The Open Focus Brain: Shifting from Stress to Spacious Awareness

In our fast-paced, achievement-driven world, most of us live with our attention locked on what’s next — what needs fixing, finishing or solving. This constant state of “doing” may feel productive but it comes at a cost. Our nervous systems stay in overdrive, our senses narrow and our connection to ourselves and others fades into the background.

Dr. Les Fehmi’s work, The Open Focus Brain, offers a powerful remedy. He teaches that we can learn to shift our attention — from a narrow, effortful state to a more open, diffuse and relaxed awareness. This ability to move fluidly between different modes of attention isn’t just mental flexibility; it’s the key to a balanced nervous system and fuller human experience.

The Physiology Behind Focus and Stress

Narrow focus doesn’t just affect our minds — it shapes our physiology. When attention locks in tightly, the body mirrors that contraction. Muscles tense. Breathing becomes shallow. Peripheral vision and sensory awareness fade.

This pattern can also be reinforced by trauma, early stress or a lack of nurture. When anxiety feels unbearable, the mind may unconsciously narrow its focus to block uncomfortable sensations or emotions. Over time, this defense becomes a habit, leading to a “flat” reality that feels numbed or disconnected from life’s richness.

Fehmi writes, “If we organize our lives to avoid discomfort, we separate ourselves from life in the moment.”

The Four States of Attention

Fehmi’s model offers four primary attentional states, each useful in different contexts:

1. Narrow Objective — Focused, analytical and detail-oriented. Great for deadlines and problem-solving but stressful when overused.
2. Diffuse Objective — Broad, relaxed awareness that still maintains objectivity. Common in repetitive, well-learned actions like driving or playing music.
3. Narrow Immersed — Deeply engaged and absorbed, such as during a captivating conversation or creative project.
4. Diffuse Immersed — A state of flow, union and timelessness — often experienced in meditation, art, nature or love.

Optimal functioning isn’t about staying in one state but being able to move freely among all four — flexibly shifting based on the moment.

The Body’s Reflection: How We Move Mirrors How We Focus

Interestingly, our attention habits also show up in how we use our bodies. The Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) highlights how many people are stuck primarily using the right side of their bodies for standing, walking and reaching — patterns tied to left-brain dominance and stress-driven asymmetry.

Just as Fehmi encourages balance between attention styles, PRI encourages reciprocal, rhythmic movement between the left and right sides of the body. This means breathing fully on both sides of the rib cage, shifting weight evenly during walking and restoring flow through alternation.

When both brain hemispheres and both sides of the body communicate, mental focus and physical balance align — allowing us to experience life from a more integrated state.

Coming Home to Spacious Awareness

Learning to shift between narrow and open focus isn’t about abandoning goals or productivity. It’s about reclaiming choice — the freedom to rest, expand and reconnect with the full experience of being alive.

When we soften our focus, our world becomes richer. The edges between self and other blur, creativity flows more easily and even ordinary moments take on depth and color.

As Fehmi reminds us, life in open focus is vivid, connected and whole.

The invitation is simple: pause, breathe and rediscover the space within.