BloodMoon
Beloved Grand Eagle
I was struck by two stories that seem to illustrate an interesting idea for mind-body/TMS recovery: what if we don’t have to feel different before we can start acting differently?
In her book The Art of Effortless Living, Ingrid Bacci describes imagining herself as Audrey Hepburn — graceful, light and free in her movements. She essentially pretended to be someone who moved with that same grace and ease, rather than someone whose movements were governed by pain. Sometimes, after doing this, she found herself able to move without pain. She describes this approach as part of her journey towards overcoming her mind-body symptoms.
In the video (below), a neurologist describes overcoming his fear of flying. During turbulence, he would grip the armrests and tense up, despite telling himself logically that he was safe. Then he noticed how relaxed the other passengers seemed. So he decided to pretend he was one of those relaxed passengers: he took out his book, had a drink and stopped gripping the armrests. He was still anxious initially, but after a few minutes he found that his anxiety subsided. When the turbulence returned, he found he could remain calmer. He says he no longer has a fear of flying.
Timestamp around 18:49–22:17:
Both were pretending — but each was pretending something specific. Bacci imagined herself as a graceful, pain-free mover. The neurologist behaved as though he were a relaxed passenger who could tolerate turbulence. One adopted a different image of herself; the other practised the behaviour of someone who wasn't afraid. Neither waited to feel completely different before trying.
What if we don’t have to feel fearless to act like someone who is less or not afraid, or feel pain-free to begin moving like someone who trusts their body? Perhaps we can pretend first — and see whether the feelings follow.
In her book The Art of Effortless Living, Ingrid Bacci describes imagining herself as Audrey Hepburn — graceful, light and free in her movements. She essentially pretended to be someone who moved with that same grace and ease, rather than someone whose movements were governed by pain. Sometimes, after doing this, she found herself able to move without pain. She describes this approach as part of her journey towards overcoming her mind-body symptoms.
In the video (below), a neurologist describes overcoming his fear of flying. During turbulence, he would grip the armrests and tense up, despite telling himself logically that he was safe. Then he noticed how relaxed the other passengers seemed. So he decided to pretend he was one of those relaxed passengers: he took out his book, had a drink and stopped gripping the armrests. He was still anxious initially, but after a few minutes he found that his anxiety subsided. When the turbulence returned, he found he could remain calmer. He says he no longer has a fear of flying.
Timestamp around 18:49–22:17:
Both were pretending — but each was pretending something specific. Bacci imagined herself as a graceful, pain-free mover. The neurologist behaved as though he were a relaxed passenger who could tolerate turbulence. One adopted a different image of herself; the other practised the behaviour of someone who wasn't afraid. Neither waited to feel completely different before trying.
What if we don’t have to feel fearless to act like someone who is less or not afraid, or feel pain-free to begin moving like someone who trusts their body? Perhaps we can pretend first — and see whether the feelings follow.