Chapter 15
From Sitting to Standing Strong

          Mitch and Yuri, and I continued the trials and I could feel my ability to remain

centered and still improving with each trial. Then something extraordinary took place.

When the TDU was removed from my tongue, my body revealed a residual effect of

centered stillness. The length of the residual corresponded with how long the sensations

were on my tongue – the 100, 200, and 300 second trials. With each increase of time, the

longer the residual, the longer I maintained a still and centered position. This was a

surprising and unexpected discovery!

          I began to sense that my interaction with the TDU was altering my relationship with

an unbalanced world into a balanced one, if only for a short period of time. To me, that

tiny bit of freedom meant everything. For that little bit of time the constant fight I battled

in my world disappeared.

          After what seemed like a million times, I began to feel the challenge of running the

trails in the eyes open/eyes closed sitting position had disappeared, I was bored with it.

After all, I already proved there was a residual effect now I wanted to prove that the same

results would take place while standing. I wanted desperately to try it standing up and

when I mentioned my idea to Mitch I was given me a BIG no, holding strong that is was

not in the protocol… no getting around it or him. So I worked on Yuri. Together we kept at

the sitting trials and each time I proved the same results. I really was bored with the whole

thing. So, I kept begging Yuri to try it standing up. I kept at it, and at it, until one day,

when Mitch wasn’t there, Yuri closed the door to the lab turned to me and said, “Okay, let’s

do it”. See what a little bit, well a lot of “nagging” does to break a man? I was ecstatic that

Yuri took on my challenge!

          With a little adjustment to the height of the TDU (we used a cardboard box, very

scientific, huh?) we let my standing hypothesis begin and… it worked! Yuri and I were

both so excited that we about jumped out of our skin! So, we tried it again and again and

each time it worked! My idea set the stage in proving, sitting or standing, eyes open or eyes

closed, the longer the TDU was in my mouth, the longer the residual – AFTER the TDU

was removed. How cool is that?

          Not long after Yuri and I snuck in few additional standing trials, Mitch opened the

door.  Mitch could tell we were up to no good so I fessed up and told him I just tried using

the TDU while I was standing. I quickly added it was my idea, not Yuri’s, that I was the

instigator. Mitch’s first reaction was a look of sheer terror because as he said,

working around the protocol could screw everything up because we steered off the track,

the reaction Yuri and I expected. I felt a great deal of guilt until Mitch closed the door, eyes

opened wide,rubbing his hands together in anticipation asked, “So… what happened?” I

told him and I thought he was going to faint! The protocol was revised to include a

standing position that though my insistence worked; yet another step into making medical

history.