In Pursuit of Awe: An Interview with Fraser Deans

We often forget how extraordinary the world we live in is. The vast array of spectacular species that have existed long before the evolution of the human being. The beauty and perspective that a sunset provides on a perfect summer’s day.

We become weighed down by the day-to-day responsibilities of adulthood. This can consequently take the wonder and awe that is waiting to be found in the world.

If only we were to be more present.

If only we were to pay a little more attention to what surrounds us.

I think experiences of ‘awe’ can provide us with a reset, connecting us to others, to nature and providing a sense of belonging. It reminds us that we are not strangers on this earth. There is no separation between us and the natural world. Everything is intertwined though a series of complex networks and systems.

To make sense of the power of experiences of awe, I interviewed Fraser Deans founder of the Awe app.

Tell us a bit about the Awe app. What was your main inspiration behind its development?

The Awe app was created to help people find moments of awe and wonder in their daily lives. The app helps us reset, relax and regain perspective during our busy lives.

A few years ago I was invited to a meditation evening organized by monastics from Plum Village (established by the Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh). It began as a fairly normal group sitting with guided meditations and dharma talks. Later they led us through a mindful eating exercise with a tangerine. After meditating on this tiny orange fruit, noticing its imperfections, its squishiness, its fragrance and its sweetness, we were simply asked “where did it come from”. From this innocuous question the entire experience transformed. The fruit having been handed to me by a monk, was bought from a supermarket, was transported in a truck, was born from a tree fed by the sun and soil. A flower was pollinated by a bee belonging to a hive.

Water from a cloud or river was guzzled up by the tree’s roots. Generations of trees and fruit eating animals and pollinating insects had evolved with each other to offer me this fruit. That tanginess on my tongue was the resulting sensation of all those preceding events. I was no longer holding the tangerine, I was holding the universe. Thich Nhat Hanh labelled this realisation as inter-being. I felt immense gratitude and humility at the sheer scale of interconnections occurring so I could experience the sweetness on my tongue.

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After the event I pondered what this experience actually was. The realization was described as “inter-being” but what was the actual phenomenological experience? Research gave an answer. It was AWE! I’d had a profound, pure awe experience.

Awe has two requirements.

Firstly, perceived vastness. The stimuli should appear much larger than the observer’s normal sense of self. This can be either physical (like a mountain) or conceptual (like a philosophical idea). In my case, vastness was felt from the interconnectedness of previous events.
Secondly, a need for accommodation. This involves a realization or experience that doesn’t currently fit with the observer’s world view. For example, a toddler, having only experienced friendly dogs, would need to accommodate the information that dogs can be dangerous before meeting a guard dog. In my case, I needed to accommodate the realization that reality was connected in such a deep way. (I also probably needed to accommodate the idea that insignificant objects like tangerines could trigger insight).

So then the question, how do we get more awe experiences?

And the original idea of an app was born. An app that leads you to awe-inspiring local nature with a guided audio track that blends direct experience, systems thinking, science, quotes and poetry. A source to stimulate new ways of reframing the world around us.

The app has changed slightly since the initial vision. Now, you’ll be able to listen to seasonal meditations that connect people with nature. Nature is the best elicitor of awe. Our Awe Walks feature brings awe to your daily strolls through mindful nature prompts. We have added courses from top nature connection leaders. For example, Mark Westmoquette, a Zen Monk and Astronomer, leads us for mindful stargazing. And finally each day ponder a beautiful quote from one of history’s leading thinkers.

2. What knowledge or insights do you hope people will gain from experiencing more awe in their lives?

Studies in awe have proven heaps of psychological benefits including boosting mood and reducing depression, increasing feelings of connectedness, increasing cognitive flexibility and improving life satisfaction. The effects of awe even tie into pro-environmental behaviour changes (and we need that right now).

But I suppose on a more personal level I hope awe helps those struggling with modern life to find beauty where they didn’t see it before.

3. Do your experiences of awe and wonder relate to ideas of the sacred or notions of spirituality?

Yes absolutely!

A key belief for me is that we can find awe and wonder in absolutely any object when framed in the right way (like the tangerine). However, frame adjustments are not a one-size-fits-all-thing. It depends on the pre-existing relationship between subject and object. When you get the right frame adjustment, we can transform the mundane into the magical.

