Integral Spiritual Technique #3 - "Practicing with Traumatic Events In the News"

Excerpted from the upcoming course: Integral Spiritual Practice -- 8 Weeks to Activate the Full Potential of Your Body, Mind, Spirit, Heart, and Soul.

When we hear or read about horrible human loss and suffering, we often don't know exactly how to react. In a world that's globally connected 24/7, we are constantly being exposed to terrible, sad, and frightening events from every corner of the earth.

Hardly a week goes by where some major catastrophe doesn't occur somewhere. Even the local news is often filled with deaths, accidents, crimes, and other threats. And since these are closer to home, they are apparently even more dangerous!

Let's admit it: it's hard to cope with the constant stream of bad news. We get it from every angle - TV, newspapers, the internet, our social networks. The chaos of the world is inescapable. In fact, it's amplified by the hyperspeed, always-on media culture in which we live.

It's important to remember: From an evolutionary perspective, this is completely unprecedented.

As little as 150 years ago, it could take weeks or months to get news from another part of the world. If we heard about some terrible event, it was usually long over; there was no way to get there, no real way to help, and no implicit demand upon us.

So our attention spans were a lot more local, and there was a lot more time in between episodes of bad news. Of course, that means we knew a lot less about what was going on in the world, but we had more time to reflect on and integrate whatever we did know.

Now, anything that happens anywhere makes an implicit demand on us, because it's so immediate in time, and so immediately part of our world. And it affects us deeply. We feel called to help, to donate, to share in the trauma and grief.

The result is, we often end up feeling either A) numb or B) overwhelmed.

Our brains simply can't handle all the input, so we either distance and distract ourselves from the painful realities, artificially limiting our awareness to our personal sphere of concerns - or, we immerse ourselves in each "catastrophe of the week" in a way that's equally unhealthy. And then next week, we repeat the same process....

In the meantime, we're captive to a media machine that feeds on our eyeballs... and even, in some ways, our addiction to the suffering of others.

Is there a more compassionately evolved way to relate to the crises in our world?

First, it's important to recognize: there is no going back in time to a non-connected age. Our world is evolving into an interconnected planetary entity, and we are called to be planetary citizens. We are called to identify with, care for, and feel a real (not just abstract) sense of connection with all of our brothers and sisters in the human family.

Thus it's completely appropriate to offer sympathy, to donate, even to engage in direct assistance, if you feel so called, when disaster strikes in some part of the world. We're all in this journey of life together, and we all must rely on each other as a world community to face life's challenges and continue evolving together.

On the other hand, it does little good for us to be chronically distracted by the 24/7, often over-dramatized news cycles, or neglecting the ways in which we could be growing stronger, individually or as a local community, because we are so focused externally on others' problems. We need to strike a balance....

So try this: Occasionally, as a practice, devote a few minutes to completely feeling the news of the world.

Don't do it in the semi-distracted way in which we often scan the news. Rather, once you know a little about what's going on - you've seen the footage or read the stories of the terror and courage and heartbreak and heroism - take the time to unplug from every media source and shift your focus internally.

Close your eyes and bring your attention to your body. Feel the tragic event in your head... your heart... your gut... your bones... your hands and feet... and then return to the center of your heart.

Feel the whole chaotic mix of feelings: the fear... the care... the despair... the strength... the acceptance... the raw humanity. Let your whole feeling being simply witness it all, letting it flow through you.

And now feel the space itself in which those feelings are arising. Feel your own awareness, and from there, simply observe what has happened and what it means.

And when you've relaxed into that spacious perspective, ask yourself, ask your heart: Is there anything I am specifically called to do?

Maybe that means making a donation to a relief organization. Or it could mean taking an action to become better prepared locally in the event of a similar occurrence in your own community. Or it could mean consciously learning more or connecting with, and offering emotional support to, someone you know in the area. On certain occasions it might even mean making a very serious life commitment to make a difference.

Or, it could also (and might often) simply mean feeling and offering your heartfelt compassion, silently "sending" your strength, light, clarity, and love to those affected.

Do whatever feels appropriate... and then let it go. And move on with your day, focusing on your moment-to-moment practice and life - with full and radiant gratitude for the mystery of existence and the gift of life we're blessed to be given.