They say that the mind is a wonderful slave and a terrible master. Amen!
Anyone who has ever felt locked in his or her head knows the awful feeling when an over-reacting mind takes control. We freeze up and our ability to respond shuts down. For you lucky ones who have never experienced this, feel free to turn the page or better yet, stick around and learn how to help those of us who do get stuck. We need you!
When we’re locked in our heads, it’s impossible to tell ourselves what we need to hear when we need to hear it. Fear and instinct collide, making so much noise in our heads that we can’t hear anything else. We can’t hear our trainer giving direction. And we can’t hear the quiet intuitive voice, the bearer of good and gentle guidance, the one I wish I listened to more often. We can’t enjoy the moment because, being “locked,” we miss it, like being behind a glass wall. Once we’re locked up, the natural reaction is to force our way out by trying too hard. We fall prey to the belief that if I just try harder it will get better. (See my April column on “being perfect.”)

Breaking the Vulcan Mind Lock, for those of us old enough to remember Spock from Star Trek, requires a different approach. Rather than a head-on assault, which only reinforces the locked mind, we need a lateral approach that will gently open the mind up again. So here are a few suggestions from a lifelong warrior of this battle.

1. Get clear on your fears. They don’t have to be rational and usually they’re not. What makes you feel vulnerable? What triggers the lock up? A short time dedicated to journaling on these questions will pay back in the form of important clues.

2. Next, check your fears against the evidence. Let’s say my fear is that I’m afraid to jump a certain line. Checking the evidence I can see that all the other students in my lesson have jumped it, I know the number of strides and I know my horse has a consistent stride that easily makes it down the lines. So I ask myself if this fear really makes sense and the answer is no. Clue #1: our heads lie to us!

3. The next step is to breathe. How easily we forget! Ever get to the end of a course winded because you’ve held your breath the entire time? Breathing is a wonderful tool to “bring you back” – back to center and out of the mind lock. Concentrating on the exhale works best for me. Nothing forced, just normal breathing. Staying with the breath is a tool of meditation that keeps the wandering mind on track.

4. Now give your mind something to focus on, like repeating a little mantra or even just counting. Recently, I had a great lesson in which we counted strides. Not just the lines in a course but all our strides. This focus on the number, 40, 41, 42 and so on, was a great tool. It gave my mind something to do while I had a great ride.

So my suggestion in facing the mind lock is this: Do your homework, share what’s going on with someone else, ask for support and try the tools. I believe you’ll find it to be a winning strategy.
Until next time, I wish you the happy freedom of an unlocked mind, an open heart and a great ride.