I was always into mediation. You can’t read about the daily routines of high achievers without hearing about it. Great minds, it seems, know how to disconnect themselves from the material world and connect to the unified “field”. So, naturally, how could we not make time to meditate? 

Something tells me that this will be the first of many posts I write about Dr. Joe Dispenza. Dr. Joe (as his devotees call him) is a Doctor of Chiropractic with post graduate training in neuroscience and neuroplasticity among other sciences. He’s become very famous for his ability to “demystify the mystical”. Dr. Joe famously healed himself by reconstructing his spine with his mind after a horrific cycling accident almost ended his life. He devoted his life to mind/body medicine and works as a researcher, lecturer and author.

I began using his mediations a little over 2 years ago, and I know they were a big part (if not the biggest) part of my healing. Dr. Joe teaches you how to completely disconnect from the feeling world of material form and put your awareness on the space around you, the “nothingness” or field containing only energy and possibility. Stay with me.

CONSTRUCTING A NEW MIND

When you first begin training with Dr. Joe, you’re taking in all kinds of new information. You learn the science and rehearse it intellectually. To have found Dr. Joe, you were likely looking for something different; something better from what you’re currently living. You soon realize, through the work, that the reason the circumstances in our lives don’t change is because we have the same thoughts, which produce the same feelings, which cause the same emotions which bring us more of the same experiences. So how do we change our personal reality? Dr. Joe teaches that we must change our personality. It’s easy at this point to “try” to do it right. We want to feel that mystical experience and are looking for proof that it’s working. The only problem is that the universe is creative and abundant. Our “seeking” implies that we are looking for something that’s missing, which separates us from the field of possibility, which is everything, everywhere all at once. (Yes, the movie deals with this exact subject matter.) 

Once we decide to make new choices, we practice them both mentally and physically. We all know how athletes use visualization to mentally rehearse plays, or shoot basketballs, or hit golf balls. Think of doing this with your life. To put this into context for us, imagine the perfect day. What would you do? What would you say? How would you show up? We become aware of the negative patterns (like grabbing the bag of chips, reacting to our children, telling ourselves we’re stupid etc.) and consciously stop them in their tracks. Every time we self-correct, we change the circuitry in our brains. Our new choices bring about new experiences.

With practice, we start seeing consistent outcomes. We can transform any negative experience. We have composure and grace and are unphased by what life throws at us. Not a bad way to live right? At this stage, we’re the type of person who puts themselves into challenging situations because we see the potential in them. We thrive in the “unknown”.

IS THERE MORE?

I don’t know any single parent who doesn’t ask “Is there more?”  Our paths aren’t easy ones, and it’s so easy to get caught in the stress of the past, feel the same feelings, and create the realities we’re running from. It’s easy to seek the predictable. I challenge you to become more curious about what can be. If you were to evolve your experience of life, what would that look like? Most importantly, how would it feel?

I imagined having so much money that I could support every single parent who’s ever experienced hopelessness and needed support. I visualized travelling around the world with my child. I felt the spray of the ocean water on my skin, the warm sun and silk sheets on my skin as I woke up in my California king bed. I felt the emotion as I stared at the beautiful art on my walls. My heart was completely open. I sank into the darkness (or void as Dr. Joe calls it) and experienced the life I created with my mind. Do this enough, and you start to see these experiences show up. 

LIFE CHANGES WHEN WE CHANGE

Life doesn’t change until we change. Meditation is the tool we use to evolve our minds. Once we upgrade our thoughts, our lives upgrade as a biproduct. How can you not find time for this? 

I think of my mind as the artist and my brain and body the works of art. I choose to take time to get out of my hectic world for 30 minutes (90 minutes when things get insane and I’m having difficulty) and connect to the world of possibility. I’m training my mind to physically change my brain. My nerves calms down, I feel love in my heart and excitement for the life I’m creating. I’ve experienced so many changes since starting this work. When I get up from my meditation, I am so in love with life that no matter what happens in my day, I have no doubt that my reactions to these events will guide me into the future that I’ve rehearsed in my head repeatedly.