A newsletter to support High Performance Leadership and Creativity in
Individuals and Organizations™
Vm.
1, No. 2, 2001
By
Jan Hoistad, Ph.D., LP and Associates
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Do you
treasure your slumber and schedule it as valuable, even productive
time? Or are you the type who brags about how little sleep you need?
A
recent Public Radio International (PRI) show (#010218A "Sweet Dreams,
Sleepless Nights", $12.00 through The
Radio Store) looked at the necessity of sleep for learning, and
the contribution of sleep to a long and healthy life. Bob Stickold,
a neuroscientist from Harvard Medical School was one of those interviewed.
While there are about 15 theories regarding the function of sleep
in our lives, Stickold's research shows that after a period of learning,
the first night of sleep aids retention of the learning, if it is
for a period of 6 hours or more. The more sleep, the greater the retention
and consolidation of learning. Six hours or less showed no improvement
in the studies. And in addition, if the first night of sleep is missed
or too short after a learning task, the second or third nights sleep
do not help in learning.
So for
all of you who have high learning curves at work, and who are missing
your sleep - either due to a "macho" attitude or due to lack of time,
think of all you are losing and get those zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz's!
Other
interesting sleep topics on this tape include:
- Researching
learning in dreams
- Amnesiacs
and learning retention in dreams with no waking memory recall
- Creative
Writing on Insomnia
- Sleeping
your way to good health: How lack of sleep leads to obesity and
diabetes, and why?
- Healing
and precognitive dreams
Personally, I love to get a good 7.5 - 8.5 hours of restful sleep
at night. Like many others, I'm not always able to do this, but I
am noticeably more peaceful, content, and creative when I do.
I stopped
feeling guilty about enjoying my sleep years ago while studying how
to program the subconscious mind to help work on work and issues,
or to problem solve and create. I was reading and studying how to
access and program dreams, through lucid dreaming, keeping a dream
journal, studying self-hypnosis and trying to cram 60+ hours of activities
into a 40 hour week. A wise teacher at the time suggested that sleep
time was not "wasted" time, but rather a time for the body to recharge
and restore its batteries. She also suggested that the Mind or "spirit"
part of our Self continued to function. (See interview
with Robert Baker for a distinction between the human Brain and
the Mind).
Thus,
we can actually accomplish things 24 hours per day - we just need
to know how to program and access that learning while our body rests
for 8 of those hours. I found this a huge relief, especially since
I really do like my sleep and the results of my body being rested!
And so, I set about to experiment with all the possible ways human
beings can utilize sleep time more efficiently.
Some
of these experiments have included keeping "needs and wants lists",
putting notes under my pillow or on the nightstand about what I want
to problem solve, doing affirmations, using self-hypnosis and relaxation
exercises, or hypnosis tapes just before bed with suggestions custom
made just for my needs during that period of my life.
Over
the last 20-25 years of using these techniques consciously and consistently,
at least during periods of high productivity, I have been able to
start 3 entrepreneurial ventures, combine time for both art making
or writing and other work into a weekly schedule, and use the skills
in playful ways as well.
Some
of these have included waking up one day and knowing that I should
apply to graduate school and doing so within that week; having the
name of a new business venture and marketing materials coming into
my consciousness - fully formed - while taking a walk; desiring a
new outfit or object for my home and just "knowing" which store to
go to - and there it was!; "seeing" artworks I wanted to create and
then pursuing the making; "programming" my article writing and having
the words flow out my fingers as I sat down to the computer with only
the concept in mind; "coincidentally" calling a breeder of Kerry Blue
Terriers, 950 miles away, after searching for two years for the dog
I wanted, and having her tell me the puppies were one day old and
knowing one of the females would be mine! The list of practical and
playful experimentation and results goes on and on.
Now,
I have refined the interaction with my subconscious mind down to a
simple system and the output is enormous! For me this system includes
a combination of some of the following items:
- I
get very clear about the main goals or things I want to accomplish
in my life during a certain period of time, and write them down.
- I
keep long term goals (yearly or more) in a file and revisit them
once in while.
- I
keep short term goals on note sheets by my bed and change them whenever
needed. For example, if I am working on a 2 month writing project,
along with client proposals, I write down each thing I need to accomplish
and the deadline.
- I
remind myself once or twice a day or week what my goals are.
- I
utilize the audio tape series
or ask Robert Baker to make
me a customized hypnosis tape if I am trying to incorporate something
new into my life.
- Then,
I become very curious about all the creative output of my subconscious
mind, and I capture thoughts, ideas, hunches, dreams, ideas I awaken
with in the night, what I read, what people say, or what I observe
- anything that might pertain to my question - until I am ready
to utilize this output.
If you
are trying to improve your connection to the subconscious mind, I
recommend you experiment as well. You may find some unique techniques
that are all your own. Have fun in the process!
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