Hi,
I'm Angie Gowen.
You're here now because you have a medical appointment coming up,
And you're experiencing some worry and anxiety about it.
I've been here myself many times.
So,
Let's see if we can lean into whatever is showing up right now,
And bravely welcome this white coat worry.
Please settle yourself into a safe,
Comfortable spot,
And gently close your eyes.
Allow your attention to drift to the natural rising and falling of your own breathing for just a few moments.
Now,
In your mind's eye,
Picture yourself at your upcoming medical appointment.
You've been called out of the waiting area and have been ushered into your treatment room.
You're sitting on that crinkly paper of the exam table or in a chair,
Waiting for the doctor.
What are you thinking as you wait?
With curiosity and without judgment,
Observe those thoughts now.
We're going to let those thoughts continue to swirl exactly as they'd like to.
We're not going to try to stop them,
Fix them,
Believe them,
Reframe them,
Or manipulate them in any way.
We're simply going to take a moment to focus on the movement of the thoughts themselves.
Stay out of the meaning of the content here,
And watch each thought form as it naturally morphs into a new one.
See how thought changes on its own.
Let's do this together,
Now.
White coat worry isn't just about thoughts,
Though,
Is it?
It's also about feelings,
Particularly ones that we don't like.
Welcoming whatever feelings are here in the present moment allows us the opportunity to authentically experience life as it is.
We are meeting life in the present moment,
Which is the only actual moment.
Pushing away,
Distracting from,
Or trying to manipulate our feelings to get them to go away doesn't work.
Instead of diverting,
We're going to welcome the feelings that are simply here to be felt.
This is safe to do.
So,
Together,
We're going to mentally transport ourselves back into that treatment room,
Waiting for the doctor.
Allow your mind to make a very detailed image of you in that room,
Now.
Hear the busy footsteps of the people in the hallway.
Smell that antiseptic smell.
Feel your bum on the exam table or in that chair.
Got it?
Now,
With that scenario in mind,
Drop 100% of your attention into your body right now.
Your thoughts may be here,
But they are entirely unimportant.
Focus on the sensations in your body.
You are safe.
Welcome,
Welcome,
Welcome to any sensation.
Breathe.
Are there any areas of tightness or contraction anywhere?
Welcome,
Welcome,
Welcome tightness and contraction.
You're allowed to be here.
You are not a problem.
You are part of being human.
We are going to be with you as you move,
However you need to move.
Breathe.
Is there a racing heart,
A clenching gut,
Nausea,
Or something else here?
Welcome,
Welcome,
Welcome to all of them.
They are allowed to be here.
They are not a problem.
They are energy moving,
And they are part of being human.
We're going to be with all of these fleeting sensations as they move,
However they need to.
I am still here with you.
Breathe.
Stay down in the body for just a little while longer.
You're doing beautifully.
Notice now how the sensations have shifted as we've welcomed them.
Maybe only a little bit.
Maybe quite a lot.
Maybe you're having a hard time noticing much sensation at all.
Whatever is here is absolutely okay,
Simply because it is the truth of the moment,
And the moment itself is complete.
Breathe.
When you feel ready,
Blink your eyes open.
Allow your attention to focus on your current surroundings and reach out with your senses.
Really look at what's here now.
Hear what there is to hear now.
Breathe deeply through your nose and smell the air now.
Reach out and touch something near you now.
Right now,
In your direct sensory experience,
There is no doctor's office.
There wasn't a few minutes ago either.
There was only the manifestation of imagination.
Right now,
There is a body-mind doing what body-minds do,
Creating an inside-out experience of perceptions and sensations.
Thoughts arise,
Move,
And change on their own.
Sensations arise,
Move,
And change on their own.
There is nothing to fear in the continuous movement of that experience.
Can you be in a body with tightness,
Constriction,
A racing heart,
A clenching gut,
Or any other passing sensation?
You only ever have to be with any experience for this moment,
Because this moment is the only one there is.
And when it feels like it gets to be too much,
Breathe.
Remember,
Awakening can only ever happen right now.
Until next time,
Peace and love to you.
