How our Quality of Life is Determined

     "People are not simply in or out of trance, but are constantly moving from one trance to another. We have our work trances, our relationship trances, and our parenting trances."
       Bandler R. Richard Bandler's Guide to Trance-formation: How to Harness the Power of Hypnosis to Ignite Effortless and Lasting Change. HCI, 2008.

     "studies on attentiveness show that people are only briefly & unpredictably attentive. Attention habitually diverts to unrelated thoughts & feelings, leaving any task at hand to be managed 'on autopilot.' These studies suggest that mindlessness ('mind wandering,' 'zoning out,' 'task-unrelated thought') is 'one of the most ubiquitous &  pervasive of all cognitive phenomena' and that it often occurs unintentionally, without awareness, occupies a substantial proportion of our day, and leads to failures in task performance."        Lovas JG, Lovas DA, Lovas PM. Mindfulness and Professionalism in Dentistry. J Dent Educ 2008; 72(9): 998-1009.

     IF we were aware of how mindless we are, who would accept this as a desirable way of living? BUT most of us are not aware of how mindless we are, nor its impact on our quality of life. 
ALSO, most of us hold the mistaken belief that our own attention is completely beyond our control.
     The focus of our attention can be compared to where a spotlight shines - we perceive whatever it illuminates. This spotlight is on a swivel, so it can point in any direction. Various conditions (wind, rains, earthquakes) move the spotlight around randomly - this is default mindlessness or autopilot - the product of an untrained mind. Most people deeply believe that this is simply how their mind works, it's how they were born (true), and how they will die (sadly true, though it doesn't have to be this way).
     We can all learn to hold the spotlight, and steadily direct its beam wherever, whenever we want. I myself choose, moment-to-moment, whether my awareness is in or out of my direct control. This is basic mindfulness training, which like any other training, depends entirely on practice (& proper instruction).
     How does one's focus of attention relate to one's quality of life? One's level of consciousness - which includes the capacity to intentionally direct one's awareness - is directly proportional to one's quality of life. Most of today's dire global problems are due to human beings behaving way below their current potential level of consciousness ie from brain-stem reactivity, instead of prefrontal cortex wise judgment.

      “No problem can be solved from the same consciousness that created it.” Albert Einstein 

      Mindfulness practice stabilizes attention & promotes normal psychosocial maturation - evolution of consciousness - towards greater empathic connection with others & environment. Mindfulness is increasingly being taught at the post-secondary level, in medicine, dentistry, dental hygiene, nursing, chiropractic, veterinary medicine, design / architecture, music, business, law, liberal arts, etc.          Lovas JG, Lovas DA, Lovas PM. Mindfulness and professionalism in dentistry. J Dent Educ 2008; 72(9): 998-1009.

 

In Kentville, Nova Scotia