The Business of the Brain and Visual Acuity: Do You Have Questions?
Brain health coaching and vision exercises essay.
There are some interesting organizational dynamics based on our brain and nervous system function that are currently being applied by David Rock and his coaching staff to work environments and businesses. It can also be applied with positive outcomes to your physical health and eyesight.
David Rock has written several fascinating books on how our brains either support us to think clearly and have insights or work against our decision making process. He has developed the field of Neuroleadership, an emerging field of study focused on bringing neuroscientific knowledge into the areas of leadership development, management training, change management, education, consulting and coaching.
While David Rock doesn’t apply his work to physical health. Many of his ideas on interpersonal relationships and productivity can be applied to the community of cells that contribute to your health. For example, used by David Rock at the Neuroleadership Institute, The SCARF model involves five domains of human social experience: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness & Respect, and Fairness.
Think about an area of your body, which you wish functioned better, was more productive, more efficient, or which supported you to be better able to accomplish your purpose in life.
Now consider these questions. You don’t need to find all the answers completely for this exercise to have benefit. Just asking the question can have a positive impact because if directs your attention to the areas and through biofeedback mechanisms can improve blood flow and nervous system connection to the area. You can also put one of your hands on the area to further draw your attention to it.
Fill in the blank……..
What is the status of ______________ in my body as a whole? What can be done to increase the status or how that area feels?
For example, What is the status of the liver in my body? Consider for a moment what is status in a physical sense. Someone with higher status often has more resources available. So consider what does the liver need in terms of resources. One thing is blood flow carrying nutrient, especially proteins. So eating better quality protein can increase the status of the liver. Also in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the liver is associated with anger issues. So finding ways to address anger in productive ways increases the status of the liver. Both of these things also increase over all health in the body. In acupuncture the liver meridian, an energetic flow of information, is associated with the eyes and eye health. Is your vision for your business and life being filtered through an angry liver or one with high status?
How does certainty or uncertainty in my life affect ___?
For example, how does certainty in my life affect my knees? One way to increase certainty for your knees is to always walk on even, level surfaces. That way your knees and legs can be more certain about how they should move and balance. A surprise, an unexpected curb or crack in the sidewalk can throw your balance off and cause a fall. On the other hand a life with no variability is well ….. boring. A different way to increase certainty is to increase the amount of incoming information on which our balance is predicated.
If my eyes are good and I can see the curb, then my knees will know how to deal with it, how to adapts or adjust so that my walking is smooth. Wearing shoes that are comfortable and also allow for more information to travel from the point of contact with the ground up to my brain and balance centers also allows me to adjust appropriately as I walk into a hotel ballroom to talk about the importance of vision.
Can ______________ do its job in my body in an autonomous way and is it properly supported?
For example, Can the lungs do their job in an autonomous way? Obviously, the lungs are surrounded by the rib cage and the neck and shoulder above and the diaphragm below. Compression from any of these areas makes it harder for the lungs to do their job. Also if the liver is adhered (due to trauma or inflammation) to the diaphragm, then every time the diaphragm contracts and relaxes it has to drag the liver along for the ride. Hands-on Myofascial Release by a massage therapists or physical therapist to release restrictions can ensure the autonomy of the lungs. Breathing exercises can also help support lung function as can dealing with the emotions of grief and sadness, often associated in acupuncture with the lungs.
How is ______________ related to its neighbors, blood flow in the body, or nutrient flow through the physical self?
For example, How is the sacrum related to its neighbors, which include the lumbar spine, hips, colon, uterus / prostate, bladder, etc? Our center of gravity is at the sacrum. It is also the end of the digestive system and the renal (kidney & bladder) system and intimately involved with our reproductive system. The sacrum is the interface between the spine and the legs and between the right and left side of the body. Consider how exercise, eating with intention, or healthy sexual relationships can improve the relationship of the sacrum to the surrounding areas. In an energy medicine approach using chakras, the sacral area is also an area of creativity, of physically manifesting a brain generated ideas into reality.
Entrepreneurial expert, Brendon Burchard and psychiatrist, Daniel Amen talk about using the mind to heal the brain. Neuroscience research connects the frontal lobe (your cognitive and voluntary movement center) with creativity and caring. These three can form a triangle of influence. Improving your creativity stimulates cognitive function and your ability to care about the world around you. Doing things to improve your cognitive ability also contributes to a more creative and caring expression.
How do I show respect for ________ ? Is it fair how this area is treated?
For example, How do I show respect for my heart? Dietary and exercise choices certainly influence how fairly or respectfully the heart is being treated. Doing the things you feel passionate about, the things that call to you and bring you joy (the emotion most associated with the heart) also influence heart health and how each cell in the heart interacts with each other heart cell and with the whole community of cells that make up your body.
An Exercise Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness in Our Body
Think about an area of your body, which you wish functioned better. More information on the SCARF model can be found at Your Brain At Work .com.
Now consider these questions. You don’t need to find all the answers completely for this exercise to have benefit. Just asking the question can have a positive impact because it directs your attention to the areas and through biofeedback mechanisms can improve blood flow and nervous system connection to the area. You can also put one of your hands on the area to further connect with it and draw your attention to it. You can choose to fill in the blank with the eyes, as in What is the status of the eyes? Or with an area of your body experiencing pain or symptoms. Or you can apply this model to your employees and business.
1. What is the status of ______________ in my body as a whole? What can be done to increase the status or how that area feels?
2. How does certainty or uncertainty in my life affect ___?
3. Can ______________ do its job in my body in an autonomous way and is it properly supported?
4. How is ______________ are related to it surrounding neighbors, blood flow in the body, nutrient flow in the body?
5. How do I show respect for __________ of my body? Is it fair how this area is treated?
