Ever walked into a room and felt something was off before anyone said a word?

That’s not imagination — it’s your Reticular Activating System (RAS) at work.

The RAS sits deep in the brainstem and acts like your inner filter. It decides what information reaches your awareness and what fades into the background. It constantly scans your surroundings for what feels important — and here’s the key — it doesn’t just look for danger. It looks for whatever you’ve trained it to find.

After trauma, the RAS often becomes finely tuned to threat — alert, cautious, and on guard. But with awareness and practice, it can be gently retrained to seek safety, connection, opportunity, and growth instead.

One way I help people (and myself) to do this is through a simple but powerful exercise I call Mia Vita — My Life.

I fill a shoebox with small reminders of what I want to invite into my world: peace, love, health, connection, creativity, abundance. It’s like a 3D vision board — a tangible reflection of intention. Over time, my RAS starts noticing those same qualities showing up around me. What we focus on truly expands.

Try it yourself:

  • Create your own Mia Vita box or vision board.
  • Spend a few mindful minutes each day connecting to it.
  • Feel the emotions of already having those experiences.
  • Notice how your awareness — and your world — begins to shift.

 

The Neuroscience

The Reticular Activating System (RAS) is part of a network in the brainstem that regulates arousal, attention, and focus. It decides what information reaches conscious awareness — shaping what you notice about the world.

When you live in a prolonged state of threat or stress, your RAS and nervous system adapt to stay on high alert. You’re, in effect, practising hypervigilance every single day. And just like practising any skill, repetition strengthens those neural pathways.

Over time, your brain becomes exceptionally good at spotting danger — but that same neuroplasticity can work in your favour. With intention, mindfulness, and consistent focus, you can teach your RAS to look for peace, possibility, and safety instead of fear.

What you focus on, your brain learns to find.

And that’s the real RAS-A-Mataz — your sixth sense, rewired for growth.

Energy flows where focus goes — what you focus your attention on is what you experience in your reality.