nothing “alternative” about mindfulness – it is perhaps the most underutilized “technique” in the world. Please join us in becoming self-aware, visionary leaders by making Mindful Healthcare an integral part of your practice.

 People ask me, "Why do you want to work with new healthcare professionals?"

The answer is simple. I care about the quality of care in our healthcare system, and that is dependent on your success. But I'd like to be clear about how I define "success."

I don't mean just passing, and I also don't mean getting the highest possible grades. I've known many overachieving healthcare professionals who "succeed" on an external level, but who live in an almost constant state of stress.

Is that success? In my experience, it is not. Even worse, it can become like a drug. The classic overachiever syndrome where no amount of "success" is ever satisfying. 

I love asking students this question, "How many of your classmates are emotionally balanced?" They typically laugh as they say, "not many!" 

It is amusing in a way, but it's also downright scary. It's the elephant in the room of healthcare that hardly anyone wants to talk about.

We are supposed to be "the experts," right? 

How can we, as healthcare professionals, inspire wellness in others from a place of imbalance?

How can we expect the people we serve to make healthy lifestyle changes when we are not equally committed?

After working in healthcare for nearly 20 years, I can say that lack of role modeling is a significant issue. I've experienced (in myself and others) the detrimental impact that stress and lack of self-care has on the quality of care in our healthcare system.

I'll be honest. I used to be a huge part of the problem. I was almost always stressed. Even though I generally provided a decent quality of care, I was never happy. And I didn't realize how much more of an impact I could have (and how much better I'd feel) by learning how to take better care of myself.

I've since learned that self-care is foundation for quality healthcare and Clinical Success which I define as...

Clinical success means completing the requirements in an emotionally balanced state, while feeling great about yourself and about the difference you are making in the lives of the people you serve.

Success without a sense of inner peace and balance is NOT SUCCESS.

It is my sincere intention to support you in recognizing this truth within yourself, and for you to experience Clinical Success at a level you didn't even know existed.

Please leave a comment and get involved in this ongoing conversation about how we can all support one another in improving the quality of our healthcare system.