Reply To: Private: How to rid yourself of a physical response pattern?

[Noa Kageyama]

Hi Emma, You’re on the right track – trying to focus on what it feels like to be more relaxed can help to a degree. There are two other parts to this that could help.

(1) Have you practiced the simulation/adversity training? Learning to use the adrenaline response, even in quiet passages can help prepare you for those moments. Where instead of feeling like you need to control what’s happening physically, it’s more of a letting go and freeing up of yourself. I know that probably sounds rather vague, but how has it gone when you’ve practiced letting go after some pushups or burpees? Have you been able to experience that feeling of letting go even when the voice in your head doesn’t trust it?

(2) Also, especially at these moments when our mind will go to thoughts that aren’t helpful, preparing a mental script in advance – something really compelling about the process of producing music at that moment, whether it’s singing in your head, feeling the pulse, shaping the line (things from the focus chapter) will be critical. The idea is we need to hijack your mind’s ability to think about or worry about the physical sensations and instead be 100% engaged in what you want to hear, create in the moment. Much like when meditating, we keep directing our thoughts to our breath, or something very small, instead of allowing it to go where it would otherwise go.

Does this make sense?