Grabbing inner peace while on the go: Stanford researcher's latest book offers quick-hit techniques for serenity, by Robin Evans
(San Jose Mercury News, January 22, 2005)
Six years ago, Fred Luskin began trying to demonstrate that being a forgiving person could actually improve one's health. Numerous studies and two books later, the Forgiveness Project that he has directed at Stanford Medical Center has come to an end -- and some happy conclusions.
Early on, Luskin presented evidence that forgiveness reduces anger and stress and thus the medical fallout from high blood pressure. He wrote about it in 2003's "Forgive for Good." In his latest book, "Stress Free for Good," he ties up that work with techniques for emotional well-being that his research has shown can be effective "on the fly" in daily life.
"We have distilled this stuff down to its essence: They are quick moments of reflection so stress doesn't build up, which can do particular damage to the cardiovascular system," said Luskin, who will speak Sunday at St. Jude's Episcopal Church in Cupertino and at several Bay Area bookstores this month. "This is where I wanted to end this -- forgiveness in regular life, not just after the disasters in life."
He developed the techniques through his research into the spiritual practices of many religions. Luskin himself would be the first to say thanks. It's one of the techniques.
What's been improved?
"When you look at it objectively, what has been improved on in human nature since Jesus or Buddha? What have we learned that they didn't know?" he said. "The yogis of India figured this out 3,000 years ago. They were the first to chart the inner experience of developing peace and learning to be quiet inside, through meditation, visual affirmation, mantras. All this stuff we just repackage and use.
"What we did was put science behind it and gave people as simple directions as possible so they can get it in a short period."
Luskin, now a senior fellow at the Stanford Center on Conflict and Negotiation, faced perhaps his biggest challenge when he worked with the families of the victims of violence in Northern Ireland. But he has given many of workshops to people in more normal circumstances, and he agrees with the saying that "It's the little things that will get you."
Daily hassles
"Daily hassles are more important than the big pressures. There's more duress in terms of stress and illness causation. They raise the blood pressure and spike the blood sugar. If you do 20 of those in a day, it's really hard on the nervous system."
How we react has big impact not just on our physical health but our emotional health -- and that can effect family life and career success.
Luskin's techniques helped a group of 40 salespeople in a study he conducted at American Express increase sales by 25 percent, he said. "We used an individual development plan and gave them guidance over a year. The control group increased sales by only 10 percent."
Here's a sampling of the techniques:
. Stop doing what isn't working. "Not whether it's bad or wrong, just `Is it working?' That gets people very quickly to `No, it's not, but I don't know what else to do. ' Then you can stop getting angry and wait and see. It's amazing how many solutions come up, how much energy is freed up."
. Acknowledge how much you care. "A lot of it is shifting focus, looking for good intentions and calming your physiology. Even if you don't like your job, realize you do it because you have two kids and a mortgage. That's such a heroic thing."
. Gratitude. "Just taking a look at your life and appreciating and almost breathing it into your body lowers your stress level. If you stop and think of nothing but how much you love your children, your breathing slows down, your heart rate stabilizes, your nervous system is harmonized and your brain cleared. It takes four to six seconds."
. Belly breathing. "From religious traditions to martial arts, it's known that a slow deep breath is the simplest way of calming the body and quieting the nervous system."
. Serenity prayer. "Your co-worker annoys the hell out of you. You drive yourself crazy every day hating him. Can you change him? If you can't, you can either blow out your aortic artery or try to accept a little bit. Making peace with the things you can't change."
For the widest appeal, Luskin has taken the word "God" out of his serenity prayer. But its essential call to forgiveness -- of one's self, the world and others -- is both secular and spiritual. Forgiveness, at its deepest level, he has said, is one of the ways people heal themselves and help the people around them.
"I'm eclectic enough to think that God doesn't care what we call him as long as we act with kindness."