If we wish to continually and intentionally reach awe states we must delve into the unknown / mystery / numinous. There we find new framings and relationships with the world. An orientation toward mystery keeps us nimble and flexible in life’s situations: an acceptance that we possibly don’t have the best handle on the moment but if we keep seeking we will find it.

Someone holding a strict scientific worldview may struggle with nihilism when science can’t answer all their questions. They may benefit from including spiritual ideas into their worldview which help fill that mysterious gap between the edge of science and the answers they seek.

A key belief for me is that we can find awe and wonder in absolutely any object when framed in the right way

4. Do you have any favourite authors, books, poets etc. who’ve inspired you over the course of cultivating more awe in the world?

Recently I’ve been diving into the teachings of Rob Burbea. Burbea taught many ideas that resonate with the philosophy of awe.

Alan Watts is awe-inspiring on his own but his talks regularly leave me stunned.

John Vervaeke’s Awakening from the Meaning Crisis is a brilliant lecture series explaining the philosophy and cognitive science behind modern life’s lack of meaning and how we can rediscover it.

5. Where can people find out more about your work?

You can download the app on iOS and Android from www.awe.fyi

If they wish to stay in touch best subscribe to our newsletter where I share thoughts on awe www.awe.fyi

We’ve also just wrapped up the first live cohort for Intentional Awe, a course designed to help people cultivate awe and wonder in their own lives. Those videos will be packaged up and shared in the coming weeks.

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A Model of Resilience: An Interview with the Stoic Doctor Matthew Galati of the Brain Changes Initiative

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I interviewed Dr. Matthew Galati, founder of the Brain Changes Initiative, to learn about his remarkable recovery from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).

In the interview, Dr. Galati offers us a reminder of the importance of resilience and perseverance in overcoming obstacles in order to reach your goals.

Readers of the A Life of Virtue blog will find resonance with Dr. Galati’s timely Stoic wisdom of acknowledging that while we may not be able to control external events, we always have the power to make the conscious decision of how we can respond to them.

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters
Stoic philosopher , Epictetus

Dr. Galati’s story serves as an inspiration to us all. Through his work through the Brain Changes Initiative, he advocates for a wholistic approach for assisting TBI survivors through awareness, advocacy and support.

For more information on the Brain Changes Initiative please visit: Home (brainchanges.org) or on Instagram at @brainchanges

1. Tell me a bit about your story and how you got started with the Brain Changes Initiative?

In 2013 I was driving back to the Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry in Windsor in bad weather conditions when I hit black ice sending my car out of control resulting into me crashing into a tree.

The accident left me unconscious with brain bleed, multiple fractures and sent me into a three-day coma. Upon waking up, I realized my cognitive abilities were severely damaged. Basic everyday tasks became a challenge. I initially couldn’t walk or talk.

Nine years ago, the research being done on traumatic brain injury was still in the early stages. The predominant view was that as one matures into adulthood, the brain remains static. Doctors initially told me that the chances of full recovery were slim.

After receiving acute care for my injuries, I enrolled in an intensive rehabilitation program at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. In addition to my rehab work at the institute, I took the initiative in working on my recovery. I focused on activities that engaged different aspects of my brain.

To achieve this goal, I did of a host of different physical and cognitive exercises including:

running 5km every morning;
reviewing my notes from medical school;
learning guitar;
practicing mindfulness mediation;
proper sleep hygiene; and
eating a healthy nutritious diet.

I took inspiration from the insightful book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain by John J Ratey. In the book, Ratey who is a MD, presents new scientific insights that demonstrate that an active ‘lifestyle approach’ can be helpful and provide positive outcomes in healing from TBI. He presents a study that looks at the effects that a school districts’ revamped physical education program had on academic performance. Of note, the study demonstrated how aerobic exercise can prime the brain for learning.

When I communicated my ambition to complete my medical school degree, I was met with skepticism and hesitation from my academic advisors. Determined to prove the magnitude of my recovery, I demonstrated improvements in my cognitive abilities by rewriting and receiving better marks on my medical school exams than I previously did in the past.

