Let's Get Psychophysical - Newsletter #1

A list of 5 things to integrate your body, emotions, mind and spirit

Mar 26, 2021

Hello, it’s Kevin. Welcome to the first of these weekly newsletters.

Every Friday, I send you things I’ve found that promote wholeness, integration and “waking up” - rather than fragmentation, dis-integration and falling asleep.

Let me know what you think.

Book:

The Iliad by Homer (x3)

I am currently (re)reading & listening to multiple translations all at the same time:

Stephen Mitchell’s (audiobook, read nicely by the English actor Alfred Molina… which I listen to on long walks along the Mediterranean coast in sunny Cyprus. So there. Flex.)
Richmond Lattimore’s (more poetic, excellent bedside book)
Juan Balboa’s (more philosophical, free PDF online)

In my view, the Ancient Greeks are impossible to understand if you don’t approach them psychophysically.

For example, I think there are clues to an almost forgotten “mind-body practice” in both the sculptures and writings of a certain period. Traces of a psychophysical technique that exists somewhere in between philosophy and athletics. They thought physically, and they moved intellectually.

So- I am harvesting Homer for evidence and examples of this, before moving on to the rest of the gang. This will mostly likely have to be a video series on YouTube.

Video:

Dr Iain McGilchrist on the physiological effects of poetry, literature and music

“A computer will never write or understand a poem until it has blood coursing through its chips.”
— Dr Iain McGilchrist

This is psychiatrist and author of The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World. Which is definitely in my top five essential books for understanding the 21st century. Plus some earlier ones too.

Quote:

On how to study a complex whole

“A psychology concerned with the study of the complex whole must comprehend this. It must replace the method of decomposing the whole into its elements with that of partitioning the whole into its units. Psychology must identify the units in which the characteristics of the whole are present, even though they may be manifested in altered form. Using this mode of analysis, it must attempt to resolve the concrete problems that face us.”
L.S. Vygotsky, Thinking and Speech (Collected Works, volume 1)

You can replace the word psychology with anything important to you. What are the most basic units inherent to the phenomenon you are studying, which cannot be decomposed any further without losing the characteristics of the whole?

For example, in the posture and coordination lessons I teach, the most basic unit needs to be (a) smaller than complete actions like sitting, standing or walking; while also (b) larger than isolated elements like muscles or body segments.

The smallest unit which contains the whole is the act of leaning forward and backward. This involves many moving parts - and thoughts, and feelings - all happening at the same time. A psychophysical whole.

All of your habits and postural problems are revealed during these, seemingly simple, everyday movements. To change this one habit is to change the whole of your movement habits.

Artwork:

Newton by William Blake

I love this, it’s genius. There are many things going on here, but I want to focus on one: the relationship between posture, attention and science/technology.

Where are the “compasses” in your own life that make you forget your body? And how does this in turn affect your mind?

Experiment:

How to “see ourselves as others see us”

The purpose of this psychophysical experiment is to move from our subjective feelings and sensations about our body’s postures, towards a more objective point of view.

Record yourself sitting at the desk using the computer or writing.
Set up the camera so you are side on, and visible from head to toe.
Work on something meaningful or important for 20 minutes - long enough so that you forget about the camera!
Now watch the video: play on high speed, forward and back….
Do you notice any patterns? How much of it do you remember? Are you shortening or lengthening in stature?

Have fun & enjoy your weekend!

Thanks for reading,

Kevin

P.S. If you want to learn “psychophysical exercises” to improve your posture, focus & self-talk, then either reply to this email, or message me on Twitter.