Mindfulness, meditation, and  breath awareness.  Is this all a big fad or can you actually gain a cognitive edge from sitting for 15-20 minutes each day focusing on the breath? A recent study published in Science Daily states even after 4 days of 20 minute breath awareness exercises, cognitive improvement can be measured.   Furthermore, Daniel Seigel and others have linked mindful practices to the building the middle prefrontal cortex area of the brain, the area that integrates cortical, limbic, brainstem, somatic and social input.  In short, the middle prefrontal region of the brain, when developed and strengthened like a muscle, can create a state of self-awareness that allows one to navigate the river of thought and experience without getting stuck in the banks of  either rigidity (too much judgment) or chaos (too much perception).  This notion of modulated balance between perception and judgment has significant implications for MBTI practitioners who use the awareness of the 4  functions (dominant, auxiliary, tertiary and inferior) to coach clients using the MBTI model.

In breath awareness exercises, one is instructed to find on the breath first at the level of the nostrils, moving to the chest and finally deep within the abdomen.  After fully identifying all components of the breath,  finding the place where the breath is felt most naturally is the next step.  Breath awareness exercises are not relaxation exercises, they train the mind to be focused.  When the mind starts to wander as it invariably will do, it is important to take note of that and gently refocus without judgment. From my own personal experience as an ENFP doing these exercises, I am amazed at how many thoughts dart through my head as I attempt to focus on the breath.  Anyone who shares intuition as the dominant function can probably relate to how difficult it can be to maintain focus and follow through on a given task or maintain a topic of conversation  when connections, patterns, and new ideas are emerging, competing for cognitive primacy.  The key is to be aware of what the mind is doing then gently redirect thought within the cognitive system. In my own experience with meditation, I have improved my focus as well as developed an awareness of when I need to to stop generating options and perspectives and use my auxiliary function, feeling, to craft a course of action.  In addition, as my ability to self-monitor my thoughts and judgments has improved, so has my ability to successfully access my tertiary and inferior functions.   This self-awareness assists in creating an elegant shift among the 4 functions all brought about by the strengthening  the prefrontal cortex area of the brain, the area that directs energy and thought throughout the rest of the human brain.

What if someone has a judging function as the dominant function?  Can an ESTJ use meditation to navigate the river of thought and experience?   The answer is yes because meditation is strengthening the fibers of  the brain where self-monitoring  and behavior modulation take place,  not the functions of either judgment or perception.  To use an analogy, it is like tuning up the transmission of a car allowing for improved shifting among the 4 functions.  Whereas excessive perceptive can create chaos in the mind, rigidity is the result of too much judgment.  So, taking the example of an ESTJ, who may be quick to render a judgment,  balance can be achieved by consciously shifting into the fact gathering mode.  In fact, one can go to any area of brain more easily if self-awareness and the ability to redirect cognitive activity is present through a well-developed prefrontal cortex.

Meditation can be tricky.  Many people are turned off by it because it feels like a waste of time. Others are frustrated because they don’t think they are “doing it right.” My first round with mindfulness and meditation was  when I took an 8-week course in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction in the model of Jon Kabat-Zinn. This had many components including 45-minute body scans, sitting meditations, and mindful yoga.   Dr. Kabat-Zinn has been on the cutting edge of mindful meditation and I respect his work.  However, for a less time consuming,  day to day application of meditation, especially if you want to try it as an enhancement to your Myers-Briggs coaching model,  I highly recommend a simple breath awareness meditation.

*For more information on a good place to start this meditation practice, please see my article entitled “Breath Awareness Meditation” at annholm.net

Much has been written about the importance of formulating goals to achieve success.  First, you appraise your current situation.  Next,  you decide what you wish to achieve.  Then you identify specific activities that will help you reach that goal.  Simple, right?   Unfortunately, many people fall short of their goals not because they don’t know what they want or can’t identify activities that will lead them there.  Instead they fall short because they don’t know know how to overcome the force that leads them back to their  default mode or comfort zone.

Every psychological type has both strengths and developmental challenges.  For example, an ENFP type is full of creative ideas and schemes but is also prone to losing focus and follow through once the newness has worn off.  An INFJ  may be able to mediate complex interactions among individuals but at the same time, be reluctant to intrude upon others and thus keep too much to himself.    Why isn’t  it enough to implore the ENFP to “just do it” or to encourage the INFJ to just share what he is thinking?