After graduating and completing my residency I began research on traumatic brain recovery, and the potential of a lifestyle approach on brain health.

This led into the Brain Changes Initiative, a non-profit which I created in 2019 that funds ground-breaking research to improve the standard of care for TBI recovery. The goals of the organization are threefold:

Raise awareness about the possibilities for TBI recovery in the community
Provide education through our webinar series on the benefits of a lifestyle approach to brain health
Support research aimed at finding the ideal dose of intensive physical and cognitive exercise to optimally heal the brain after TBI is sustained

2. Your recovery is an example of what we can achieve through dedication, effort and hard work. I was wondering if you can impart any lessons or advice on how we can cultivate more resilience in our lives?

My experiences have taught me that in life it is important to be adaptable. You have to anticipate that things will not always happen the way that you intend them to.

We should always believe in our potential. Be your best advocate. There is a mantra that I like from the basketball star and Toronto Raptor Fred VanVleet – ‘bet on yourself.’ Despite missing the NBA draft, VanVleet’s hard work and determination eventually led him to signing the largest contract as an undrafted player in NBA history. In subsequent years he was a key component in the Raptor’s 2019 NBA championship.

Ultimately, we can’t control external events. For me, I couldn’t control the accident and resulting brain injury. However, I could control how I reacted to the situation. My determination to improve and reach my goals through research and taking an active role in my recovery is on me. No one except yourself and your family is going to care about your situation.

It is up to you to keep on pushing forward.

**Ryan Holiday, The Obstacle is the Way**

3. The rehabilitation process required a lot of consistent physical and cognitive exercises. One thing that I personally struggle with is getting into a routine when I am trying to develop new habits. Any suggestions on how we can stick to our planned goals and reach those elusive New Year resolutions?

For those who experienced TBI, it is common to fall into a state of apathy. This occurs when an individual loses hope resulting in feelings of indifference or a lack of interest in their environment.

There were two key activities that were instrumental to my success and recovery, affirmations and scheduling.

Affirmations are positive statements that boost self-confidence, provide motivation and help you overcome negative thoughts. I would post affirmations on my wall, repeating the goals I hoped to achieve. The more often you do this, the more you reinforce these positive thoughts which help you actualize your ambitions.

Another thing that I did was keep an agenda and planner. This helped me keep track of my progress on completing the daily tasks and routines that I set out for myself such as aerobic exercises and tasks for cognitive development. Implementing a schedule is an important tool for developing strong habits.

We must constantly remind ourselves that anything is possible. Numerous people told me that my goals were unrealistic or unattainable. However, no one should compromise their dreams and aspirations.

The brain is truly the most remarkable and complex things on the planet. We can achieve anything that we set our mind to.

We must constantly remind ourselves that anything is possible…no one should compromise their dreams or aspirations

4. You talk a lot about ‘neuroplasticity’, what is this concept and why is it important?

Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to adapt, heal and change. It is the way we learn new skills. The more you do something over and over again you begin to build stronger corresponding connections in your brain.

Again, this concept runs against the common thinking years ago which claimed that the brain is a static organ unable to change once you mature.

It was through the possibilities provided to me by the neuroplasticity of the brain that enabled me to achieve this remarkable recovery.

5. I’ve been intrigued to learn about the lifestyles of those who live in the Blue Zones which are regions where people generally live the longest. Research attributes their life span their diets (mainly plant based), exercise, limiting alcohol consumption, getting enough sleep and having good spiritual, family and social networks.

There are a lot of similarities with these characteristics and the five-pillar approach for brain health that you advocate for.

Do you think there has been a shift in recent years in the medical community towards more holistic approaches to wellbeing?

In Western medicine there is a strong emphasis on symptom management. Of course, this is very important to treating acute care conditions.

A consequence of this approach however is that it can overlook the significance that one’s lifestyle and habits play in their wellbeing. This is the missing element in dealing with chronic conditions.

As part of my studies, I did some training on functional/environmental medicine which emphasized a wholistic approach to health. Rather than just focusing on ‘band-aid’ reactive solutions, it is shifting attention to the root causes of the illness.

That is to say it is preventative rather than reactive.

