June 06, 2024

Getting In The Flow; Joel Bouchard

37 minutes

Joel Bouchard will discuss the topic of getting in the flow with me today. Joel Bouchard is a doctoral student in psychology at Liberty University in Virginia, a multi-instrumentalist record producer, author, painter, Army veteran, business leader, local government official, and host of the philosophy podcast From Nowhere to Nothing. His podcast explores complex themes such as the messy, misapplied, and contradictive nature of tribalism, commitment as a concept through ontological and ethical paradigms, and the life-encompassing yet nuanced concept of work.

Joel’s diverse background includes discussions on shadow from the perspectives of physics, mythology, psychology, and cultural tradition, as well as debates on substantivalism and relationalism in defining locations. His intellectual curiosity extends to examining Donald Hoffman's ideas on reality and consciousness from “The Case Against Reality,” and exploring metaphysical, epistemological, and ontological aspects of consciousness through documentary scenes. Joel also engages in abstract discussions on the ontological impact of the present and delves into the past from both metaphysical and historical perspectives. His multifaceted experiences and deep philosophical inquiries make him a dynamic and insightful voice in contemporary philosophical discourse.

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Contact Info

Website: https://jbouchard.podbean.com/

Most Influential Person

My mom

Effect On Emotions

I would say that I've become better at expressing my emotions. My friends refer to me as the robot because I generally tend to be pretty unemotional. And, you know, that's good. It's good to be even-keeled, but it can also be negative if you freeze or shut down when in negative circumstances.

So, the biggest impact for me is that it's helped me express happiness and joy and also to be able to identify with emotions without getting caught up in them without being angry.

I can identify that this is an angry emotion and a justified emotion. Then I can decide how I should act with this information.

Thoughts On Breathing

As someone who's pretty new to meditation, breathing is something that I still struggle with a little bit. They tell you that you're not supposed to breathe loud, but I always find myself breathing loud because I'm using that to focus my attention.

In Zen meditation, this is a subject of controversy. Some Zen masters say you can count your breaths, while others say don't.

So I mix the two. You know, for the first 10, I count the in-breath and the out-breath, one, two, and then for the next 10, I only count the out-breath. So in one in two, then after that, I go to not counting.

But I find myself still breathing very deeply. I think it helps with relaxation and focus. Sometimes, it can steal attention away from the internal focus on what's happening in the mind.

Bullying Story

I believe bullying is a problem rooted in a lack of mindfulness on the bully’s part. I have a story about being mindful from the other side.

During my time in the army, we had an exercise in basic training where we used pugil sticks, like on American Gladiators, to fight each other. The drill sergeant insisted everyone participate, but I didn't volunteer because I didn't want to fight.

At the end, the drill sergeant singled me out to fight the biggest guy, nicknamed the Widowmaker, who was six foot five and 280 pounds.

Though I didn’t want to fight, I had been mindful and observed the fights closely. When it was my turn, I pretended to cower, turned to the side, and ducked down. As he came close, I jammed the end of my stick into his helmet, causing him to fall.

I won the fight. This experience taught me that mindfulness can help you navigate difficult situations, even when facing a bigger, more imposing opponent.

Suggested Resources

Book: The Three Pillars of Zen by Roshi Philip Kapleau

App: Headspace

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