"Science is wont to elaborate on the most minute details of cellular composition or the exchange of ions between tissues, or describe the mechanics of blood flow or the chemistry of digestion, but it hesitates, indeed, it avoids, or perhaps is impotent, to speculate on or explore how the elaborate machinery of the body invariably bends to the will of consciousness."
 ---Barbara Brown

Transformations of the body tend to be accompanied by transformations of consciousness.

      Michael Murphy makes this point quite succinctly in his excellent article, "The Mysterious Powers of Body and Mind" [Esquire/May 1986]:
      "Though this fact is rarely reported on the sports pages... intense athletic effort is also reported to be accompanied at times by telepathic, precognitive, and other paranormal experiences. According to some athletes, such states of expanded consciousness have improved their consciousness and enhanced the way their bodies function in general."

      The mind-state directly preceeding episodes of consciouness projecting into the body is described by most athletes as being in the 'zone'. The 'zone' is a state of surrealistic time (where the perception of time speeds up or slows down), and a state of very deep concentration, sometimes enabling the person to be both the observer and the observed.

            Many world-class athletes have all reported being in the slow brain-wave state known as the 'zone.'
      As several Letters to the Editor in the 05/07/89 issue of the New York Times Sunday magazine point out, the "zone" is by no means restricted to world-class level athletes or activities:

      Charles Ritzberg, Probation Warrant Officer (Retired) (The Bronx):
"As a law enforcement officer, I have reached the zone that Lawerence Shainberg described in "Finding The Zone" (April 9, 1989)---albeit only in later years---particularly when I have been working with younger, more excitable officers in life-threatening situations. It seem as if time slows down, sometimes frighteningly so---so that everything becomes clear, and I make no errors. I attribute this effortless state to experience and proficiency, as I recall nothing like this happenning to me during combat in Korea."

      Jeffrey L. Kaufman, M.D. (Albany):
"I have observed the phenomenon among surgeons. There are times when these physicians describe their work as occurring far faster than anticipated: time has "dilated", and movements are performed flawlessly. I suspect that there are many occupations in which the techniques described in your article can be utilized to enhance performance."

      Stanley Sherr (The Bronx):
"What L. Shainberg is talking about in his article is a realization of the Tao, an attainment of oneness, the arrival at the simple truth. The phenonmenon is not just experienced by world-class athletes, nor is it reached only from within the areana of sports. There have been times when I, a playground basketball player, have the sense of watching myself and the other players as if from an elevated position. everything seems connected on the rectangle. The ball goes where I know it is going. The shot is in before it is taken. I am competing, but I am above competition. As an artist, I have realized similar episodes when the paint flows and the image grows, as if I am only the vehicle and the picture is painting itself. I think this is truly the creative time."

      Nancy G. Westerfield (Kearny, Neb.):
"L. Shainberg's article interested me greatly. I believe it can happen to even your common, garden-variety walker. Now in my 64th year and never having owned an automobile, I have walked all my life. Frequently, I walk a 5 mile round-trip to a vet to buy prescription cat food. In the past two years, I have begun to experience occasions when I felt lifted up, carried, as it were, by some invisible force. My feet, gnarled and hardened over the years, become the feet of youth. I am exceptionally agile, with quickened response time. I, too, have entered the zone. How marvelous to share---at street level---in the experience of the great athletes."

      Gemma Tarlach, Co-Captain, Varsity Archery Team, Columbia U. (as of 05/07/89) (New York, NY):
"On behalf of my team, I'd like to thank Mr. Shainberg for his discussion of archery. Finding the zone is a goal in itself for many archers, transcending competition and score. For many of us, archery is not only a sport but a spiritual exercise, the results of which---relaxation, improved concentration and better mental discipline-- -carry over into our daily lives."

      Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Professor of psychology and education at the U. of Chicago in the article, "The Power of Concentration" (NY Times Sunday Mag.; Good Health sect., 10/08/89):
"Ritual can be used to focus attention, to help create a situation in which total absorption can take place. Ritual strips the mind of outside concerns. To maintain focus, it is necessary to concentrate COMPLETELY ON THE PRESENT MOMENT, as in self- hypnosis or meditation. Any concern for failing and looking bad---or succeeding and looking good---will break the concentration. You must subordinate the outcome to the immediacy of the moment. But as the moment takes over, it must be sustained by feedback."

      One of the main reasons it may be essential to gain the ability to achieve the "zone" (and related effective brain-wave states (delta and theta)) is to assist in the repair and maintenance of one's own body. Indeed, these may prove to be the most easily achievable slow-brainwave state abilities.