"Soma Time" #5 - After Hours

One Heart > Two Heads...Our 5th (and perhaps final) show in this format focused on the allopathic villain - ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION and well, as you can expect, we had some fun with our pathologizing pals. The first false God to address was the notion that ED was ED and not an SD or systemic dysfunction -- which it is. So we did the holistic chore of panning back and connecting all the dots that are not in the picture. As we explained, ED is just another example of how imbalances in the way the brain or heart (in this case both) regulate the body's function leads to the natural result, which in this case is a bout of impotency (sorry, 80's relapse). By understanding the social and deeper psychological issues that are the ingredients for this condition, the self-organizing nature of the biologicial/organic aspects actually seem downright intelligent on behalf of the body.

Wordsoma - The first choice word I uttered is something totally off the radar of the ED community. The process of tumescence (wiki) which is the engourgement of the 'erectile tissues' is not typically tied to the aforementioned - RED LIGHT REFLEX - which I'll save you the trouble of Googling and give you the relevant lines from Thomas Hanna's timeless classic "Somatic" book...

The Red Light reflex causes contraction in the perineal muscles through synergistic action. Contraction also occurs because of the increased pressure in the abdominal cavity, which causes the sphincter muscles of the urethra and the anus to reflexly contract. This chronic tightening around the blood vessels leading to the penis and clitoris prevents full blood flow and full innervation, thus prevent tumescence.

Impotence is common among persons chronically contracted in the abdominal-perineal area. And these same persons are, predictably, shallow breathers subject to anxiety feelings. The problem would seem to be a traditional psychological one, but it is not. It is more often a reflexive muscular problem in control has been lost." (page 56)

So by recognizing the fundamental somatic reality - self AND surroundings - we can get beyond the labels that stigmatize ED and demonize the biology behind andropause and free men from themselves.

I found a typical moo doctor summary of ED for the moo inclined - enjoy the horror story (1)

The rest of you sapes can move from one kind of red light...to another... ;)

We mentioned a few books and I recalled a few that I'd thought I'd pop in here since the holidays are upon us...

Survival Of The Sickest by Sharon Moelum

Pelvic Power by Eric Franklin

Dynamic Imagery by Eric Franklin

And finally, here's the link to Professor Val's mention of the article: 12 Things To Throw At Bush

Time Techniques - ED is a great portrait in the circular aspect of what we called your closed identity in TSM (oops, sorry Wordsoma). Just to save you the trouble, a closed identity is what makes you feel disconnected, separated and distinct from your surroundings. It's the more common way we orient ourselves in the world and as we age, this strategy works against us as we shift gears from the survival-based biological brain to the evolution-based social brain. The downward spiral to ED has many stops on the train. But to use time as an ally, I related a story of a client who found a way to use his non-ED past as leverage to re-focus his attention during the 'moment of truth' as it were. You'll have to replay the show to get the details. The general idea is spelled out here below.

If we frame any undesired event (or desired one actually) as THIS TIME, we create a wave in time. The downside of that wave is called the MEANTIME, a period between the initial and the subsequent occurrence of the original event. Whenever that occurs is called NEXT TIME. Most of us are conditioned to spend our MEANTIME dreading, ignoring, dismissing, or denying that NEXT TIME will ever happen. Since we have six different time frames to access during MEANTIME, we have an opportunity to support the outcome we desire. To do that, we must view time as cyclical not linear.

TSM allows you to use your MEANTIME wisely so that no matter what happens NEXT TIME you can recover, renew and refresh your outlook because you're aware another MEANTIME will follow it. It works the same way for desired events. Rather than anticipating or craving NEXT TIME, we can take a more reflective position and allow for an appreciation of the prior event so if NEXT TIME arrives that is what surfaces and not addictive high of instant gratification. Both patterns take practice...

in the MEANTIME...check out our info product - Tacit Journey for more on this approach.

Related TSM Links - We're still gearing up for the holidays and want to include you!

Be a Soma Seller for our information/desktop products: http://www.somaspace.org/seller.html

Be a Soma Sponsor for our Live Workshops (we travel): http://www.somaspace.org/sponsor.html

Buy You Some Soma Now in our Webstore: http://www.somaspace.org/s4s.html

And in the store, pay special attention to the Somatic Companion for the ultimate emotional makeover.

For any detailed questions about TSM or our partnership opportunities contact Lota Samonte at (678) 701-8337 between 5pm and 9am ET (she's not from around here!) or e-mail her at lm_samonte@bellsouth.net - She'll handle most inquires with the day or in 24 hours at the most.

If you missed the show, rip & sip it later - mp3 - or just use the player in the sidebar now.

In case you missed the show, I promised these two clips to the listeners...enjoy!