This stand-alone article is part of an ongoing series of articles is dedicated to the genius of Dr. Arthur Lincoln Pauls, D.O., who’s Phase 7 work has revolutionized the way I see the world and function in it.

This is not a Phase 7 class, but is my offering on how to use Phase 7 principles in life. If you have not taken a Phase 7 class, you might consider taking one from a qualified instructor. Regardless, you can use these concepts and techniques in life, if they resonate with you. My past articles are: A Spiral a Day Keeps the Doctor Away: Part 1: Imagery (vol. 4/17), Part 2: Connection (vol. 7/17), Part 3: Essence (vol. 4/18.), and Part 4: Seeing Multiple Points of View (vol. 1/19). You can look them up in the member’s section of the SOBI website.

This is an introduction to the Phase 7 principle of “exaggerating a pattern” and how we can use it to better understand our world and help ourselves and each other. A lot of things are exaggerating in our world right now. This gave me the inspiration for this article. I would also like to express gratitude to three people who inspire me: Richard Valasek – for showing me that we change ourselves, and the world changes, Lynn Drummer, D.O. – for drumming into me that others have a sovereign right to change or not to change, and Arthur Lincoln Pauls,

D.O. – for pioneering the process of exaggerating a pattern.

The proper exaggeration of a pattern was, arguably, Dr. Pauls’ greatest contribution to the healing profession. Done correctly, any pattern of anything that is contrary to the natural flow of life can shift into an orderly, life-affirming pattern. The key skills to mastering this are specific focus, non-judgment, and effortlessness.

Normally, when we encounter something that feels wrong to us, the tendency is to try to make it go away with fixing, coercion, or force. This is a normal and appropriate course of action for many things in life, like chores, a fly in our house, a tree that needs to be chopped down, or some other simple problem. However, this simplistic approach does not work well for most chronic physical or psychological maladies, interpersonal or social conflict, or anything that is outside our immediate our control or knowledge base.

Exaggeration of a pattern in order to shift that pattern is only possible when we have acute awareness, radical acceptance, and relaxation in relationship to that pattern. Only then, can we get out of the way and let events unfold naturally. To offer a broader perspective on human control, consider that life on earth made it all the way to pre-humans without our intervention and was a fully-functional biosphere and ecosystem. While it is human nature to control things, it is overstepping our authority to think we know how the universe should unfold in all ways. I tell this to myself daily, because trying to control things that are out of my scope of influence is a major source of needless suffering and bad results. There is, however, a mysterious universal process that we can access, even if we don’t intellectually understand it. The key to this access is knowing when to let go of personal control and allow for a bigger process to emerge. If I know there is a bigger process at work in the universe, I can let go and trust that process.

What is a pattern?

A pattern is mode of functioning in any system. Dr. Pauls focused on the system of the human skeleton and later on the human psyche. All systems need modes of functioning to operate. For the human being, we might call them habits, automatic responses, and automatic mechanisms. Other living things and systems in nature also have repetitive modes of functioning (ecosystem has

“system” in the name). Homeostasis is defined as a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, such as biological processes. A more literal translation of homeostasis might be: sameness in a static pattern. Sameness and repetition are good, as long as the system is functioning well, but if not, a break of the repetition and adjustment in the system are required to avoid a breakdown in function.

How and why do patterns go wrong?

Things going wrong is probably the most natural process in the universe. All the rightness that we enjoy today is most likely a product of something that went wrong earlier. What we deem as wrong also depends our definition of right and

wrong, because many things that seem wrong, such as volcanoes, bring much good to the world afterwards – maybe centuries afterwards.

In physics, the second law of thermodynamics states that all closed systems will break down. Any system without a way of receiving feedback or new information or new energy will break down. Think of not eating any food for a month, not cleaning your house for a year, or stopping school after kindergarten. All systems need constant upkeep and feedback. This may be one way of expressing Dr.

Pauls’ “Evolvement of the Original Concept” slogan, because the original concept will become obsolete if it does not evolve. Sometimes things need to end outright, but in ending, will always give rise to something new. Think of the language of Latin, which is a dead language, but is the basis for so many other languages.

I reflect on these universal principals often to comfort myself in a world that can sometimes appear hostile, chaotic, and pointless. In this article, we are going to look at how to use the exaggeration principle in a more individual and personal way. However, being generally at home and comfortable with the world as it is, imperfections and all, will greatly help you practice this method and will raise your setpoint for happiness.

How do patterns self-correct?

Since we just learned that all closed systems break down and ultimately dissolve, there are only two choices – do nothing and allow the system to move into chaos and breakdown, or add something to the closed system. This is the ultimate dance of the universe, because everything strives for homeostasis, but then needs new input to avoid breakdown. This is why things have to go wrong in order to keep systems healthy and evolving. Initial breakdown is the universes way of saying “things are not going well, and something has to be added to this closed system.”

What are some examples of how patterns exaggerate by default? Tornados, earthquakes, and volcanos are a few examples of how imbalances in and on the earth build up and must be corrected. War, riots, and rebellions are examples of how humankind violently attempts to correct the imbalances of humanity.

What are examples of exaggeration of patterns in current society? The Meet-too Movement and Black Lives Matter are the two most recent instances of system correction, which have led to demonstrations and legal

actions. These are attempts to bring new information to systems that have been in place for centuries. The civil rights movement and the feminist movement are earlier examples of trying to correct these same systems – how we treat women and how we treat people of color. Without judging anything as right or wrong, all these movements are attempts to add new information to closed systems.

Slavery, racism, fascism, nationalism, sexism, and classism are all targets for this, because they are all attempts to keep things the same forever.

