ISUMATAQ: Your Secret To Maintaining Sanity

😱EVER FELT LIKE YOU WERE “LOSING IT”?🙃 DID YOU FEEL LIKE CHAOS WAS SWIRLING ALL AROUND YOU?😲 If you’ve lived much life at all, you’ve probably felt that way at some point. There’s a sacred word in the Inuit Native Alaskan language that I believe holds the answers for how to regain control in the midst of chaos. Stay tuned as we explore this topic.

🌟Topics in this Episode🌟

01:56   Research has proven that mindset, mindfulness and meditation can literally alter your                    genetic expression
 04:19   What's the motivation to be a caretaker?
 05:50  Are you happy in your caregiver role?
 09:29  Are you an interdependent of co-dependent relationship?
 13:03  Aim to be the ISUMATAQ
 15:54  Anyone can be an ISUMATAQ

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Transcript

 ITZ_EP75_ISUMATAQ_ Your Secret to Maintaining Sanity

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Isumataq, caretaker, caregiver, client, optimizing, mindset, care, Fred Rogers, hero, dependent, talk, professional, 

 00:00

The mission is simple to help high achievers naturally eliminate emotional and physical obstacles, so they can optimize their life for higher achievement. Welcome, you just entered the Genesis Zone. 

Hey, this is Dr. Brian Brown. Welcome to the Genesis Zone show. 

Have you ever felt like you were just losing it? I mean, maybe 30 seconds ago, I felt like I was losing it. When that happened to you, did you feel like chaos was swirling all around you? Well, if you've lived much life at all, you've probably felt that way. At some point, I just have to be honest with you. I mean, it's just part of being human. 

Today, we're going to discuss an ancient word that I believe holds the answers to regaining and maintaining control in the midst of chaos. There's a sacred word in the Inuit Native Alaskan language that I believe does hold the answer for how to regain control. So, stay tuned as we explore this topic. 

Today's topic falls under the heading of mindset. And if you know me, you know, I spend a lot of time on mindset, you could argue that it's my psychiatric background, I don't think so, I think that most of what we go through in this human experience is filtered through this right here, even the physical things that go on in our body. And the mind definitely affects the physical manifestations within the body, and vice versa. So, if we can control this, if we can learn to take control of our mind, take every thought captive, we can start to learn to regain control over this body that our spirit, our soul is housed in. Okay. 

So, in today's topic falls under the heading of mindset. You also recall from previous episodes, that research has proven that mindset, mindfulness and meditation can literally alter your genetic expression. If that mindset is negative, it's going to alter your gene expression negatively. If it's positive, we're going to alter the gene expression positively. I won't get into that today, because that's not the purpose of the show. So, although I'm not talking about genes directly, just know that there's an indirect correlation here.

Before we get to the one word that can help you maintain your sanity, we have to talk about two English words in order to give context to this, this new Inuit Native Alaskan term. Now the first word is caretaker. Okay, now, what is a caretaker? Well, in its simplest form, I don't mean to be cheeky, but

02:50

a caretaker takes care of others. And we all know these people, whether others want to care or not. A lot of times caretakers just push themselves and push their caretaking onto others. 

Let me give you a couple of examples. And I think it'll drive it home. Have you ever been in a room full of people maybe at a family gathering at the holidays, or at a funeral, or even gone to a business lunch, and I've seen it happen at business luncheons, and you're in a room full of people, and you have that one person who “takes care of everyone around them”. They always have Kleenex, they always have hand sanitizer, they always have gum, they always have breath meant to hand out and offer to other people, sometimes leaving, putting in somebody's hand without them even asking for it happens all the time. They're always worried about how people are feeling how people are doing. And they're always offering assistance with anything and quite frankly, most everything all at the same time. We know these people and they can be a little bit annoying sometimes. Is there anything inherently wrong about their acts of service? No, not really. But there is a big problem with the motivation behind that. 

And hear me when I say this, the person who is the caretaker isn't even aware of the motivation behind their actions, because it all occurs on a subconscious level. But the motivation is actually self-serving. And I know that may be a slap in the face for some people, but it is the motivation is literally self-serving on so many levels that comes from a place of insecurity, feeling the need to be affirmed and feeling the need to seek assurance that everyone is okay with them on the surface that comes

across as self-sacrifice. But in the end, it's all self-serving. Do you want to know why it's self-serving and remember, keep in mind, this is all subconscious? 

