Diagnosis

Walking for Diagnosis

In ART we walk to identify excess tension in our bodies.  Walking is simple.  Most people know how.  If walking is not possible for you, get as close to it as you can.  Imagine yourself walking.  Feel the muscles in your legs and arms.  Begin with only a few minutes a day but commit yourself to it.  Don’t miss a day unless the weather is very bad.  Find an alternative place that is sheltered such as a gym with a treadmill.  Do not go to the mall!

Take only a pen and paper with you that will fit in your pocket.  Zebra puts out a pen that telescopes.  When collapsed the pen is small enough to fit in any pocket.  They are available at Staples.  Also there are vertically lined index cards.  These are ideal for writing while you are walking.  They are an excellent way to record those inspirational thoughts you’ll be having at you walk.

You are walking not running.  You will not be overheating so dress according to the weather.  Shoes are important.  Find the best fitting shoes with low heels flexibility and stability.  Walking shoes usually have these characteristics but not necessary for the purpose of diagnosing.

Choose your trail carefully.  Pick a place that is removed from traffic and noise.  A cemetery, conservation land, a park or early in the morning on the sidewalks of your town are excellent places.  Don’t be concerned if your cemetery is small just walk the perimeter as many times as you want.  Repetition allows your mind to focus within easier.

Below are the steps to diagnosing through walking. 

1. Begin walking at least 5 minutes per day.  Commit to it.  Don’t miss a day because you are too busy, too tired, or it’s too cold (wet, snowy) out.  Our bodies like routine.  When we walk everyday, our bodies learn that this is quality time to be in touch with ourselves.
2. Your pace should be faster than a meander but slower than a purposeful walk.  This is not exercise.  You don’t need to break out in a sweat.  However, your pace will help you find the tension.
3. As you walk focus on different parts of your body:  feet, calves, knees, thighs, buttocks, hips, low back, abdomen, middle back, chest, upper back, shoulders, arms, hands, neck, jaw, face and eyes.  As you focus watch for tension.  When you find it, take a couple of deep breaths and exhale the tension.
4. Speed up your pace a little and check your body again for tension.  Continue to increase your pace until you find tension in an area that does not release through deep breathing.  Note that location on your new cards with your new pen.

Diagnosing with our Minds

Diagnosing with our minds requires that we assess our memory of events without judgment.  Alpha meditation allows us to reach a balanced level between our thoughts and our emotions.  It is the first step in Entering into the Silence.  No equipment, sounds or postures are necessary.

Alpha meditation is a technique to quiet our minds quickly and easily.  Our brain waves flow in four different patterns.  The first, beta, is conscious thought.  As we drift off to sleep, we pass through alpha and theta on our way to deep sleep or the delta pattern.  In the alpha state, we are conscious of the world around us but not disturbed by the intrusion.  Our mind is calm and we are able to maintain focus easily.

Below are the steps to entering into the alpha state. 

1. Sit comfortably in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.  Choose a location out of the major traffic patterns of your home.  Some like to create calmness with candles or incense.  These are not necessary but can be pleasant.
2. Gently close your eyes and take several deep breaths.
3. Envision the number 3 and breathe out any tension in your body.
4. Envision the number 2 and breathe out any thoughts.
5. Envision the number 1 and breathe out any remaining tension or thoughts.
6. Choose one Stepping Stone on the Pathway of Peace.  When you are in the alpha state, this can be done intuitively or you can toss a coin.  This represents your point of view. Now go directly across the wheel.  This represents the alternative point of view.  Finally go back one stepping stone.  This is where the energy has gotten stuck.  This is the stone you will use in your Energy Exercise

Diagnosis with Life Patterns

Our true feelings come to us through the information provided to us from our senses.  We sift through our previous experiences and try to find a match of sensory data to our present experience.  When there is a match, we know what emotion we are supposed to feel.

Our senses tell us about the texture of our world.  While western science limits us to 5 senses, the Seneca consider that there are 7:  hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, feeling and awareness.  With 7 senses we gain the confident expectation to move painful emotions such as fear.  Our feelings become one more sense providing information rather than a stopping further integration of emotions we can’t handle.

1. Go into the alpha state.
2. Focus on your current stuck emotion.  These are easily identified.  Review your relationships – family, friends or work.  Are there any places in your body where you feel a catch when you think of the person or a recent encounter?  This is a stuck emotion.
3. Name the emotion in a simple word or phrase.  This is a technique called Focusing.  For more information on this highly effective technique read Focusing by Eugene Gendlin.  Naming an emotion usually creates a change in the feeling.  Keep focusing on the emotion until you can identify a fear behind what you are feeling.
4. Write down the fear you have identified.