#33 – Flow and the Can-O-Calm

In this episode, I tell you a story about whitewater paddling and unpack the concept of flow described by psychologist and author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, PhD. I also present the Can-O-Calm for the first time on the podcast. This secret, magical, weightless and even sterile (when you need it to be) tool will help get you through the most dire of circumstances with your head right, your vision clear and yes, your voice calm. The concepts of flow help us understand how to prepare for emergencies, train for challenging cases and design specialty teams, fellowship programs, board examinations, continuing education as well as primary residency programs. Below are images of Dr Csikszentmihalyi’s flow concept as well as the quote by Elaine Scarry presented in the podcast. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow Concept. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s expanded Flow Concept “What occurs in an emergency is either immobilization, incoherent action or coherent action…  If we act, we act out of the habitual…  If no serviceable habit is available, we will use an unserviceable one and become either immobilized or incoherent.” – Elaine Scarry, Thinking in an Emergency Sources Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Flow and the psychology of discovery and invention. HarperPerennial, New York, 39. Scarry, E. (2012). Thinking in an Emergency (Norton Global Ethics Series). WW Norton & Company.