Tag Archives: hearing

The Miracle of Your 5 Senses And Other Sensitivities

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Everyday you wake up with the miracle of your 5 senses AND do not take these Lightly. Your 5 senses include the sensations: touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. Some would add your intuition and more about this later. Some of us have suffered the loss of one or more of these 5 senses and those of us who wake everyday to the use of these senses might not appreciate the miracle that these senses are or the difficulty dealing with your life should one or more of these senses become non-functioning. Recently, I have suffered the near complete loss of my hearing. Hopefully, this is not permanent, time will tell, but it has me appreciating the senses differently. Quite a learning experience.

Imagine if you could not see another sunset or the faces of your loved ones. How would you navigate or take in information if you woke up blind or severely visually impaired? Your world would be a different place and a struggle you might not understand or be able to adapt to. Your vision is a miracle which can not be fully explained in its chemistry or physiology. How does your eye turn sights into impulses which travel through nerves to be translated by parts of your brain? It is a miracle. You were born with this sense and, by the way, YOU are a MIRACLE!. We have all met visually impaired people, some blind since birth or from accidents or illness, and yet how many fully sighted people can fully appreciate the situation which would challenge us if we were blind (without visual ability?) Most people find this scary and anxiety producing to consider having to move through life with a severe visual impairment. Do NOT use this as an unconscious excuse to keep visually impaired people at a distance or totally out of your life! Your loss of this relationship will reflect on YOUR insecurity… (And, lessons can be learned from interactions with people who live with any of the handicaps which humans experience. Appreciation and gratitude could be at the top of your list in expanded awareness regarding the “what ifs” possible in your life.)

The loss of smell and taste might seem easier to deal with but consider the importance of smell and taste. These miracles help us know the world in different ways. We can smell our lover. We can smell and taste the fragrances and tastes of a loving childhood memory. The sweet smell of Spring or Summer flowers would be missed. We can remember the trauma of death and some disease in certain smells. An example, the learned sickness a chemo-therapy patient might know as they associate certain “clinic” smells to the adverse reactions their bodies have had to the chemo-therapy agents. Or the taste of a dangerously spoiled food we unfortunately tasted. (The “Smell of Death” or very poor hygiene are more a cause for compassion than the often felt disgust our mind can lead us to feel.)

The miracle of touch is so incredibly important. New born babies and infants will not thrive unless they are touched, hopefully, lovingly by a mother or father or family member. The hug you offer or receive are nurturing to both people who share this embrace. The loving sensations of intimacy with your lover are very often addicting, nourishing, and anxiety relieving. Walking barefoot in warm sand or grass is a pleasure to experience for many people. A warm bath or therapeutic massage gives you so many possible positive sensations. I could go on a very long time describing the miracle of the sensations or touch. Remember, physical pain is a necessary sensation to protect our bodies. And, also remember the necessary nurturing from “connection” both emotionally and physically with other pilgrims you bump into on your path through this life.

And, I am dealing with the loss of hearing. To most other people I do not look much different than I did one month ago but my ability to communicate in conversation has been 90% damaged. My hearing was poor before but today, as I write, I can barely hear the voice within a few steps. In a crowded room, I can not have a conversation. I can not hear a verbal presentation on the internet or watch a movie (without captions) or listen to my new grandson. Taking in information through hearing, like seeing, is a miracle. How does the body translate a sound from the environment into a impulse sent through the nerves and then interpreted by the brain? Loss of hearing is not uncommon. Coping with a suddenly very quiet world, for me, is difficult. I, like many people, am fairly social. Interactions and communication are something I have built my life around. Sitting quietly by myself reading is possible but it is not how I have chosen to live my life. Hearing impaired individuals can get lost, overlooked, in their struggle to live normal lives. What if you could not hear the waves on the shore or your favorite music? Just be aware AND more fully appreciate your miracles which may be less appreciated.

Do not take the miracle of the 5 senses lightly! Do not assume that YOU will never be challenged by the loss of one or more of your senses.