It is natural for an ENFP to want to move on to the next challenge because her dominant function is extraverted intuition.   Her brain is excited by new ideas, patterns, and insights. This is her default mode similar to the default settings on the computer. In the absence of a deliberate effort to bypass this natural tendency, she will enthusiastically jump from one intriguing curiosity to the next.  She may be aware that she has to finish a given activity in order to meet a stated goal.   However, the key to accomplishing this is an effective strategy to help her manage a natural tendency.

Perhaps she learns to write down ideas as they pop into her head rather than immediately following her nose to satisfy her curiosity.  With the advent of Google, it’s easy to get sidetracked by wanting to know something right now rather than later on.  Or maybe there is some mundane task like writing the bills that she often ignores in favor of a more exciting task.   Maybe she has has to take them to a coffee shop to work on them so she can be around people but not be distracted by other more intriguing stimuli in her home.

What about the INFJ who won’t share what is on his mind?  Maybe he needs to remind himself that many people he will be sharing his thoughts with are not as sensitive as he is so he can afford to be a little more forthright.  Or, he can capitalize on his effective writing skills by putting his thoughts into a letter or, using a journal to formulate what he is going to say so he is fully prepared to speak his mind.  He needs a strategy that goes beyond the goal that he will “speak up more often in meetings”, for example. He needs to know how he can do this without creating so much anxiety that he avoids it altogether.

Effective coaching has 3 main components:  1. Increased self-awareness.   2.Goal setting and identification of activities leading to those goals.  3.Strategies that will increase the likelihood that those goals will be successfully met.   Awareness of psychological type through the use of the MBTI instruments can provide needed insight on how these strategies are formulated.

Identifying your unique personal qualities is a key factor in maximizing potential.  The challenging part is to find out how you can parlay these characteristics into behaviors that are actually going to yield improved competence, a better job, or general life satisfaction.   I was honored to have the St. Paul Pioneer Press feature me in their “Open for Business” section in the April 11, 2010 paper.   In this article, I  describe how I address both of these factors.  First, there are self-discovery tools that help to identify these qualities.  One that is unique to my business is the newly released Myers-Briggs Step III instrument which is a highly personalized indicator of where your strengths and developmental challenges appear to be right now. I also use other tools including a personal interview to find out what is on your mind.  Once this is known, it is important to develop strategies to make your goals a reality.  That is where the challenge is because it is in that phase that we suffer set backs and self-doubts.  That is where a life coach can be very useful.  Here is the link to the article to learn more about my business:       http://www.twincities.com/ci_14854737?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com&IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com

A family friend was interested in learning about neurological rehabilitation.  What do you do with someone who suffers a head injury?  Even minor head injuries can result in increased irritability, memory problems, difficulty with judgment, impulse control… Of course, the list would be long because the brain is so complex. In a way, head injury is like dropping a computer onto the floor.  Anyway, my friend wanted to see what a head injured person looked like so I dug out a dusty, old videotape that I had from a continuing education course I had taken long ago.  What I found was exciting!

The videotape featured an in-house program for individuals with severe brain injury.  Not only that, these clients were “bad dudes.” In other words, even before they suffered a brain injury, they had engaged in all kinds of high-risk behaviors and were generally impulsive, hot-tempered,  erratic,and frequently in trouble with the law. In addition, most head injuries involve some damage to the pre-frontal cortex which modulates these behaviors in the first place.   In traditional therapy, it was thought that since the pre-frontal cortex was damaged, rigid, external structure was needed to bring about cooperative behavior.   However, all of the rules and restrictions actually made these guys worse.  Why?  The missing element was collaboration.

For example,  one man refused to eat.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t hungry, but he had trouble initiating behavior (In fact, it can often take a brain injured client an entire day to get into the shower despite the fact that he knows he needs one badly).  Forcing this man to go to the dining hall only resulted in combative behavior. However, through active collaboration with the patient,  a solution was found.  The therapist, the patient, and 3 of his peers decided on the plan of action.  Would you like someone to come and get you to eat?  Who? What time should he come?  What should he do if you refuse to come?  All of this seems so simple but in example after example, the power of collaborative solutions was demonstrated even with very impaired, very bad dudes!