These changes to my habits and lifestyle are what ultimately healed me. The longevity of those in the ‘blue zones’ demonstrate how being active, embracing a strong sense of community and making healthy life choices can lead to longer and more wholesome lives.

6. My blog, A Life of Virtue, is about exploring about the deep philosophical questions about meaning and purpose. What do you want to get out of life, and what makes life meaningful for you?

My journey to recovery gives me a lot of gratitude and strength. Yes, I suffered traumatic brain injury but I was able to turn my life around through hard work, perseverance and dedication. You always have the ability to reframe your thoughts. You can turn your weaknesses into your strengths.

The lessons that I learned throughout my healing journey have been invaluable. As a doctor, I want to be able to help others with the lessons I’ve learned.

This has become my mission.

You always have the ability to reframe your thoughts. You can turn your weaknesses into your strengths

This interview has been edited for length and clarity

Interview with Mindfulness Teacher Paula Vital: Getting in the Right Relationship with Work

To help us navigate the increasingly blurred lines between work and home life, I interviewed mindfulness teacher Paula Vital to provide her insights and advice on how to regain a greater sense of balance and perspective.

1. How would you define a healthy work/life balance?

I prefer using the term ‘balance in life.’ Life balance is about being clear on what you would like to achieve with your life. It is about acknowledging your priorities and organizing your time in a way that helps you work towards those goals.

Spending a lot of time at work can become unproductive and unhealthy when it becomes an unconscious choice.

The key is to be aware of your intentions and establish the right balance for yourself when it comes to different aspects of your work and home life.

2. In the age of remote work it is difficult to establish concrete boundaries between work and home life. What is some advice you can offer to help us disconnect from our work, and how can we prevent overwork or burnout?

It is important to be transparent and ensure that there are clear boundaries within your organization. In a hyper connected world, the ability to disconnect is important to maintain one’s mental and physical health.

Government or workplace policy can assist in making the line between work and home life clearer. An example of this is recent legislation in Ontario, Canada which requires employers to develop policies and expectations for employees to disconnect from e-mails and calls outside of regular work hours.

Openness and clear communication are also significant when letting your employer know about your physical and mental health boundaries.

It can sometimes be seen as a badge of honour to work long hours late into the night, and shame can set in for those who don’t fulfill these societal expectations. However, research indicates that this has a negative effect on both productivity and on the quality of your work.

Time to recharge is therefore not only beneficial for our mental health but also benefits our organization.

3. In the modern age, it is so easy to get caught up with never ending to-do lists. We are always busy and on the go. How can we reclaim meaningful leisure time? What leisure activities do you engage in to help recuperate from work?

We need to alternate between states where we are ‘goal or task oriented’ and states of spontaneity or ‘flow’.

Leisure that is rejuvenating and refreshing for me involves pursuing activities which allow me to cultivate a degree of presence and embodiment. It is being grounded in the present moment and doing things not because I care about the outcome per say, but rather for the sake of themselves.

A way to break through the mindset of productivity and efficiency is to practice spontaneous movement and non-linear movement.

Sometimes our best thoughts and ideas come when we least expect it.

4. How does mindfulness and contemplative practice, or more generally the time you spend outside of work, fit into your idea of the ‘good life’?

It is often thought that we have to achieve a certain goal or milestone in life to be happy. However, we seldom realize that happiness and contentment is available to us in each and every moment. Being mindful and present can turn any seemingly mundane task, such as washing dishes, into an act of joy.

Our desires for fame, status and fortune often reveal a deeper yearning for affection, love and recognition. As the acclaimed actor Jim Carey said,

I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of so they can see that it’s not the answer.

We should always ask, how are we defining ourselves?

If we step back and look at the earth, we can see how we are all closely interconnected to other humans as well as to nature in general. This perspective can inspire us to feel connected to something greater than ourselves and motivate us towards a life of service.

You can view a previous interview with Paula on mindfulness here: A Mindful Approach to Uncertainty: An Interview with Mindfulness Teacher Paula Vital – A Life of Virtue: Philosophy as a Way of Life

To learn more about her work through her free course of 3 Minute Meditations: 3 Minutes to Your Greatest Self check out her website www.livethepresent.ca.

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