Using both hemispheres of our brain

A few days ago I met with an amazing local artist and author, Lynn Tuft.  We sat in her charming cottage at the top of a hill that overlooked other rolling mounds of majestic greens.  The sky was a clear, piercing blue.  We talked about her work with youth in Napa...how she has found ways to tap into their creativity through multiple approaches.

Lynn reminded me of the power of journaling with our non-dominant hand.  Writing questions with our dominant hand and answering with our non-dominant hand can result in an amazing and often surprising dialog.

I recalled the research that shows that when our dominant hand is used only one hemisphere of our brain is utilized whereas writing with our non-dominant hand activates both hemispheres.  The answers we write to our own questions may not even sound like us yet they are indeed coming from us, they're just originating in a part of the brain that may not be activated all that often.

I know that this is a technique used by many in the eating disorder field as a way to help clients reconnect the body with the mind.  It occurs to me that it may be just as helpful for we parents to use when exploring all that becomes activated within us when our child suffers with an eating disorder.  Imagine the possible learnings that may come by doing the following exercise:

Find a time and place when there are no distractions (if this is difficult, that's another issue all together--we need to make space in our lives for us). After sitting comfortably in a chair and breathing deeply a number of times for grounding and to become awake and aware to the present moment  write the following questions with the dominant hand and then answer each with the non-dominant hand: 

• What are the ways my body needs me to take care of it?
• In what ways does how I feel about MY body get reflected in how I treat my child(ren) or others?
• What thoughts went into choosing what I'd wear today?
• What do I feel when I'm fixing dinner for the family?

If these questions do not resonate, just sit with a pen in hand and see what arises. It may be that we just begin writing with our non-dominant hand--with no questions in mind whatsoever. Allowing this hand to speak for us may be all that we need.  If we find ourselves hesitant to begin or exclaiming, "I can't write with my non-dominant hand!" let's relax with that notion, knowing that our brains tend to fight what isn't routine.  If we have the courage to override this resistance we may be surprised at what  we discover.  Lynn's students are always surprised.

Blessings until next time,

Doris

Comments

[kdmar]

Hi, I need help - Christmas eve - a year ago I found out my daughter of 29 was a bulmic for 5 yrs. She was getting married March 08 and she agreed to go into out patient theaphy and get some medication - she was rail thin - and in denial - she had kicked a drug habit after college.
She got married and seemed to be doing well and put on weight. She stopped her outpatient treatment because she got a new job and it did not cover that treatment. Now she has relapsed.
I am beside myself and do not know what to do or what to suggest - she hides it and is ashamed ... give me some sense of what to do next -