Links for Monday

Feburary 26th 2024

• “But neuroscientists are beginning to unpack what happens in the brain when we deal with the stress of uncertainty. The uncertainty of the moment, the realization that you don’t know, that you’ve reached the limits of your knowledge, instigate a number of neural changes. Your focus broadens, and your brain becomes more receptive to new data, and your working memory is bolstered. Which is why facing uncertainty is a kind of wakefulness.” Worthwhile interview with Maggie Jackson, author of a newish book, Uncertain: The Wisdom and Wonder of Being Unsure.

• A wonderful pithy instruction for how to do focusing, the classic Eugene Gendlin developed technique for how to understand your own feelings.

• “The purpose of healing is the end of self-analysis” (h/t Kush) This really resonated, especially around the challenge of finding a path that works in today’s environment, the dangers of spiritual materialism and the need to bring the practice into the world. Reading pieces like this and interacting with people in my community makes me hope there is a movement starting to develop toward a more immediate, urgent and engaged spirituality. That’s also one of the themes of this podcast with John Churchill that I enjoyed.