Finding Refuge

Satellite image of Hurricane Rita - NOAA

          Before the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, people noticed elephants fleeing to higher ground. Do animals have a sixth sense about natural disasters that cause them to instinctively seek refuge? Scientists speculate the answer is likely that animals can simply use their keen senses more efficiently than humans. Infrasound waves that are too low for people to hear can be picked up by animals. They can also feel the subtle primary wave that occurs before the much larger (and easily felt) secondary wave in earthquakes. Sharks, being highly attuned to changes in air and hydrostatic pressure, have been observed swimming to deeper waters in other areas before a hurricane arrives. In Italy, stress at fault lines caused positive charges that triggered chemical changes in groundwater. Toads suddenly left a breeding pond days before a major earthquake there. Animals are in tune with their environment and pay close attention to what is happening in it, which allows them to find safety when possible.

          Humans can cultivate attention, understanding, and perspective in order to find their own refuge. This sanctuary space is known as equanimity, the ability to stay fully engaged with whatever is happening without getting caught up and thrown off balance. Buddhist psychology distinguishes between feelings and emotions. Primary feelings are a gut-level reaction to what we encounter: pleasant, neutral or painful. A feeling leads to an automatic emotional reaction, a natural part of our biological design. Yet we aren't simply passive recipients of our experience - we shape it with our thoughts. Mindfulness allows us to stay present with our feelings and with what is unfolding instead of getting lost in our stories. Without the filter of how we think things should be, we see with clarity what is happening. Rather than being tossed about in the waves of longing, we move to deeper waters and out of our habitual conditioning. Meditation can train us in awareness and attention, and acceptance can help us understand what we can and can't control. Then equanimity can provide us with the space to see from a larger perspective so that we can respond with wisdom and compassion.

For more information on equanimity, see this post.

Principles: Equanimity

The following cards (#13-30) are additional spiritual principles and practices that can be essential in recovery.

A mountain

          The human brain may be capable of many wonderful capabilities, but its primary task is to keep us alive and out of danger. When we experience the unexpected, the brain chemically creates an emotional response to convince the body to react. Yet fear (fleeing) or anger (fighting) isn’t the best option to deal with every situation. Rather than react, we can choose to stay grounded in the moment and respond with discernment. Equanimity is calm awareness even in the midst of an emotional surge. It isn’t indifference or inertia, but the ability to observe without being caught up and swept away. We can use that ‘rush’ we feel as a warning to pause; mindfulness is the key. Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor explained that an automatic emotional response will only last 90 seconds unless we fuel it with our thoughts. Those types of thoughts are generally about how this situation is going to affect us. If we let go of such self-identification with the event, we create a much larger space around the experience. We then simply note what is actually happening; a less narrow perspective gives us a wider view of possible choices. Then we are better able to respond skillfully and compassionately.

Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.

~ Viktor Frankl