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The Brain and Stage Fright seminar
Monday 1 August 2011
Gates Recital Hall
West Chester University
West Chester, PA |
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Greetings! Thanks for visiting my website. As promised, below is some of the info from the Brain and Stage Fright seminar:
List of techniques to lower the activity in the amygdala... and thereby minimizing (and, with practice and repetition AHEAD OF TIME, even eradicating completely!) the physical manifestations from the amygdala's alarm
List of books, articles, references
Techniques
| Reassure our amygdala |
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Let it know we're grateful its warning...
and that it isn't necessary in this case.
Visualize amygdala - the way it really is...
or as a glamorous ever-so-relazed primitive lizard.
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| Label, Re-label, Re-interpret |
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"It's excitement."
"It's passion because I'm passionate about playing and just love to share my music with others."
"I just prefer playing in front of a few people instead of a huge crowd."
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| Question it |
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a) Ask (seriously, deliberately):
"Am I in mortal danger if I go out and perform in front of an audience?"
b) "Is It True, is it REALLY true..." a la Byron Katie (see below)
c) "Why...?" (e.g., Why am I afraid to perform?).
Wait for answer.
Then ask "Why _______?" (insert the answer).
Wait for next answer.
Then ask "Why _______?" (insert the answer).
Keep asking "Why _______ ?" until the final answer comes.
You'll know from the awesome light-bulb feeling when you've hit the REAL answer Why.
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| Emotions |
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a) Evolved to be temporary... to last just long enough, until the immediate danger is over, and then the alarm quiets. Stop the stress loop from looping by not becoming:
b) Emotional about emotions... when that automatic back story begins to rationalize and explain and expand all the "reasons" for the stage fright:
... be aware - observe it - label/re-label/re-interpret it
("Wow! Isn't that amazing!...)
... deliberately choose another neural/thought pathway.
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| Choose a different pathway |
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a) Different neural/thought pathway:
... Come up with different thought -
ahead of time and practice when not so emotional.
... visualize/see/smell gorgeous flowers et
... visualize/see/feel/hear jazzy automobiles
... allow very happy,very power memory to fill us up
(Expecto Patronum!)
... list all the groups you're part of... as many as possible... write on postit and stick to bathroom mirror... memorize...
b) Different career:
... if performing or competing in front of a huge crowd is just TOO distressing, change the situation somehow (e.g., perform in front of a small crowd), get help, keep trying... or choose to be involved in music in another way. So far, we haven't seen an order that everyone must perform. But - if you do want to perform, then use these techniques and go have a blast.
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| Rituals |
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Use the list of groups you're part of... meditate (good for prefrontal cortex / hippocampus / cerebellum / amygdala / etc)... pray... listen to rock music... |
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p.s.If you're never satisfied with your performance, see book section below.
Great books I mentioned... and references ... in order of my mentioning them:
[I didn't mention this one, but so much that I learned about how the brain works came from The Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are" - by Joseph LeDoux]
You Can't Afford The Luxury Of A Negative Thought - by Peter McWilliams
Research field: Social Cognitive Neuroscience
"Label" - Matthew D. Lieberman, Ph.D. - Professor of Psychology and Biobehaviorial Sciences at UCLA - a Found and Lab Co-Director of Social Cognitive Neuroscience
Emotional Intelligence - by Daniel Goleman
Research field: Epigenetics
"Re-interpret" - Kevin Oschner, Ph.D. - Associate Professor Psychology at Columbia University, Focus on Social Cognitive Neuroscience
"Re-Label" - Jeffrey M. Schwartz, M.D. - Research psychiatrist at the School of Medicine at UCLA - one of the world's leading experts in self-directed neuroplasticity - focus on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. in Molecular Biology - founded the renowned Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness (both at the University of Massachusetts Medical School)
Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness - by Mark Williams, John Teasdale, Zindel Segal, and Jon Kabat-Zinn
Byron Katie - author and speaker - creator of "The Work" (a method of self-inquiry)
Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi - at Claremont Graduate University: FLOW,a state of heightened focus and immersion in activities such as art, play, work. .- a .
TED.com - outstanding website with short presentations from amazing people
Keb' Mo' - fabulous music
Happiness is a Serious Problem - by Dennis Prager.
If you're never satisfied with your performance, thank your Self for being human.
It's the human condition that:
We Are Never Satisfied
(Thank goodness because otherwise we'd never have all of our wonderful inventions and medical etc improvements!!!)
Oh - this is how I remembered how to pronounce it when I first learned about it:
... "A" (like: "look! It's A Bird It's A Plane")
... "Mig" (like: It's a Russian fighter plane)
... "Duh" (like: what a pre-teen would say)
... "La" (just to finish it off)
A Mig Duh La -- or, Amygdala
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