I have noticed that once I start to be aware of something, mull it over, and hold it in my mind, it begins to shift my lens a bit. We begin to recognize something, and suddenly we see it everywhere. In the research this is known as the frequency illusion, and is due to selective attention and confirmation bias. Our brains choose what to pay attention to, and what we see confirms what we believe. It’s not that these things weren’t there before, we just weren’t attuned to them. Here’s a real world example – in Minneapolis, where I am from, we have an annual art car parade – a silly, playful and spectacular parade of cars painted, decorated and designed with whimsy. After seeing the parade, I began to notice some of those same art cars driving around in the community and they would bring a smile to my face. Why had I not noticed these cars before? Then I wondered, how many other cars am I seeing multiple times and not even noticing, because I am not tuned into them?
It is the same thing with emotions like awe – if we are able to notice and cultivate experiences such as awe they tend to show up in unexpected places. As we have been building Destination Psych CE, we are having a lot of discussions about who we are, what we value and believe and what we want to create together. The daily work of therapists can be depleting, and at times we find ourselves stressed, burned out, and less able to stay in touch with sustaining feelings such as awe. Creating opportunities to experience awe is part of what we are aiming for. So… awe has been on my mind.
Another topic that Gretchen, Karla and I have been exploring is the idea of how spaces and places impact our experience. I have always associated awe with natural spaces, so I was really surprised when I noticed that I was feeling awe on a trip to New York City. I recently spent a week in New York, where I grew up, and have not been since before the pandemic. First of all, I noticed a kind of nervous system groundedness that surprised and delighted me. I felt like I was home! In the middle of all of the hubbub, chaos and noise, I noticed myself settle and open up to experience.
The awe that I felt in New York was a different variety than the awe I feel in nature; I was amazed by the brilliance of urban planners who creatively designed so many living spaces such as Central Park, Riverside Park and other, beautiful walkable spaces, and piers along the water. I saw people of all ages and cultures eating, playing, biking and just living their lives. And it was in the Metropolitan Museum, a wonder of beautiful architectural spaces and art of all kinds spanning thousands of years that I found myself saying, quietly and out loud – I am feeling awe! This is awe! It was a kind of love for humanity, an appreciation of all that we bring, how we survive, how we express ourselves and connect with each other, how we thrive …and it was more than a thought – it was a full – body sensation.
We can’t force awe, but we can set up opportunities to experience it, notice it when we are graced with it, and celebrate it. Where have you experienced awe? How has awe surprised you?
