States and Stages

The inherent and intrinsic connection between thought and physiology imply that every state has a distinctive and unique pattern of itself, throughout the entire system.

Each thought and activity is associated with a specific ‘state’ exclusive to it. Each state is a specific neurological pattern throughout the entire system – body and mind.

These patterns, or states, are constantly configuring and reconfiguring in response to the environment and internal thoughts and feelings.

Any shift will create a new state: whether it is internally instigated or in response to external stimuli.

Therefore, if you are in a state you don’t like, as soon as you recognize it and even just tell yourself that you are in a bad state you have ALREADY changed it: instead of being fully immersed in internal feelings, you are commenting on it – this is internal dialogue rather than complete immersion in sensation, where you can spiral down. You are using a different area of your brain, which includes a new pattern throughout your system.

Once you start the shift, you are already un-stuck. Change leads to more change. It doesn’t matter what you change. You have freed yourself from the cage of unpleasant or negative feelings and thoughts allowing movement to a new direction.

In order to change our states and access thought and emotion, is by changing systemic patterns through the body. Having a solid surface, such as the floor or chair gives us feedback of areas we can shift, press, lighten or leave. The more places in the body we learn to bring into awareness, the more ‘points of access’ we can use to make a shift. Even a tiny tweak in physical position which creates an entire new pattern, which is by definition, associated to a different state.

The change can be very small: if you are engulfed by a negative feeling, you can transfer it into visual one merely by changing the position of your eyes, which facilitates creating a picture. Immediately the experience is shifted into a visual representation. The content of the picture is irrelevant: it can even be a representation of the bad feeling – but you are already in charge. You have elicited a new configuration throughout your system. From there you can make the picture black and white rather than colour, or make another picture. It doesn’t matter –you have created for yourself a new state throughout. You can breathe and move forward.

MBS thought & movement exercises use a big variety of movements as a means of learning how to identify patterns from within. The movements are intended to be performed in a ‘correct’ or specific way, they are intended for learning how to be aware of all personal resources and points of connection in order to gain mastery on thought and action.

Acquiring this information makes you aware of your patterns and provides access points into any states, empowering you to change it. It doesn’t need to apply to a specific state – you learn to be aware of yourself in whatever situation confronts you.

If you are in a panic and can’t breathe, to try and ‘relax’ or ‘breath’ only increases stress, unless you have tools and multiple points from which you can create a shift.

Gaining awareness of patterns is a practical tool-kit for making a change from anywhere in your system. Even the smallest shift in your body immediately forms a new pattern all over, enabling you to move toward mastery of your thoughts, feelings and behavior.