Collaboration works because it makes the client do some of the work. The brain builds neural connections in response to whatever stimuli it encounters.  If someone has to actively process a problem and come up with solutions, not only is that person more inclined to act on that solution because he came up with it, he will also gain competency for further problems he might encounter.  Whether the situation is coaching, parenting, counseling, or solving a conflict, the more active someone is in finding a solution, the more likely it is that they will follow through and also learn.   The role of the supporting party is to provide options, propose strategies, and offer guidance in evaluating the solution set.  Foisting rigid structures and forcing someone to see the matter your way do little to ensure compliance or good judgment the next time around.

The rediscovery of this videotape was a great find for me! What was particularly rewarding  was the notion that in all of the roles I have played in life, this has been one of my “bread and butter” strategies.  As a parent,  speech pathologist/cognitive specialist and now a life coach,  the power of collaboration has been a common thread.  Sometimes you want to cringe when it doesn’t go smoothly at first but my position is that you end up with a more resilient improvement in the end.  My role as a coach is to provide support and let the brain do it’s work!

Recently, I resigned from my job as a speech pathologist in a hospital, a position I had held for 24 years.  What’s more, I now have no hospital affiliation whatsoever for the first time since 1980.  My position at this hospital was on-call, but I hadn’t  worked there in over a year.  In all honesty, I should have dropped out long before that because I had plenty of other endeavors to work on such as continuing to do cognitive rehabilitation for the Courage Center,  training to be a life coach,  completing my Myers-Briggs certification,  developing a blog and a website and taking on my first coaching clients.   I assemble this list not to say, “Oh look how busy I am.”   It’s to make clear that I was clinging to something that I had no room for in my life anymore.   Clearly, hospital work was  my security blanket.  In fact, even when I was in college and graduate school,  I worked in a hospital as a patient transporter/lab specimen runner.   So it is easy to see why dropping my affiliation with a hospital was no easy process! However, it was an important moment when I realized that I was ready to leave the cocoon that was  my identity for so many years.

There are many reasons why an individual embarks on reinventing himself.  In today’s economy, some people are forced to make that change due to a job loss. Others may be dissatisfied because they are performing  jobs that are not tapping into their greatest strengths. Sometimes money and compensation is the issue.  Other times, there is a restlessness that must be addressed.   No matter what the reason, in most cases, there are 3 major stages that you visit and re-visit once you decide to reinvent yourself.

Stage 1:  This is the discovery stage.  Usually you have a vague notion that you want to or must do something different.  Perhaps you research ideas on the internet or you read books to try to zero in on a set of possibilities.  This is a dreamer’s stage and it is full of energy and possibilities.  You don’t need much motivation at this stage because it seems to drive itself.  Often this stage is accompanied by taking a few steps in the direction of  that dream.  The first thing I did was research coaching schools and when I found one that I liked, I enrolled.  It was really exciting to go through the first few rounds of classes but then when I started to notice it wasn’t an exact fit for me, I passed into stage 2.

Stage 2:  This is the stage of self-doubt or your a reality check.  You discover that your dream isn’t a perfectly carved path and that you might need to make some adjustments.  In my case, I chose to add to my skill set with other tools such as learning the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instruments.   I leaned heavily on my best friend and coach who gave me useful feedback and encouragement when the vision got murky.  There were several exciting moments when I felt like the dreamer again and everything was new and exciting.  I had a new scheme to try!   However, that was usually followed by another reality check. I had to learn to refine my vision or simply  be patient.  I even had  to be willing to take feedback (Ugh!).  An individual can get discouraged when going  back and forth between the dreamer and the reality check stages without realizing that it is actually a proving ground for resilience and stability in your new role.   You have to spend some time going among several dreams and reality checks in order to thrive in the final stage of self-invention.

