When I refer to “The Path,” I’m not referring to one path that everyone should take. The Path
does not, in any way, suggest a specific way for you to live or lead your life. The Path, as I am referring
to it, addresses how you are in the world and how you engage with the world. We can refer to
this in a different way by identifying your contact boundary. In fact, two contact boundaries: the
one where you and the outside world meet, and the one where you connect with your inner world.
The optimal path, or being on The Path, means that you engage with your external and internal
world with complete awareness and “response-ability.” By “response-ability,” I mean that your
presence is not impaired by past wounding or future worries. These cause a distraction that interferes with your ability to fully respond. Being on The Path means that you are fully able to notice and respond to any demand placed upon you. It also means you engage in the most appropriate management of your personal energy, or what I refer to as your “life force.”
If I am defining “The Path” as the optimal route, then most of the time you are somewhere
off this path and on another, going in a less-than-optimal direction—or simply wandering in the
wilderness (metaphorically speaking). Let me give you some examples of what I’m referring to. If
you have insecurities, you might awaken in the morning and worry about your day or a specific
event, such as a meeting later in the day. This worry results in physical tension, nervousness, and
the activation of your body’s stress response.
Dr. Stephen Sideroff is an internationally recognized expert in resilience, optimal performance, addiction, neurofeedback and alternative approaches to stress and mental health. He is Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA’s School of Medicine, as well as the Director of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Ethics. www.drstephensideroff.com
