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CDS Member News and ArticlesProfessional News Articles : : ON PRACTICE MANAGEMENT by Janyce Hamilton : Dentists, snap out of it! Dentists, snap out of it!January 2, 2008 Four years of Weight Watchers meetings, and I finally dropped that extra 35 pounds. Frustratingly slow is how I would describe the process of losing less than one pound a month. So while I may be currently "in shape," I am in "no shape" to be giving advice for rapid self-improvement. Instead, I defer to the experts. This month I found Adrianne Ahern, PhD, a clinical psychologist and consultant who divides her time between Reno, NV, and LaJolla, CA. She wrote, Snap Out of It Now! (Sentient Publications: Boulder, CO, 2007), a book promising its readers—some disappointed from short-lived effects of thousands of dollars of therapy—they can begin immediately to get back into the drivers’ seats of their lives. As Dr. Ahern says, "there is no time for autopilot." That being said, she admits that sometimes she struggles with whether or not she's achieving her goals, and so has to snap herself out of it—an honesty that lends credibility.
Instead of summarizing her do-it-yourself fulfillment program, below our conversation delves into Dr. Ahern, the person. The InterviewJanyce Hamilton (JH): What is the worst and the best advice you ever got? Dr. Adrianne Ahern: Worst advice: “You’ll succeed only if you do this exactly the way I am telling you to do it!” No room to be yourself. This was from a consultant at a workshop. Best advice: “Don’t be so serious, laugh a lot, be silly, and just be.” This from my mother when I was a child and it still rings true today. As a woman and performance psychologist, I experience laughter and the experience of childlike curiosity to be healing to the mind, body and spirit as it allows me to be myself.
JH: Who believed in you as a child and how have you, in turn, done this in your life? Dr. Ahern: My mother and father believed in me as a child and all through my life. Although my dad died when I was 27, I have always felt his strong faith in my ability to overcome difficulties and to achieve my dreams. I believe in people’s ability to achieve their dreams! I imagine that’s why I have been so successful as a performance psychologist—I truly believe that the people I work with have the potential to reach performance excellence. JH: What are some things you hope people say about you behind your back? Dr. Ahern: I would love to hear someone say about me, “Adrianne’s the real deal! She is truly connected with herself, others and God. When I’m with her, I feel a richness to our experience.” JH: Why are most people feeling "stuck in a rut" (for example, nothing exciting happens, so days and weeks run in together, year after year)? Dr. Ahern: As I say in my book, Snap Out Of It Now! and in my keynotes, people feel “stuck in a rut” because their brains have been hardwired to see limitations rather than possibilities. On my book tour over the summer months and recently on a speaking tour taking me to Boston and NYC, everyone I spoke to—in the airport while waiting for my flight, on the airplane, in the cabs, at the hotels, sales clerks in stores and in the Q&A after my keynotes—told me, “I really need to snap out of it!” People are stuck in a rut because they’ve been conditioned to live a certain way and they view anything that diverts from this way of living as impossible, silly or simply inappropriate. If your hardwiring says that, “I have to stay in this job until I retire,” even though you are very talented, you will stay stuck in a stressful, dead-end job because you don’t think you have an option. If you’re conditioned to believe that "success requires sacrifice," you'll feel uneasy working less than a 60-hour workweek. If your brain is convinced that you are "too old to find romance," you'll be blind to attractive people who might be interested in you. Here's the good news: As brain scientists probe the limits of neuroplasticity, we are finding that the brain can change as a result of the thoughts we think (Time Magazine, Steven Pinker, January 2007). So we have the capacity to re-wire the brain with new neuropathways—new thoughts and attitudes. I call this process re-wiring the counterproductive conditioning or changing negative thought patterns. We are conscious beings and we have choice about the wiring of our brains. My passion is to help others open their eyes to their own power to use this choice and to create a life of extraordinary meaning. JH: You are trapped in an elevator with another person. The repairman shouts through the door to sit tight because it's going to be a few hours before the doors can be opened. What would you like the conversation to be about with your elevator-mate? Dr. Ahern: I am fascinated about the lives of other people—what they believe and what they see as the possibilities of life. I am fascinated with the invisible aspects of life—feelings, experiences, sensations, thoughts, hopes, dreams, inspirations and spirituality. When conversations enter this realm, I feel a connection with myself—my spirituality—and with those with whom I am in conversation. I feel myself bursting with energy and stimulation when visiting expands into a sharing of the mysteries of life—our experiences and understandings. I would love to hear from the other what they are doing or not doing when they feel most alive—most elated and passionate about the experiences of being alive. JH: Tell me a story about your book or CDs affecting a person's life in a way that surprised or touched you. Dr. Ahern: Let me share an e-mail I received a month ago from a man who attended one of my talks and then purchased my series of CDs and book, Snap Out Of It Now! from my Web site.