Stage 3: The final stage is the stage of confidence or momentum. Here some of the groundwork you have laid is finally beginning to pay-off.    Perhaps you receive a referral from someone who was present during one of your free seminars that you gave months ago.  Maybe you made an impression on someone that you didn’t even know was listening.  You know you have arrived when there is no longer an inertia that you have to overcome every time you set out to achieve your goals. You sense momentum and your confidence builds as a result.   Certainly there will be more reality checks and occasionally you might even start to dream of something altogether new again. However, when you get to this stage, there is usually enough energy to draw you back to your vision.

The process of reinventing yourself is exciting, at times scary, but ultimately rewarding.  The exciting part is when you are energized by the possibilities for the future. The scary part is when you have to push through moments of self-doubt or disappointment. The rewarding part is when you finally overcome the inertia and feel the flow. Once you achieve this, you can begin to shake yourself out of your cocoon and fly off to explore your new world.

Cognitive blind spots present a significant roadblock to the full realization of individual human potential.  There are many kinds of blind spots including those that are common to all humans  such as the  Bandwagon Effect , where individuals become attracted to popular trends, or the Restraint Bias where individuals overestimate their capacity to resist temptation.    There are also other types of blind spots that are common to individuals who have suffered neurological damage.   The term reduced deficit awareness refers to an individual’s lack of awareness of a cognitive problem and it’s impact on his functional capabilities.  For example, a patient may be certain he can drive despite deep paralysis and a visual field cut!   Even our normal dominant psychological preferences for sensing versus intuition and thinking versus feeling as defined by our MBTI personality type set the stage for cognitive blind spots and biases.

Interestingly, the process to overcome these challenges is  similar.. First there is an awareness that our personal effectiveness is limited in some way. Next  is an acceptance that  a mindset or an existing way of approaching a problem is the reason we are coming up short of our goals.   Finally,  an action plan is generated to bring about change.

For instance, in neurological rehabilitation, one of the most important indicators for significant recovery after a stroke or brain injury is awareness of deficits. Realistically, how can improvements be made if one is blind to the need for change?  Moreover, there are several levels of awareness that must be achieved in order to change:

7 Levels of  Self- Awareness That Can Lead to Change: (more…)

Most of us are using only using a fraction of our talents and gifts.   In addition, we are frequently dissatisfied with with home life, career choices, and relationships but do no know why.  This can lead to burn-out and lack of motivation or a feeling of being “stuck.”  Annholm.net is a life coaching website that is dedicated to releasing untapped talents and skills leading to greater competence and personal satisfaction. It is the home of Uncover Your Potential , the life coaching practice of Ann C. Holm. Most of the blogs featured on this website are about  brain science,  psychological type as defined by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI),  and individual preferences as it pertains to effective life coaching.  I also feature blogs about people who have inspired me by embracing a challenge or overcoming an obstacle or who have enlightened me or broadened my horizons in some way.  I feel the best way to find the energy to make changes or unlock hidden talent is through increased self-awareness AND stories about others who have shown the way.

I have a very poor sense of direction.  I have driven down roads that have turned into pastureland.  I have taken routes that I thought were correct  only to find myself miles away from my intended destination.   I have ridden on the wrong subway or hopped on the wrong bus so often that I am usually surprised when I get it right.   I have been lost so many times that I  usually don’t say, “I’m lost”. Instead I say, “This is not the most efficient route, I know, I know…”  One of the roadblocks that I frequently encounter is that I usually don’t know where I am in the first place!  Where is Point A in relation to Point B?    Poor topographical orientation (the cognitive scientist’s way of saying, “You don’t know where the hell you are!”),  is an effective analogy to describe how many of us feel at during our lives. Where am I? Where am I going?  How do I get there?

The answer to the question, “How do I GET there?” in life is as varied as the maps and gadgets that are available to help us reach a physical destination.  Deciding what tool provides the most effective guidance is really dependent on several factors including how familiar we are with the area, our general sense of direction, or whether we want a map or written directions. For that matter, we may have a preference for north-south/east-west directions versus  left-right/”turn at the Target store on the corner” type directions.   I have found the GPS system to be most helpful but believe it or not, I had to learn to actually listen to it before it was of much use to me.  The point is, what we use to navigate our surroundings is a matter of personal choice.  One must seek the most understandable and the most effective option. (more…)

October has been a month to add new skills and perspectives so that I may assist clients as effectively as possible.  Earlier this month, I learned the use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator  Step III instrument. Recently,  l  attended a seminar titled, “Using Type in Coaching”.  This was an excellent class that I would recommend to anyone who is certified in the administration of MBTI instruments.  The course materials were particularly informative with many practical suggestions to enhance type maturity and effectiveness. In addition,  behavior that suggests an individual  is operating from the 4th or inferior function or behaving out of character was discussed. This is also known as the grip. It also raised awareness that coaches and counselors need to be aware of their own biases and mindsets, characteristic of their own types, in order to provide effective guidance to those that they serve.