Covid-19 and other Pandemic viruses challenge our immune systems, point out problems with our hunting and farming practices, reveal the inequities in our society, and challenge every aspect of our personal and social existences, hopefully, so all these can get better. As much as we hate new viruses, they add new information to our immune systems and social systems, so that they can get stronger. Biologists consider viruses a necessary part of biodiversity, but they often come at a very high cost.

What can “exaggeration of a pattern” help?

Dr. Pauls, in his brilliance, figured out how to harness this exaggeration principle and focus it on something as specific as spinal alignment and mood states. You can use this process for any pattern of anything that is non-life-affirming.

Exaggeration of a pattern can promote positive change in anything that has the capability to change, but is stuck in a repeating maladaptive pattern. Not all things can change by exaggeration. Even Dr. Pauls noted that an anatomically short leg can’t change, but one could change his or her relationship to the short leg. In fact, there are many aspects of the human being that can change for the better with this method. Personal habits, psychological states, and some physical conditions are able to be shifted by exaggerating the pattern associated with them and finding a new way to function. For physical pain, we are most likely exaggerating hyperactivity of the nervous system. For psychological pain, we are most likely exaggerating outmoded mental constructs or core beliefs. I have used this method countless times to help myself, and have found it especially helpful for psychological suffering and some forms of bodily pain.

How can we learn to exaggeration a pattern?

Exaggeration of a pattern happens when we pay attention to a pattern in a very focused and relaxed way. This kind of attention acts as an effective feedback mechanism, because with a relaxed approach, there is little or no defense against the feedback.

Simple steps to start exaggerating patterns:

• Start with self-work and then graduate to working with
• Pick something small that is bothering you – an unpleasant emotion, such as irritation, or a non-serious body sensation.
• Notice it as a phenomenon without identifying with it. Rather than subvocalizing “I am irritated,” say “irritation is happening.” Feel yourself relax as you don’t take it Note how the experience of irritation feels in your body-mind.
• Next say “irritation is ” Feel yourself relax more deeply as you shift into transpersonal consciousness. Allow your irritation to

exaggerate to its full expression. Note that you are not getting more irritated, but rather, you are feeling a release as you let go of your resistance to irritation. There is a profound sense of peace and relief when you find this state, and you will feel it in your body.

• After the exaggeration process resolves, there is sometimes an insight that will arise This insight is the new information entering the closed system.
• Notice how you see the world differently and function differently when you have new information to operate from and renegotiate the world with.
• If you don’t get a release or a new insight or new information, pick something easier to work with, or stay with it longer. You can always revisit the issue when you have more capacity to truly experience the pattern. This process will work when you are in a certain If it takes you a long time to get to that state, that time is your healing process. Embrace your pace!
• Know that this process will need to repeat in all aspects of your life from time to time. If you feel bad or are suffering, it is usually a sign that a system you are operating in needs new information. Healing is synonymous with new information.

Life is much bigger than we are, which can make us feel helpless, unless we join with life. We do this by taking a step back from our personal self and embracing our Transpersonal Self. Our Transpersonal Self can see the essence of what is happening without adding any personal narratives – “it is just as it is.” Once we achieve this state, exaggerating a pattern can happen correctly. We can’t be in this transcendent state all the time, nor should we be, but if we want to tap into the mastery of Dr. Pauls, it is essential to access this state in our own way.

Start by working with yourself in small ways, and work up to more challenging patterns to exaggerate. Then try this exaggeration process with others (“His irritation is exaggerating.”). We cannot successfully exaggerate a pattern in another that we have not successfully done for ourselves.

In you are getting a handle on this technique and feel inclined to expand it, observe the world with all its seeming craziness with your Transpersonal Self. See it as multiple systems breaking down and needing new information. Allow the patterns you see to exaggerate: “War is exaggerating.” “Political divisiveness is exaggerating.” “Pollution of the planet is exaggerating.” “Oppression is exaggerating.” “Capitalism is exaggerating.” “Fascism is exaggerating.” “Nationalism is exaggerating.” Even if you don’t appear to change the world, there will be some effect. And, at the very least, you will be healthier and less likely to be dragged into the world’s craziness. All of this mess in our world is part of a much larger process of the universe falling into chaos and attempting to correct itself. We can always support the self-correction of anything.

Surrendering to the process of the universe is the way to harness and direct its power. This is the difference between power and force. Exaggerating a pattern in Phase 7 is very much the same as exaggerating the body in a positional release. It moves easily and wants to go there. What we are doing in Phase 7 that is different than positional release is removing our psychological resistance to a system needing new information, so that the aberrant pattern can exaggerate, release, and transform to a life-affirming pattern. We can allow any pattern to exaggerate naturally by giving it attention in a relaxed way. We can practice this at various levels and at various times throughout the day, as we encounter life and encounter ourselves.

My mission is to help people use Phase 7 principles as a life-mastery process to alleviate suffering, improve relationships, improve health, and achieve success. To this end, I offer private tutorials, online classes, and recorded trainings with written materials on Phase 7 principles for Life Mastery. If you found value in this article, please see the add in this publication for my complete Phase 7 Life Mastery course, recorded with myself and Advanced Instructor Bettina Beaucamp, with over 7 hours of video and 125 pages of written lessons.

Rouel Cazanjian, M.A., LMFT, CMT, SEP is a registered Advanced Instructor and Practitioner of Ortho-Bionomy®, a licensed psychotherapist, a certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, and a certified Biodynamic Therapist. He has over 30 years of experience teaching and working with clients. He also has extensive experience with Buddhist principles, mindfulness, meditation, hypnosis and many movement therapies.