Peter Levine Meditation meets Rick Hanson's positive memories

An interesting experience the other day-

I have been having a relapse the past two weeks in my left hip that is finally starting to lift.

So I was lying down and I was thinking about a talk Forest linked to me by Rick Hanson. Hanson says in the talk that our brains are wired to remember negative things and circumstances as a means of survival. Therefore positive memories are like water flowing through the brain and are forgotten. Our brains through neuroplasticity are changing as our longevity is increasing and we can learn to actually store positive memories in our long term memory. We can do this by holding on and breathing in to a positive feeling for 15-30 seconds or more.

And so I tried that by thinking if a talk I had with a friend where I felt heard and like I was happy with him and I just kind of breathed it in.

I started to get a little blissed out. Then I remembered a meditation for pain I listened to by Peter Levine. In the meditation Levine suggests focusing on a part of your body that is not in pain- an eyelid, a finger- for me I decided to focus on my right hip instead of my left which hurt. I allowed myself to focus on the place that didn't hurt and then using Rick Hanson's technique I let myself really sink into that positive feeling for about a minute or two breathing into it. Trying to create a positive memory and a positive feeling in my body.

Dig?

Has anyone else tried anything similar?

LexyLucy

 

I see you wrote this a while back. I just did a search for Peter Levine, as I am taking a continuing education course with him - for the second time... and it is SO helpful!
I loved how you used Levine's technique along with Hanson's. I will seek out the link for Rick Hanson - perhaps on youtube? I haven't seen meditations by Levine, only professional presentations.
His concept of pendulation, of feeling pain or tension and then moving focus toward a place where we feel peaceful/restful has saved my butt and many others. From today's workshop, I took away that we are always in states of either contracting or expanding and we can be mindful as to which one we are heading toward.
Grateful. Thank you.
bg

 

Hi Lexy

Thanks for this. I’m always keen to get new meditation tips.

Rick Hanson is great - one thing he recommends which I try to do daily is, as he calls “marinade in a good memory”. It might be a simple smile from the barista while ordering morning coffee or a funny comment from a friend. He recommends to “marinade”, in that moment i.e. holding that moment for a minute or two. Doing this several times a day has been very powerful for me, and yet it’s such a simple exercise – far easier than meditating!

 

Great posts. Thank you all for the inspirations! It is helpful to remember to soak in the goodies when we get them, and to recall them, and taste them again later.