In order to illustrate these concepts, I will use myself as an example.  My MBTI type is ENFP which means that my dominant or strongest cognitive function is extraverted intuition.  Therefore, I am inclined to view the world by noticing patterns, relationships, and new angles.   My tendency would be to extravert my thoughts via brainstorming rather than experience them as “psychic flashes” or a vivid imagination as an introverted intuitive (INTJ, INFJ) would.  My auxiliary or supporting cognitive function is intoverted feeling.  That means as I am actively generating possibilities, seeing connections and patterns, I am also quietly appraising these ideas  in terms of my internal value system, or my subjective judgment (as opposed to an extraverted feeler, such as an ESFJ who tends to wear his heart on his sleeve). My tertiary, or third cognitive function is extraverted thinking.  So when I am trying the evaluate the plausibility of an idea through thinking, I am likely to do this out loud although it may not appear as smooth or as a logical as an argument put forth by a dominant thinker such as an ENTJ. Finally, my inferior or 4^th function is introverted sensing.  Introverted sensing is  an individual’s archive for past experiences especially facts and details. Since it is my least preferred function, I have to really concentrate to use this effectively. ENFP’s  tend to be optimistic about tapping the potential of other human being and that is their strong suit, seeing a bright future for others.  However,  they must also guard against unbridled optimism that has no consideration for logic or details.  An ENFP must ask how can I fulfill this vision? (more…)

Today was the final day of training for the MBTI Step III. After 2 days of studying the theoretical underpinnings of the instrument as well as the construction and validity, today we practiced using it under the watchful eye of our esteemed instructors.  We examined 3 different cases  of people who had donated their Step III report for the purposes of training.  Therefore, these were real people who had answered inventory questions and received a report that was based on the rules they triggered resulting in specific statements about their current behavior and accompanying suggestions for personal growth.  Everyone had the opportunity to play the role of the client, the coach and/or counselor, and the observer.  Final questions and answers about our own reports or any other topic were also discussed.

The first thing I noticed about using the Step III report in a real life setting was even though it was rich with information and feedback,  there was infinite flexibility in how this information could be used to promote a discussion. Because the report is not a diagnosis or a final rendering of an individual’s personality, a statement contained in the report could be discussed in any number of ways.  For example, a statement might read: “You seem to be indifferent to or ignore logical consequences in matters that are of immediate concern to you, perhaps because other things are more important to you at the time.”  From there, a client might say, “Well yes. I don’t tend to worry too much about what I consider small stuff.”  Or, “You know, I am just not myself these days. I usually pay my bills on time but lately, they have been piling up on my desk.   My mother broke her hip 3 months ago and it seems all I do is tend to her needs.”  For one individual, ignoring certain things that are of immediate concern is simply a reflection of their laid back attitude. For another, it is recognized as an important problem that requires further discussion.

Another observation I had about the report is that it is important to keep an individual’s known type  as well as dominant function in mind when evaluating the data.  For example, an INFP  and an ENTJ might both receive the following statement in his Step III report:  “You find it hard to deal with situations that require you to take a detached and logical approach in making a decision.”  Well, for INFP who is a dominant introverted feeler (and whose inferior or least preferred function is logical, detached thinking, this statement might no raise any special concerns only to point out that many INFP’s do not tend to use “detached, logical thinking” when approaching a situation.  They are more likely to think of people or values first.  They may add logical thinking into their cognitive mix but it is likely to require a little extra mental energy.  An ENTJ, on the other hand, IS a dominant thinker and should therefore be using detached, logical thinking competently and with relative ease.  If this is not the case, it may be important to probe for some sort of stress that might be compromising optimal functioning which is often the case when someone is not using his dominant function well. (more…)