It's self-serving, because it's about appeasing the inner child that's so unsure of who they are and what they're supposed to be or do. They have to seek affirmation from others, even if it's in the form of a thank you, for the breath mat that they just put in your hand. So, the inner child seeks out opportunities to be loved, and in the process ends up trying to force another person's love onto them. 

Now, the second term we need to discover is the term care giver. Now, by contrast to the caretaker, the caregiver role is the role is a role that a person assumes when they've been placed into that role because of life circumstances. 

So, a perfect example of this is mothers and fathers, caring for their children. I mean, it's just natural, it's biological instinct to care give to those that you gave birth to. Or when a child cares for an aging parent, caregiving is normal, it's natural, or when a spouse cares for a terminally ill partner,

06:31

you get the gist, there's a huge difference the caregiver role is by choice based on life circumstances, and for the most part is very self-less. And the caretaker role is subconscious and based on meeting internal needs, and for the most part is selfish. Now, don't get me wrong, you can be both at the same time. And this is where it gets a little confusing, and probably even more difficult to parse out is the caregiver whose time has passed, their station in life has changed, their circumstances have changed. And they feel kind of lost. And they they've gravitated into the caretaker role, and they didn't even realize it happen. The shift was so subtle, that they were unaware. 

Now to them, they are doing the exact same thing in their mind that you're still the care giver. And this is very common when this happens. You see it happen when somebody has cared for a terminally ill partner or family member for a very long period of time. And they're lost when that person does. And they slip into that caretaker role because they're no longer have a caregiver role to be in. 

So why am I even bringing this up today? Well, in health care settings, and bear with me, I'm gonna talk about the healthcare example, because I'm pulling from last week's example in last week's episode. So, in healthcare settings, people rely heavily on the strength of health professionals to help them through tough times. 

Now, recall from last week's episode, when I spoke about how health professionals need to move from the hero role and into the trusted guide role. And we need to do this so that our clients can step into the Empowered role of becoming the hero of their own journey. And recall how I said that some clients embrace this wholeheartedly, while others resist it, fighting tooth and nail to hold on to the old way of doing things. 

Well, what I didn't tell you is this, those who resist stepping into the hero role, do so for one main reason. And it's the reason I believe exists. I've seen it play out over and over and over again, as I've been working with clients through the years.

09:02

And the reason is this, they need to be needed.

09:07

So, when a client resists going into the hero role, it's because they need to be needed. But guess what? So does the health professional that refuses to be the guide, and only wants to be the hero. In this instance, the same thing occurs and the health professional needs to be needed as well. 

Now, how many times have you been in a relationship that you didn't view that relationship as unhealthy, but you needed to be needed in that relationship? And as such, the other person had the same needs they needed to be needed, and you are mutually dependent, interdependent upon one another. on both accounts, it's all about ego. Both parties need to be needed. There's an internal need, this caretaker, not caregiver, this caretaker need to be needed, and it becomes all about ego. They are both caretakers. And it's a symbiotic relationship in a really weird, unhealthy way. 

The client is the caretaker of the health professional, because the client needs to take care of the health professional by remaining in a dependent role. And keeping the health professional on a pedestal in many cases, and also kind of venerating them to a demigod status of sorts. 

Now, oppositely the health professional is equally dependent. They are all too glad to accept their role as the demigod and in return they reciprocate by being the caretaker for the client. In mental health terms, it's a nasty codependent relationship. And it's really unhealthy. And dare I say, it's even kind of gross. I know that's kind of an immature term to use, but it's gross. And I don't know any better way to say it. 

So, what's the answer? And how does this apply to you, and your everyday life outside of this healthcare example? Well, last week, we talked about the healthiest position to be in is that of the trusted guide. So, I wanted to expand on that concept this week. 

But before we delve into that, I want you to just take a moment. And I want you to think of some times in your life, where you've been in a dependent relationship, you've been dependent upon others to meet your emotional needs.

11:40

And think of the times that other person that you're in the relationship with, they were dependent, they were equally as dependent upon you.

11:49

And maybe you placed demands upon each other, for meeting that emotional need. But you may not even realize it until now that you're thinking about it. Because it was all on a subconscious level. Now, firstly, don't feel bad, you're not alone in this, it happens to the best of us. In fact, if you again, if you live life at any length of time, there's a good chance that you've been through this scenario. Most people learn from it quickly, and they move on. And they don't go back there again. And they're hyper aware of it, and once they become aware of it, but there's some people that get stuck in it. 