I plan to give out rubber bands to whoever I meet who is stuck in a rut. JH: Your books would indicate you have the answers to life's vexing questions. So, you seem to have it all together--money, passion, and joy. What are you working on now? Dr. Ahern: I still struggle with my desire to be acknowledged and respected by others. At certain times the conditioned thought (hardwired into my brain), “I am never going to really make it,” provokes a physiological reaction in my body. At these times, I react with fear and doubt. My self-image takes a little hit. What I am working on is taking a breath to give me a moment of respite so that I am able to acknowledge this conditioned thought. With this acknowledgment, I am able to unplug the physiological reaction from my body. At this point, I recognize that I am already making it. Here, I introduce a new thought, “I know that I am making it and am only going to make it bigger!” Even though I know this in my head—that I should not react—I will react at certain times. I see this as a gift for me to practice so that I can truly rewire my brain. JH: Lastly, dentists reading this may be interested in insights into whether or not they should have goals and resolutions for success and happiness. What's your best advice concerning what they should think about doing this year? Dr. Ahern: Dentists are committed to improving their practices. They may not be aware that improving themselves—coming to grips with their own physiological reactions of insecurity—will not only greatly improve the success of their practice, but will also create an enhanced sense of self-satisfaction, a greater connection with significant others and an awareness of their deeper spirituality that exists within us all. We all make resolutions and often find we are not able to realize them. We don’t acknowledge that we are “multi-taskers.” Multi-tasking is a state of continual partial attention in which our focus, decision-making ability and performance suffers. In multi-tasking, our resolutions are lost within everything we do. Acknowledge that you multi-task and then choose one resolution that you truly want to fulfill. Wake up in the morning and acknowledge, “I am going to work on this one resolution.” Put it in your day-planner, Blackberry, Trio and iPhone. Jenny, a client of mine, wanted more than anything else to lower her golf handicap. She has never been able to do this. She has a personal golf coach and reads every golf book. She buys all of the golf goo-gaws—Santa Claus playing golf, coffee mugs, key changes with a golf ball, etc.—the modern day totems to provide you with the Mo-Jo magic and lower your score. She’s a retired teacher who is the one they called on to do workshops to help other teachers increase their focus and become better teachers. In retirement, she teaches for University of Phoenix helping young aspiring teachers to reach their goals. Jenny realized that all of this—her mental and physical training—was not working to lower her golf score. This is why she consulted me. Jenny’s golf score has been lowered beyond what she realized was even possible. She acknowledges that she did this by learning to not multi-task and by focusing, getting into “the Zone.” She has as her motto, “Practice makes permanent” (Tiger Woods). Dentists can learn how to stop multi-tasking and access the Zone, too. ConclusionIn Snap Out of It Now! Dr. Ahern writes, “There is an increasing awareness in all of us today that life is passing us by and an emerging desire to be present in the moments of our lives.” Do you feel you are living the life you want to be living, or are you feeling powerless? She believes that feelings of impatience, restlessness or numbness at excelling at your profession and personal life are the result of mostly unconscious emotional “reality conditioning” whereby we “respond to the expectations and judgments given to us from birth and unknowingly develop emotional roadblocks when you feel unsatisfactory, uncertain or deficient.” As the basis for her book, she instructs readers how to instantly (and over time) de-condition their reactions and thoughts about themselves and their abilities. Here is to reading Dr. Ahern’s book, and any other resources that may help you find your path, recognize your preexisting conditioned identifications, and snapping out of them so you can try on new thoughts. “The Little Engine That Could” taught us in elementary school that we are more likely to do something if we think we can.
And if you never get around to Nike’s “Just Do It!” well, at least you read a book this year. |
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