The Simplicity of Everyday Nothing Therapy is a term we just invented for a wellness tactic that was shared with us by one of our employees: doing nothing. Banishing your phone, taking social media breaks, playing hooky. Take your Nothing Therapy to the next level and go on a hiatus or sabbatical from work, if you’re lucky enough to do so. Speaking of abstaining, some members of our informal wellness study had wonderful things to say about going on a silent retreat because it taught them about the intentionality of words. Many also mentioned fasting and intermittent fasting, to take Nothing Therapy to the culinary realm. People have practiced this abstinence of eating (usually for 24-72 hours) for centuries, and even weave it into their spiritual practices. Science says that fasting might be good for weight loss, boosting brain function, enhancing heart health, fighting inflammation and promoting blood sugar control. Is nothing too hard for you to do, Busybody McGee? There are plenty of other therapeutic activities that are available in everyday life. Cold plunges are the newest trend in wellness and purport the benefits of freezing temperatures including a rush of endorphins, decreasing inflammation, spiking dopamine and reducing stress. If you don’t have a freezing lake to jump into, try turning your shower freezing cold for 10 seconds at a time and working your way up. Some even use cryotherapy in their facials or as a whole body experience, subjecting their bodies to freezing temperatures from 3-5 minutes — anything longer can be fatal. Coloradoans can also experience a safer, more natural therapeutic combination of hot and cold by visiting hot springs in the winter. Walking barefoot in the mud, getting your hands dirty in the garden, or other ordinary sensory delights run the gamut, from cuddle puddles with your loved ones to baking. Speaking of which, The Great British Bake-Off was mentioned as an antidote to depression, and we couldn’t agree more. Something about this wholesome, creative, sweet and gentle competition in the gorgeous countryside makes us feel better about the world. At home, you can download wellness apps, watch baby animal videos on the internet, or fall asleep to ASMR videos (autonomous sensory meridian response). Whether or not you experience ASMR tingles — the warm shivers that some feel when experiencing something relaxing — ASMR videos can be relaxing for all types of people. Or weird. Or both. For those looking for something active in our everyday lives, try roller skating at Skate City, roller coasters (check out Kaleidoscape at Elitch Gardens!), cathartic karaoke sessions, forest bathing, walking for miles and miles, taking up a hobby (like curling!) where you’re not only using your mind and body, you’re becoming part of a social community. One of the most interesting everyday therapies offered up to us was suffering. After doing something intensely hard, there is a feeling of peace afterwards. The popularity of CrossFit makes us think that this theory checks out — or, try volunteering in a community garden. Your hard work will give you a sense of peace and help your community at the same time. The Sweetness of Sound Sound bath healing might sound like something you need to join a commune to experience, but you can find the top 10 places to experience a sound bath on Yelp. Sound bath practitioners might use tuning forks, crystal bowls or gongs to create an immersive listening experience that is said to slow down your brain waves and put you in a dreamlike state. Audio vibrational therapy has participants lying on a crystal mat while the practitioner rings tuning forks at different “high energy” spots over the body. Audio aficionados can even take a pilgrimage to the Integraton in 29 Palms near Joshua Tree. Their website boasts a fusion of art, science and magic as they offer 35 minutes of 20 quartz bowls in a giant dome structure. If you can’t make it to Joshua Tree, try searching for music at home that has solfeggio frequencies: 9 electromagnetic tones that are said to have healing power and have been found in ancient sacred music — like Gregorian chant — as early as the 8th century. This is just one of many forms of sound people believe to be healing — some praise the merits of “green sound.” Denverites can check out an ITCHY-O concert for a noise bath, which they describe on their website as “a combination of audio, visual and spiritual submersion, transporting you to a higher level of inner space via meditative practice.” Dance parties can also be an immersive way to bathe your senses in sound while releasing tension, finding community and getting a workout — in Denver, consider Lipgloss, goth nights, Weird Touch, Beacon Denver, Mile High Soul Club, or Scorpio Palace. Forest bathing (i.e. a natural hike in the forest) can be a form of sound healing, because according to Sensory Integration used by occupational therapists, sound coming from different points (think birds chirping all around you) is grounding to the nervous system because it reminds your mind and body where you are in space. Last but not least, might we suggest a walk through our swamp world at Convergence Station, Numina? The sound in Numina was designed to give the feel of something botanical and lush, but not from this world. Altered States of Consciousness What do isolation tanks, breathwork, psychedelics and immersive art have in common? They’re all ways that people access altered states of consciousness. Sensory deprivation tanks are an incredibly popular way to experience a different state of being without drugs. Participants float in a tank where external stimuli is removed as much as possible. Floating without light and sound has the effect of making one feel like they’ve left their body behind. It can have myriad effects: it can be relaxing, cause participants to go on a mental journey, or even feel like a time warp. After LSD was outlawed in the 60s, psychologists developed a practice called Holotropic Breathwork as a way to access psychedelic states without psychedelic drugs. Participants go through certified practitioners to learn how to breathe rapidly so that a form of hyperventilation causes a dreamlike state. Just because something is natural doesn’t mean that it’s risk-free; Verywell Mind says that while it can be a therapeutic tool, it can come with risks, so do your research beforehand to see if you’re one of the people who should avoid it. For a totally safe, accessible, drug-free and natural way to achieve a state of transformation, we recommend immersive art. Meow Wolf exhibitions offer the chance for escape from everyday banality, adventure, and a way to get lost in your senses. Scientists are interested in the psychology of awe; research says that experiences that include awe are “self-transcendent: they shift our attention away
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