The same week the Artemis II was making its way around the moon, an 80-year-old patient sat across from me in clinic.

My patient was sharing how she'd recently gone to a sound bath with Tibetan singing bowls. I was delighted to hear that she tried something new and was excited to hear how it went. She shared something that I was not at all expecting. She said that during the sound bath, she had the sensation of traveling through her whole life—moments, memories, versions of herself—and then said to me, "I had a cosmic experience."

She went on to say, “I’ve felt my whole life like there was someone inside of me who didn’t like me. Like there was this voice that made me feel like I wasn’t enough.”

She sat there for a moment in silence, then said, “I traversed through my life, like a visitor. And when I came back to myself…at the center of all of it, there was just me. Just Jane*. And there was nothing but love.”

I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that. Or her. Or the astronauts on Artemis II. And the similarity between them.

That in all of the immense spaciousness of a human life or space itself, it all comes back to the same thing...connection and love.

Victor Glover, the pilot on Artemis II, said it this way:

"You're on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, in the cosmos."

"Maybe the distance between us makes what we're doing seem special, but we're the same distance from you. And I'm trying to tell you—just trust me—you are special."

science.

That “voice” she described? It’s something we all have.

In neuroscience, it’s often referred to as the default mode network (DMN)—a network of brain regions that essentially make up our inner narrator. It’s where self-referential thinking lives. Our identity, our stories, our sense of who we are and who we are in relation to others.

And for many people, it’s also where our inner critic resides.

Over time, shaped by early experiences, relationships, and conditioning, the brain builds patterns of thought that become automatic. Connections are made between the DMN and other parts of the brain that impact emotion, concentration, and memory.

From a physiological standpoint, negative self-talk activates the same stress pathways as external threat. Cortisol rises. Our nervous system gets activated. The body responds as if something is wrong. Because, in a way, it is. You’re living with a voice that doesn’t make you feel safe or secure.

But here’s what’s important: That voice is not fixed.

Practices that shift awareness—like meditation, breathwork, sound-based experiences, specific types of therapy—can help quiet the default mode network and begin to shift those old internal patterns.

We’re learning more and more about the brain’s capacity to change—to rewire, heal, and shift, even as we age. My patient’s experience brought that truth to life. At 80, she is still curious. Still open. Still willing to explore. And in that openness, she changed her relationship with herself. It was a beautiful reminder that it’s never too late.

story.

My patient, "Jane" is one of many who has changed the way I view the world. Her curiosity, courage, and willingness to be open to new experiences and to learning more about herself left a real mark on me.

I have a distinct and deep knowing that we—every human being—are all connected. But she, along with many of my patients, come to visit and remind me of that fact right there in the moment.

It usually happens when I'm in a hurry or having a chaotic day. Rushing from task to task. In my head or stressed. Then a Jane shows up and reminds me, like, "Hey. You. ...You are here and have a job to do...we need you here. Open-hearted."

Then I put my watch away and I sit and listen to Jane and feel the threads between us stitching us together. Healing us both.

shift.

The Centering Practice

Stand with your feet about hip width apart. Close your eyes or hold a soft gaze.

Take a deep breath and scan from the top of your head, slowly down through your body to your toes. Breathe into your length.

Stand a little straighter, breathing into your length. From top to bottom. Feel into your dignity.

Next, start scanning your body from side to side. Temple to temple, ear to ear.

Shoulder to shoulder. One hip to the other hip. Right knee to left knee. Foot to foot. Breathe into your width. Side to side.

Take up space, breathing into your width. Into your connectedness. Your reach. Your love.

Now scan front to back. Starting at the top, scan your face and move through to the back of your head. Continue breathing and feeling into the front of your chest, through your heart, your lungs, and to your back. Moving down through your belly, your pelvis. Breathe into your depth.

Feel your heart beating, your lungs breathing. Imagine at your back, all the experiences you've walked through to get to this moment in time, all the relationships, the difficulties, the joy, the loss, all that has come before. And then breathe, feel the front of you, and imagine the expansive, open potential of what is to come in your future. Take a deep breath and feel into the present moment. You are right where you are meant to be. Exactly as you are.

I learned this style of meditation at the Hoffman Institute. It's a beautiful practice that can help us feel grounded, connected, and empowered.

__________________________

This week, try something new.

Go for a hike. Go to a sound bath. Take a painting class. Put on music and dance in your living room.

Anything that lights you up, opens your heart, or shifts your perspective. Then share it. You never know who it might inspire to do the same.

Until next time.
Hearts open. All love.
Dr. Aimee