Many people at the moment are feeling their safety blanket pulled away from them with a jolt. Within days lives have been turned upside down. The mental stress triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic is causing illnesses not spoken about much in the public arena.
When you are under duress the body is flooded with stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. Blood vessels contract, your heartbeat starts racing, the body is pulled taught like a tightrope. The fear reaction in the brain’s amygdala is triggered even before you have time to process and think rationally.
Creativity and solutions come from a relaxed state of mind
In the fear and flight mode, you go into tunnel vision. The prefrontal cortex of the brain has no time to process what is happening. In a relaxation mode, the prefrontal cortex can, however, perform its executive function in differentiating between conflicting thoughts and determining future consequences of current activities on a rational level.
This is why creativity and solutions always come from within a natural flow of a relaxed mind and body. Mistakes and terrible decisions are made when we are in a hurry and under stress.
The fight or flight hormones have played an important role in helping us survive as a species. The problem is if you don’t find time to bring those stress hormones back to normal both your mental health and immune system are affected, opening the body to all sorts of infections.
Transmuting trauma with ritual
Our forbears were well aware of the importance of ritual in transmuting trauma and stress e.g. in all-night ecstatic dancing, singing and drumming sessions – long walks in nature. Animals still have the mechanism intact. A herd of antelope will run apparently haphazardly in all directions after a kill by a predator. Their bodies shiver and shake, but minutes later while the lions are feasting, the rest of the herd resumes grazing as if nothing has happened.
The ancient languages of Sanskrit, Aramaic, and Latin are particularly powerful in their healing vibrational energy. This is why the old Latin hymns and Buddhist mantras are so effective.
Photo by frank mckenna on Unsplash
Change has a deeper meaning
Humming the mantra oma mani padme hum is the practicing of a path of indivisible union of method and wisdom, transforming impure thoughts and tension. In the original Aramaic language, spoken by Jesus, the biblical third Beatitude: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” takes on an entirely new meaning. “Tubwehun I’ makiche d’hinnon nertun arha,” roughly translates to:
“Renewal to those in emotional turmoil and blessed are those who can soften that which has hardened in their bodies.”
When we take the perspective that change is at the same time evolution it is easier to deal with the challenges of our time. If you bend your body with the force of the wind you can stand upright when the wind has subsided. It is one of the laws of nature that you can only survive as a species if you adapt, change and realign with changed external circumstances not under your control. This is not a time to procrastinate in the sadness over that which is no more. Perception creates your reality.
We live in a world of polarity with a constant tug between the forces of yin and yang. In the acceptance of these ups and downs and the impermanence of all things, inner solitude and peace are found.
Reino Gevers – Author, Mentor, and Consultant
