Welcome to The Magic Shop (The Human Connection of The Brain & The Heart)

 

Welcome to the Magic Shop! 💜

Credits: Dream.Imaginations

For the full experience of thought, I recommend listening to this song that inspired this post:

Spotify

Let's begin.

Dr. James R. Doty, MD, is a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University and the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE). He serves on a number of nonprofits, including the Charter for Compassion International and the Dalai Lama Foundation.

He wrote a wonderful book that changed the trajectory of my personal life during the COVID-19 pandemic that I highly recommend:

Medicine, simply put, is the balance between mind - body - spirit. They are not independent, but rather, connected. Balance is key. 

1. Master The Mind

Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon's Quest
 to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart

In a world where we are constantly bombarded with so much noise, online and offline, it is essential that we control our minds first and foremost. 

The no. 1 proven technique: Meditation 

"Meditation is a profound way to develop our ability to escape our fight-or-flight reflex and extend the pause between stimulus and response to act with intention rather than just react out of emotion."

From: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World  (Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

Photo by: Sage Friedman

When we begin our day with a quiet mind, we set the tone of how the day will go.  

 

We can simply meditate by telling ourselves these when we wake up:

1. Today may I be less judgmental and more open-minded.

2. Today let me treat the people close to me with kindness.

3. Today let me treat myself with kindness and grace, too.  

Be careful. When we think stress, we get stress. When we think agony, we get agony. When we think joy, we get joy.

"Joy, as the Archbishop said during the week, is much bigger than happiness. While happiness is often seen as being dependent on external circumstances, joy is not... We are fragile creatures, and it is from the weakness, not despite it, that we discover the possibility of true joy."

From: The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World (Dalai Lama & Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

When we think joy, our bodies follow. We naturally relax and our nervous system stabilizes. We are more aware of our breathing (Checkpoint: Take a deep breath now. Inhale, exhale), and we release tensions in our muscles: our forehead, jaw, neck, and shoulders most especially. 

2. Navigate with Your Heart

Now the individual is ok. The tricky part now is actually navigating the heart. 

Photo by: Aziz Acharki

As a medical student, studying the heart was challenging for me. I think the heart as an organ is the most selfish organ. It just keeps pumping, and when it seizes, so does the rest of the body. The opposite of which I enjoy is the endocrine system. Invisible hormones that send signals throughout the body to keep it going. 

Since I'm not an expert with the heart just yet, I would like to share the work of Dr. James R. Doty, MD from his book "Into The Magic Shop". 

For context, Ruth is the owner of the actual magic shop that Jim (main protagonist) was able to go to physically during his turbulent childhood.

Ruth is the representation of Jim's saving grace, and she was able to break down the "magic tricks" to help Jim live a better life:

My greatest wish will always be this:

May we live in a world where we are able to hold each other's hands the right way. Life is tough, but we don't need to be stuck in that. 

I hope you find your unconditional love,

Belle 💜