It was in 1996 in Atlanta that I heard Donny Epstein speak for the first time. I was a chiropractic student at the time, about halfway through my schooling. It was one of those moments when everything suddenly made sense, and I had the feeling that this was the work I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Last weekend, I attended a Network Spinal workshop where practitioners came together to practice and refine their skills. Once again, I had the opportunity to feel how much this work lights me up. What stood out to me this time was how I arrived at that feeling — by observing myself in the experience more as a participant than as the “puppet master.”
It may seem unremarkable to say that when you change your perspective, the situation — and how you feel about it — changes as well. Sometimes a friend, family member, or outside influence helps us realize there is another way to look at a problem. But we can also find an internal way to shift how we perceive life. And that begins by changing the way we pay attention.
How Do We Pay Attention?
Paying attention isn’t just about how well we can focus. Focus is certainly part of it, but it’s not the whole picture. The ability to zoom in and zoom out matters too. When we zoom in, we notice fine details. When we zoom out, we can see the “forest for the trees.” We begin to notice patterns, relationships, and sometimes even ourselves within the frame.
The more we can hold both the details and the bigger picture in focus, the more information we have available to create an accurate picture of reality. In photography, the amount of an image that remains in focus is called depth of field. When we feel overwhelmed or stressed, our depth of field becomes limited. We have less clear information to work with, which can leave us feeling lost, uncertain, confused, or hypervigilant.
When the nervous system is in a more regulated and optimal state, more of what we see comes into focus. We’re able to pay attention more effectively — both to the details and to the larger context of our lives. So when you consider what lights you up, you don’t necessarily need to look outside yourself for a new hobby, achievement, or relationship. Start by paying attention differently.
As your perception becomes clearer, you may begin to appreciate your life and relationships in ways you hadn’t before. You may also start to see more clearly what needs to change in order to experience greater joy, meaning, and progress. Finding what lights you up begins with adjusting the aperture of your own internal camera: your nervous system.
NeuroSpinal Optimization helps your nervous system learn to pay attention differently. Through gentle touch, the system begins to adjust the “aperture” through which you experience life — influencing what you feel, what you perceive, and how much information you can integrate in order to create a clearer, more accurate picture of your reality.