But I want you to know there's help. And in this particular case, the help comes from a word that I learned a few years ago, and it really changed my thinking around just my life philosophy to be quite honest with you. Now that word is from the native Inuit Alaskan language, and the word is Isumataq talk. So, you saw the title for today's episode.

13:03

That word is pronounced Is-umma-tak, it translates as the one who holds space, or creates the atmosphere in which wisdom reveals itself. How beautiful is that? Let me read that again.

13:23

The one, the Isumataq talk is the one who holds space, or creates the atmosphere, and which wisdom reveals itself.

13:35

And I don't know about you, but when I learned of this word, it was a wow moment for me. Now, I want you to imagine for a moment that instead of placing a demand on others, to meet your emotional needs, you're able to hold space for them hold space for wisdom to reveal itself.

14:04

In business we are to be that person, the Isumataq, for our clients. As parents we are to be the Isumataq for our children. As spouses, we’re to be the Isumataq for our partners. We are the ones who hold space for wisdom to reveal itself. And dare I say the space in which healing occurs, emotional healing, physical healing, whatever the case may be. We are not the healers. We are not the caretakers. We are not the caregivers. We are simply humble guides who practice the art of Isumataq.

14:48

I don't know if you see it, but this philosophy again raises each and every client, each and every child and a parent child relationship.

15:00

Each and every partner in an intimate relationship to the status of hero, they're able to be the hero of their own journey. Because philosophically, we were able to pull back and be the Isumataq for them, we were able to hold space for wisdom to be revealed. And that's what we're supposed to do. 

That is an atmosphere of healing, which brings about the positive changes in their life that they so desperately desire. Now, I know it sounds a bit woo woo I get it, but it works, and in the end empowers others to find their voice and experience the healing that they deserve to have. 

But hey, you don't have to be a health professional to be an Isumataq. I don't want to make the scene that way at all. Anyone can hold space for another human being in which wisdom reveals itself. The only thing you have to do is remove your ego from the equation. Say to yourself, this is not about me. 

Then turn your attention and energy toward the person in front of you. Give them your undivided attention, no cell phones, no paper shuffling, no multitasking. No, pretending you're somewhere else, or daydreaming, like you're on a beach somewhere. And you really don't want to be there talking to this person. Maybe you just need to imagine that you and this person are in a four foot by four-foot cubicle sitting nose to nose. And all you have to focus on is each other, and what the other person is saying.

16:47

You're gonna think I'm crazy. But if you want to see a master at work on the philosophy of Isumataq, and to my knowledge, this person had never even heard the word assume and thought they weren't aware that there was a preexisting 1000-year-old philosophy around this word.

17:12

But this person was a master at Isumataq. I want you to watch the movie about Mr. Rogers. It's the movie where Tom Hanks plays Fred Rogers. And the title of it is A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Now, hands down. Anyone who met Fred Rogers said that when you were in his space, no one else existed. He gave you his full and undivided attention. He actually held space in which wisdom was revealed. 

So that's your homework, I want you to start exploring what it is to be the Isumataq for the people around you. And you can do this by simply watching a movie about Mr. Rogers, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. That's all your homework. 

I don't even have a call to action for you this week, because I felt like at the end of this preparation, I was like, how can I offer a call to action here, other than go watch that movie, start becoming aware of being the Isumataq yourself. I don't want to make this again, it's not about me, it's not about doing something for me. It's not about subscribing to anything, it's about you. 

Because this is really critically important. Think about it. If we have more people that have an Isumataq mindset, walking around on this planet, this plan is gonna be a lot better place. So that's your call to action. Go watch A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, the story about Fred Rogers, it will literally change your life. And I want some feedback on that I really do. If you're listening on Facebook, drop me a note. DM me put it under this video. It doesn't matter. I want to hear your feedback about watching your experience watching that if you've already watched it, and you know what I'm talking about, maybe go back and watch it with a new set of eyes, thinking Isumataq, thinking Fred Rogers as the Isumataq. I can be the Isumataq. I can do that too. 

Tune in next Thursday at noon eastern standard time for our next in the zone segment where I'll be sharing the latest research and my insights about that research as it relates to just becoming an optimized human being, optimizing your genetics, optimizing your physical health and optimizing your emotional health. 

Because this journey that we're on, it deserves to be optimized deserves to be live to the fullest, most informed, most trusted and most grateful that you spent your time with us today. Until next time, stay in the zone. I'm Dr. Brian Brown.