The Actual Dance as a play presents the events of the year 2000 from my point of view as the spouse of the woman going through breast cancer. Now, seventeen years later, it is apparent that I did not fully understand how deeply the experience impacted me. It took me 12 years to write the story, so to speak, and the last nearly 5 years I have been telling it through performances of the play. Every October I blog daily to help in raising awareness and to share elements of the story that I hope are of value to those who read these blogs.
Day 6: “All of a sudden I am watching the scene unfold from above it! The only other time in my life that I had an out-of-body experience was when I was six years old and having my tonsils out.” The Actual Dance
This not just a “line” from the play, it is what really happened. As we -- Susan and me -- walked into the breast surgeon’s office to get the biopsy results of the tissue taken from the area of Susan’s breast that had felt “funny” to her internist, my eyes glanced down to a piece of paper with the doctors “crude drawings.” And I instantly knew … I KNEW … what it meant. And all I can remember now is “watching the scene unfold from above it.”
I was out-of-body, literally floating above the room as the doctor was explaining to both of us what it he had found and what it mean. I was down there too, the table and I was floating above, “my back almost touching the ceiling.”
Are Out of Body Experiences real?
I was asked once after a performance by a nursing student if what I described was real or a dream. My answer was “I don’t know.” What a perfect question from a nursing student – wanting to know if it is possible that a perceived unconscious patient is ‘watching.”
There is a lot of literature on the topic. Check here for a recent article some studies. And here for the paranormal field take. And here for what for Wikipedia says. Maybe it is just a stress reaction?
Stat of the Day: Some good news. Breast cancer deaths have dropped 39% between 1989 and 2005
Task of the Day: Breathe. I learned that the best source of peace for me was in my breathe. I learned this from an amazing acting teacher and mentor Carol Fox Prescott. Check out her resources, which are aimed at acting students and are prefect for real life!
Resource of the Day: Another way to deal with stress is to walk a Labrynith. Check out this locator to find one near you. It is both spiritual and secular. Spiritual if you are inclined, simply a way to quiet the mind if not.
Day 6: “All of a sudden I am watching the scene unfold from above it! The only other time in my life that I had an out-of-body experience was when I was six years old and having my tonsils out.” The Actual Dance
This not just a “line” from the play, it is what really happened. As we -- Susan and me -- walked into the breast surgeon’s office to get the biopsy results of the tissue taken from the area of Susan’s breast that had felt “funny” to her internist, my eyes glanced down to a piece of paper with the doctors “crude drawings.” And I instantly knew … I KNEW … what it meant. And all I can remember now is “watching the scene unfold from above it.”
I was out-of-body, literally floating above the room as the doctor was explaining to both of us what it he had found and what it mean. I was down there too, the table and I was floating above, “my back almost touching the ceiling.”
Are Out of Body Experiences real?
I was asked once after a performance by a nursing student if what I described was real or a dream. My answer was “I don’t know.” What a perfect question from a nursing student – wanting to know if it is possible that a perceived unconscious patient is ‘watching.”
There is a lot of literature on the topic. Check here for a recent article some studies. And here for the paranormal field take. And here for what for Wikipedia says. Maybe it is just a stress reaction?
Stat of the Day: Some good news. Breast cancer deaths have dropped 39% between 1989 and 2005
Task of the Day: Breathe. I learned that the best source of peace for me was in my breathe. I learned this from an amazing acting teacher and mentor Carol Fox Prescott. Check out her resources, which are aimed at acting students and are prefect for real life!
Resource of the Day: Another way to deal with stress is to walk a Labrynith. Check out this locator to find one near you. It is both spiritual and secular. Spiritual if you are inclined, simply a way to quiet the mind if not.
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