North Carolina Sea Turtles
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
African Proverb
There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NIV)
It was an odd coincidence! After remotely listening to a sermon on “Belonging”, I switched live-streams and was introduced to a new book by psychologist, Lisa Miller, PhD, “The Awakening Brain”. The book addresses the neuroscience of our “connectivity”. In this book the spiritual dimension of our lives is examined with scientific rigor in a personal memoir format. One of her fascinating recurring experiences is the synchrony of events. She makes the argument that there is an underlying “time” reality that connects us with each other and the world around us.
I have lived within the reality of obstetric time - obstetric seasonality and circadian rhythms. Most of my interest was “within” not “between” individuals. But now, there is a new approach in obstetrics! “Centering antenatal care“ is a group care model designed to improve obstetric outcomes using facilitated support groups. It has worked well within specific demographic groups. Could it be that there is a biologic power of deep connectedness that maximizes obstetric outcomes? Maybe that synchrony is the mechanism of action.
For me, this strategy for healing goes beyond the individual to the power of a connected community. They have the power of healing. It is what communities of faith have done in building deep spiritual connections.
Thanks be to God for timing connections,
Marvin
References:
Hage, M. L. (2011). Faithful Minds.
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2011/05/faithful-minds.html
Hagerty, B. B. (2010). Fingerprints of God: What Science Is Learning About the Brain and Spiritual Experience (Reprint ed.). Riverhead Trade.
Miller, L. (2021). The Awakened Brain. Random House.
Wolchover, N. Scientists Discover Exotic New Patterns of Synchronization
https://www.quantamagazine.org/physicists-discover-exotic-patterns-of-synchronization-20190404/
Hage, M. L. (2019). Healing Time.
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2019/07/healing-time.html
Hage, M. L. (2019). Healing Time - Part II.
http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2019/09/healing-time-part-ii.html
ACOG Committee Opinion No. 731 Summary: Group Prenatal Care. Obstet Gynecol 2018;131(3):616-618
