Our sensory selves

I was introducing an acting exercise to my Adult Ed Beginning Acting students week before last. The point of the exercise was to recreate a moment in time using sense memory, rather than any cognitive  or emotional memory. Some students told me this was not possible, that relying on what they heard, saw, smelled, felt, or tasted would not recreate as true an experience as one they "thought about." I replied that our senses hold the key to much of our memory but we don't trust them, possibly because we cannot control them as we control thoughts. I pointed out that our sense of smell is especially powerful and immediate. If they didn't believe me, they would the next time they got a whiff of something that catapulted them back in time (leaves burning, pine trees, wet wool).

We experience the world through our senses, then our brains interpret that experience. So it is essential for us to be able to engage that sensory awareness and use the information provided. "Get out of your head and into your body," I told them. But they weren't convinced. I was mulling this over last Saturday when I happened to hear a broadcast of the radio program "To The Best of Our Knowledge."  The program included a rebroadcast of a fascinating interview with Jill Bolte Taylor.

Can't argue with brain science!

Dr. Taylor is a brain scientist who had stroke and wrote a book about it. And in this interview, she describes what happened when the left hemisphere of her brain went "silent" as the stroke progressed: "The right hemisphere thinks in pictures and is all about the present moment. It is analyzing and perceiving the information from our sensory systems in this moment and creating a big enormous collage of this present moment and the existence of the present moment is beautiful. There is no judgment there, it just... is." That is a perfect description of the non-judgmental state actors must enter. In the biz we call it "being in the moment," and you can't act without it.

As a speaker, you can't communicate without it, either. You need to be present when you present. Our sensory selves keep us anchored in the moment, where that critical voice is silenced, where we can see things more clearly and listen more closely. Because we are there, not thinking about what just happened or what's next.

A lesson for a lifetime

Practices like yoga and meditation, and artistic disciplines like acting, dancing, and making music keep you grounded in the moment. Dr. Taylor experienced this state of being as euphoria during her stroke. You can watch her describe her stroke and the unexpected revelations it brought in an excellent TED talk.

We all could use a large dose of sensory-based living. If we relied more on our right-hemisphere sensory perception and less on what Taylor calls our "left hemisphere verbiage system" and I call our "inner critic," we might be able to approach the state of nirvana Taylor describes. Or at least connect more fully with our listeners and conversation partners!

Tips you can use!

Don't forget to eat!
It's a fact: the brain needs glucose to work. If you are hungry or dieting, your thinking may be fuzzy and you will not present your best self.  

It's OK to take your notes
You can even read them! Just make sure you have practiced enough so that you can make lots of eye contact throughout.  

Invent your own "bridge phrase"
Everyone needs a few words to fill the void once in a while. Find a phrase you feel comfortable with, and practice, practice, practice till it feels natural rolling off your tongue. You won't use it as often as you now say "um" or "so" but it will be there when you need it!