If you’re a follower of the show Nashville, then you’re probably wondering if Deacon Claybourne is going to relapse (yet again). I’m thinking no. He’ll pull through on his own and with the help of his 12-step program this time. But if I were writing the script, I would have Deacon start meditating.
That would shift everything in his drama filled world. With a daily meditation practice, Deacon’s amygdala would not go into fight or flight every time he feels threatened in a relationship with another hottie (his age or half his age). Yes, remember he tapped Juliette in the pilot season! Dude has been around the block. But back to his amygdala…finding out he has a daughter that his been right under his nose for fourteen years would not phase his amygdala (nearly as much) if he were a meditator.
It might play out something like, he discovers the big secret and he immediately feels a knot in his stomach. He is able to be very present, take a few deep breaths and recognize that he is feeling a mix of emotions. Angry, hurt, deceived, powerless, etc. And then he is able to notice that the feelings seem to calm when he acknowledges them. And then he has a passing thought about a bottle of whiskey and he recognizes it as an old thought pattern that just doesn’t work for him anymore. And the process goes on of noticing what is coming up, but not having to act and react in irrational ways. He senses a bit of a buffer between the emotions and his need to react.
Now all of this doesn’t happen just by stopping to take a few deep breaths. No the Mindful Deacon in my script would have been meditating on a daily basis and THAT is what caused him to be able to deal with drama in a mindful way when it arose. It’s not a matter of using the tools when you need them, but rather, meditating as a regular practice so that you can manage life in all of it’s forms as it is dealt out to you.
And if he were meditating on a regular basis he would have calmer energy and a calmer demeanor and wouldn’t attract as much drama to begin with. Which I guess defeats the purpose of having him on an evening drama show. But that still wouldn’t stop me from writing Deacon onto a meditation cushion every episode.
High Bottom 