"Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space lies our freedom and power to choose our response.
And in this choice lies our freedom and power to grow."

– Adapted from Victor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

This is the third quote in a series that relates to a new concept which I will be introducing within the next few weeks. The first was around what I call "The Natural Law of Cycles" which described how we experience life as a cycle of cause and effect. The second (last week's quote and comment) was built around a statement from Yogi Patarrijji from 300 BC that described how inspiration effects the workings of our brain. This week's quote from one of my favorite authors, Victor Frankl, further illustrates this concept with a discussion of how we can have a tremendous impact on our lives and the lives of others if we can learn to make the most of that space between the stimulus (or life and it's challenges), and our response.

I know that many people may argue that we really don't have this ability to choose how we respond because it seems that so many negative situations seem to be reeking so much havoc on our individual and collective peace of mind these days. However, I would also imagine that none of us would argue that any of the challenges we may be experiencing compare to what Dr. Frankl endured given his experience as a holocaust survivor. In other words, no matter how bad the economy gets, how many layoffs or corporate scandals we endure, or how many obnoxious people we encounter, if someone can find the power and freedom to choose (and even grow) in the midst of the misery and suffering of the Nazi concentration camps, this is someone to which we should pay a lot of attention.

In addition to this testimony to the power of the human spirit, what I also love about Dr. Frankl's quote on the space between the stimulus and our response is that, like the previous two quotes, it reflects what brain researchers are learning about how we make decisions. As I discussed in last weeks comment, we have three parts of our brain. The brainstem, which is about regulating functions such as breathing, blood pressure, and our fight-or-flight reactions, the limbic system which the seat of emotions and scans the data from our five senses for stress and threats, and the neocortex which is where we access our creativity, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, etc.

Data comes in from our five senses, and if the limbic system senses no warnings of threat, stress, attack, or need for defense, it allows the data to flow up into our neocortex and all is well. If, however, this "gatekeeper" part of our brain interprets any visual, auditory, olfactory, or tactile information as threatening, stressful, negative or dangerous in any way, it immediately sends the data down to our brainstem by passing the neocortex altogether (the image of a firehouse where alarms are sounding and firemen are sliding down a pole would be a good analogy).

Of course, the brainstem then goes into its fight-or-flight mode, and heart rate, blood pressure, etc., shoot up. Our body is immediately flooded with chemicals, such as, adrenaline, noradrenaline, and cortisol. Again, as I mentioned last week, this is great if we are actually in a fight-or-flight situation because we usually don't have time to "think" in these situations and, in fact, often need to "act without thinking" in order to survive.

However, what if the situation we are dealing with is traffic, or a particular deadline at work, or some coworker, customer, or even family member who is upset with us for some reason? Unfortunately, we are now stuck in the lower part of our brain, what I call the under-mind, partly because it is physically "under" most other parts of our brain, and partly because we feel so "undermined" by situations and people when we are coming from this region. And, of course, this under-mind/brainstem can ONLY produce reactions that are based upon survival (fight-or-flight).

Now, this would be bad enough if it stopped there, but have you noticed that far from the end, this is just the beginning? In other words, viewing the world from this undermined perspective then begins to color how we interpret new data. Almost like an angry dog with a bone, we become very reluctant to back down, back off, or give up our position, and instead go on to feel pretty defensive, resentful, stressed, and even angry for some time to come. This is especially true if we continue to run the tape of the original negative situation over and over in our mind (and/or tell others about it), and thus continue to defend the righteousness of our reaction. Sound familiar? How is this working for you?

If you have decided that it's not working and want to have more influence over which part of your brain is being engaged to deal with the challenging aspects of life, I suggest that we look to Dr. Frankl's insight for a clue as to how we can pull this off. What if the "space between the stimulus and response" to which he refers, (which holds the potential for freedom, power, and growth) is the space in time where our limbic system is determining whether to send the data we are receiving up to our "Top Mind" or down to our "Under-mind"? Just think, what would it be like if we could become more influential in this space and thus bring our creativity, confidence, and clarity of thought to the task of dealing with the external situation? Do you see the potential for freedom, power, and growth here?

"Easier said than done," many might say, and of course they would be right. However, just because it won't be easy, does that mean that it shouldn't be done? In fact, doesn't the work of Dr. Frankl suggest that even in the midst of the misery, torture, death, and starvation that were the camps of Auschwitz, Bergen-Belson, Buchenwald, Dachau, etc., one can find freedom, power, growth, and meaning? Maybe this is because the space that contains these concepts is within us and thus not subject to "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" to which Shakespeare and other writers allude. Further, because this powerful "space" is internal versus external, maybe it is closer than we think (or have thought in the past), and thus the potential for accessing this space and the freedom, power, and growth that Dr. Frankl describes is also more accessible than we have been led to believe.

If this concept appeals to you (if you see potential value in accessing this space for yourself as an individual and/or your organization, family, etc.) I encourage you to stay tuned because this is one more part of the new focus and perspective that I will be introducing very soon. In the meantime, we might practice noticing where we are going and where we are coming from on a regular basis. Are our firemen (and women) sliding down the pole to the under-mind, sending alarms, sirens, and negative emotions racing through the streets of our body? Or are we are allowing our thoughts and interpretations to float up to the top of the mind for a better view? Put another way, if freedom, power, growth and meaning are our highest purpose, maybe we should go searching for them in the "space" we believe they are most likely to reside. Happy hunting!

Take care and God bless, Dr. Bill