My June Masterclass explored the science, psychology, social context, and embodied experience of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). As an adult with ADHD, I contend with the myriad difficulties and the superpowers of ADHD. I’ve tried countless interventions over the years, with varying degrees of effectiveness.
This is so interesting, Bo. While I don't identify myself as having ADHD, your description of the difficulty of restarting a task and of needing to be in the same physical location to remember something sounds exactly like me. I've always assumed that I needed big blocks of time to dive deep into a task, although now that I think about it, I often feel like I'm making the most progress right at the end of my time.
I do a lot of embodiment work and I like the idea of recording my sensations at the end of the day. Such an interesting idea. However, I'm afraid that my written descriptions might feel hollow when I read them in the morning. From the top of my head, I'm wondering how I could "record" my sensations through movement instead of words. I'm curious that if I expressed those sensations with movement, I might be able to return to the "deeper chili" easier.
I'll have to give both a try--writing and moving. But in either case, you've given me some interesting clues about how I can return to my tasks more easily. Thank you!
Yes- I often have to remind myself that interoception and other aspects of embodiment also include cognition, and meta-awareness, and the way we conceptualize our body experience. (If I don't, I often place them in opposition, or in a false binary.) For me personally, the sensory breadcrumbs aren't well-written or reflected upon. They're touchstones for a strong sensory experience. Often, they help cement that experience into my sensory memory. For me, it's so effective that sometimes upon awakening, I feel them bubble up again and they're ready for me to work off. Of course, though, any and all experiments are encouraged, "pure" sensory included!
Thank you so much, Bo! I have ADHD too and have many of these struggles. Question: do you actually SMELL the chili string? or do you use scent to help orient you? I have learned that my brain loves the smell of lemon, and that just smelling lemon oil, soap, or actual lemon helps to wake up my brain. I feel a sense of spaciousness and calm, alert energy - which is a good work cue for me. Yet of course, my fancy brain & body like to surprise me so who knows what I'll need later today! I will meditate and practice your suggestions - I most definitely need all the help I can get, and I too have mountains of colored sticky notes that do not work in the same way anymore. Sigh. Thank you thank you - please keep writing - you help me so much! Love, K
Hi Kirsten! It's great to hear your e-voice! I hope that you, Eleanor, and David are doing well and that restorative yoga still manages to make its way in to their lives. (Please forgive me if my brain somehow misremembered their names.) So, to answer your thoughtful inquiry: I personally don't smell the chili string, but smell is a super evocative sense and very connected to motivation and emotion and therefore, to interoception. There is a cool doc I met way back when I was in Chicago, Dr. Alan Hirsch, whose work has been groundbreaking in the area of smell. The website is: http://www.smellandtaste.org/. You might also appreciate this article on the intersection between mindfulness, interoception, and olfaction: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760383/. Smell is actually part of exteroception (our "outer" senses) but I don't think they're as dissociable as they might seem, so this could be a cool research project for you. (I personally don't use scent as much, but I can easily feel myself touching the chilis, and my fingers know how they feel on their exteriors, and the experience of the seeds, etc... because I'm very haptics- (touch-) oriented. Sending you love and care. :)
This is so interesting, Bo. While I don't identify myself as having ADHD, your description of the difficulty of restarting a task and of needing to be in the same physical location to remember something sounds exactly like me. I've always assumed that I needed big blocks of time to dive deep into a task, although now that I think about it, I often feel like I'm making the most progress right at the end of my time.
I do a lot of embodiment work and I like the idea of recording my sensations at the end of the day. Such an interesting idea. However, I'm afraid that my written descriptions might feel hollow when I read them in the morning. From the top of my head, I'm wondering how I could "record" my sensations through movement instead of words. I'm curious that if I expressed those sensations with movement, I might be able to return to the "deeper chili" easier.
I'll have to give both a try--writing and moving. But in either case, you've given me some interesting clues about how I can return to my tasks more easily. Thank you!
Yes- I often have to remind myself that interoception and other aspects of embodiment also include cognition, and meta-awareness, and the way we conceptualize our body experience. (If I don't, I often place them in opposition, or in a false binary.) For me personally, the sensory breadcrumbs aren't well-written or reflected upon. They're touchstones for a strong sensory experience. Often, they help cement that experience into my sensory memory. For me, it's so effective that sometimes upon awakening, I feel them bubble up again and they're ready for me to work off. Of course, though, any and all experiments are encouraged, "pure" sensory included!
"If I don't, I often place them in opposition, or in a false binary." Thank you. Such a good point!
Thank you so much, Bo! I have ADHD too and have many of these struggles. Question: do you actually SMELL the chili string? or do you use scent to help orient you? I have learned that my brain loves the smell of lemon, and that just smelling lemon oil, soap, or actual lemon helps to wake up my brain. I feel a sense of spaciousness and calm, alert energy - which is a good work cue for me. Yet of course, my fancy brain & body like to surprise me so who knows what I'll need later today! I will meditate and practice your suggestions - I most definitely need all the help I can get, and I too have mountains of colored sticky notes that do not work in the same way anymore. Sigh. Thank you thank you - please keep writing - you help me so much! Love, K
Hi Kirsten! It's great to hear your e-voice! I hope that you, Eleanor, and David are doing well and that restorative yoga still manages to make its way in to their lives. (Please forgive me if my brain somehow misremembered their names.) So, to answer your thoughtful inquiry: I personally don't smell the chili string, but smell is a super evocative sense and very connected to motivation and emotion and therefore, to interoception. There is a cool doc I met way back when I was in Chicago, Dr. Alan Hirsch, whose work has been groundbreaking in the area of smell. The website is: http://www.smellandtaste.org/. You might also appreciate this article on the intersection between mindfulness, interoception, and olfaction: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7760383/. Smell is actually part of exteroception (our "outer" senses) but I don't think they're as dissociable as they might seem, so this could be a cool research project for you. (I personally don't use scent as much, but I can easily feel myself touching the chilis, and my fingers know how they feel on their exteriors, and the experience of the seeds, etc... because I'm very haptics- (touch-) oriented. Sending you love and care. :)