invisible mockingbird

"Today we're going to learn how to notice," I said. "Today we’re going to practice noticing.” Then I stopped talking and we started practicing noticing right away. Since you can't practice noticing with nothing, I made a pot of coconut tea, and we used it as our something-to-practice-noticing-with. 

peacefulness takes practice

photo: jetheriot

what's a prescription?

Today when we hear the word PRESCRIPTION we automatically think of a prescription for medication, but doctors can prescribe other things as well.

app description

I have a friend who would rather do just about anything besides meditate. She says she tried it once and it made her want to pull all her hair out and run screaming down the hallway. Maybe you can relate. Or maybe you have a short attention span, and the thought of sitting still for more than a few minutes intimidates you. As a brain injury doctor I treat a lot of patients with short attention spans and profound memory impairments. The truth is, meditation isn’t for everyone. Maybe it isn’t for you. That’s why I made this app.

doctor tea

The moment the woman who savored birdsong was wheeled into the classroom she asked me if we were going to be listening to birds again. It had been three weeks since we’d listened to my mockingbird and bluejay recordings, and the experience had clearly stuck with her, because from that point forward every time I saw her she greeted me with a plea for more birdsong. Last Thursday was no exception.

the woman who swayed to music

Last year I treated a woman who was in a minimally conscious state. This is what it's called when a brain has been so severely injured that it's hard to get more than primitive reflex responses from that person, and that person is able to perform only very basic behaviors, like reaching for an object that's wiggled in front of the face.

peacefulness isn't a lozenge

I was lining up groceries on the conveyor belt when some candy on the rack caught my eye. STRESS LOZENGES — 30 PER BOX. I had to chuckle. Peacefulness isn’t a lozenge. Peacefulness isn’t something you buy in a box and swallow. It’s something you do, a little bit every day, over and over and over until it becomes a habit. In other words, peacefulness is something you practice. That’s where I come in.