Viktor Frankl’s story is inspiring not only because he survived the death camp that he was in during the Second World War; His story is inspiring also because he was able to rise above it all and to create new meaning for himself. After being released, he went on to develop and teach a line of psychotherapy called Logotherapy, teaching others how to make more meaning in their lives despite their circumstances.
As utterly horrific the practices of the Nazi’s were during the war, Frankl has helped us see, by example, the other side of what we’re capable of as human beings, rising above his circumstances and living a rewarding and fruitful life after his time spent incarcerated.
Making meaning out of something is about HOW we think about something, HOW we frame it, HOW we respond to it and HOW we move forward in our lives. We get to choose HOW we make meaning.
There is something that impacts our ability to create meaning and that is the level of energy we have available at any given moment. I believe Frankl found energy in his essence or spirit and his humanity.
Energy and meaning are inextricably linked, one helping to boost the other. Often times when we feel that we don’t have the energy, it’s because of the meaning that we’re living our lives through. For example, the media has an impact on the meaning that we make. The media may be reporting on “the news”, meanwhile the subtext is “you should be very afraid and we’re the only ones who can help guide you through these uncertain times”. It’s a disempowering message because it creates a dependency and it makes us feel fearful and like we’re “less than”.
The method they use is neurological in nature. In social media companies, it’s called the race to the bottom of the brainstem. Media companies are looking for more impactful ways of making you feel fearful in order to harvest your attention.
The outcome of this method is similar to when your smart phone’s battery is running out of juice, your phone will notify you and it will give you the choice of switching to “low power mode”. In low power mode, the phone reduces energy usage in order to extend battery life. It’s the same with the nervous system. When we switch to low power mode/survival, our energy is reduced in order to save “our battery” from depleting itself (burn out).
In low power mode in our phones, the screen becomes less bright, some apps stop working, in general the phone becomes less vital. The same happens with us. When we’re in low power mode, we have less energy available and we’re more likely to act out of fear than love.
At the Happy Spine, we focus on NeuroSpinal Optimization to help your nervous system switch out of low power mode so that you can heal and become more resilient to your environment. By resilient I don’t just mean the ability to bounce back.
Once you’re out of survival a.k.a. low power mode, resilience is also the ability to tolerate discomfort whether it’s physical, emotional or mental discomfort. Resilience can be challenging your body physically, such as working out or stretching out of your comfort zone. Resilience can be emotional where you’re more allowing yourself to express emotions whether it’s convenient or not. And resilience can be mental where we can bear the cognitive dissonance of someone who has differing opinions to you and you still can respect and love them.
Overall resilience is our capacity to stay connected rather than disconnecting from our feelings, emotions and thoughts. Resilience leads to more strength to overcome the pressures in our environment and to create and maintain a greater meaning to our lives.
In March and April, there are two events at the Happy Spine to help you increase your level of resilience: A Complimentary Breathwork Workshop (March 21) and the Align Adventure (April 25/26). For more information or to register for the Complimentary Breathwork class, contact Ceci frontdesk@thehappyspine.ca. For more information or to register for the Align Adventure, visit www.theAlignAdventure.com.