And, by the way, your 6th sense should not be ignored. Your Intuition, Your Knowing, Your Sensing at a deep feeling level are even more miraculous. Where does it come from? What does it mean? How will you be “Guided” by your powerful and important 6th sense? And, how can you develop this miracle if you are conscious enough to realize its full importance and value? Better connecting with your intuition can help to move you forward on your spiritual path.

If you have read this far, I went to the doctor this week and he was able to clear much of the damage from the infection. I can hear poorly again and it is a blessing. Even though muffled, I can do my work and interact with people in most ways, at least better than I could for the past several weeks. Hearing better for me is a miracle and a blessing!

If you want to use your 6 senses to interact with people to enhance your consciousness, you can consider joining a community of consciousness seekers…
If you are READY and looking for a supportive community where you can share your story, your wisdom, and grow spiritually in a non-religious environment, consider Masters of the Journey.
You are a Blessing! You are a Master! Your wisdom from your life experience can have great value to other pilgrims on the path toward awakening and enlightenment.

The Masters of the Journey has events which are updated on our Facebook page which is found at: www.facebook.com/mastersofthejourney Please comment on this blog and share, if appropriate. More of our blogs are based on spiritual consciousness and can be found at www.dstress.com/blog

Art of Listening

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Is Communication Important?
Is Connection important?
Is Listening important to relationships?

Is there an art to effective communication?

At the core of good communication are two essential skills:
The art of offering a clear communication
The art of Receiving a communication

In this Blog, we focus of the Art of Listening:

Good Listening can involve:
Hearing what is being communicated but also of importance to receiving an interpersonal communication is the use of other primary senses. I will explain why, seeing helps hearing. Also why, feeling helps hearing. Even smelling and tasting can play a role in experiencing a communication.

There is a philosophy which believes that we have two ears and one mouth because we are supposed to listen twice as much.

Hearing is much more than just registering the speaker’s words. It can also include: tone of voice, volume, choice of wording, pace of speaking, pauses and silences, and the unspoken content or what is left out of the communication.

Seeing: Non-verbal cues: gestures, body language, facial expressions, breathing patterns, the speakers presentation are things which we “see” consciously or unconsciously. Very essential to good communication is encouraging eye contact and attention. Being focused and “present” without distracting thoughts in the witness/listner will allow for better connection and comprehension of the communication.

Feeling: Will include listening between the words and feeling the impact of the words which are used. Interpreting the hearing and the visuals that are presented. If physical contact is a part of the communication, feeling your partner’s intent through pressure or movement can be a feeling which communicates volumes.

Humans use less of the sensations of smell and taste in communication but these subtle cues can also add to the experience of the communication. Consider how perfume or body oder add to the experience. Or, how the smells of the environment can enhance or detract from communication like baking bread or the pungent smell of antiseptic in a hospital room. And, what does the taste of a shared meal do to add to a communication.

Perhaps the most important skill in the Art of Listening is to be “Present.” This is easier said than done. Being “Present” involves using your focus to minimize your internal distractions. Avoid extraneous thoughts or the habit of finding an answer to what you hear until it is your turn to add to the conversation. Even if you get defensive, it is better to hear the speaker out and ask clarifying question to make sure you fully understand what is being said so you can answer most effectively. Emotions can cause “knee-jerk” reactions which often cause more harm than good in a possibly tense conversation. It would be better, in most situations, if you treat your communication partners as if they were a very important figure like: the Pope, or the President, or even God. With this intended reverence in listening to your speaker, you have the best chance of “Hearing” at all levels to get the very most from the communication. In other words, listen to your communication partner as well or better than you would want to be heard.

To sum up, the Art of Listening is more than registering the words you may hear. Read between the lines and feel what is really being communicated. Use every one of your 5 physical senses and your intuition (or gut feelings) to take in the full communication. And finally, in the Art of Listening give the greatest gift of respect which one person can offer another by being fully focused and present with the love and appreciation that comes from the deepest honor the “Sharing” that you are being gifted to receive.

Coaching and training are available at the Stress Education Center, www.dstress.com.