What Is the Reticular Activating System (RAS)?
Your brain doesn’t notice everything. It notices what you’ve trained it to see.
That whisper of intuition, the glint of color, the flicker of a candle—they aren’t just pretty details. They are entries into your Reticular Activating System (RAS), the part of your brainstem that acts like a focus filter. The RAS decides what gets your attention and what fades into the background.
For high-functioning, sensory-sensitive women navigating the quiet weight of performance and neurodivergent masking, what the RAS chooses to see or ignore and can be the difference between chronic overwhelm and emotional presence.
Why Rituals Matter More Than Motivation
Motivation is a myth in trauma-aware healing. What your nervous system trusts isn’t inspiration—it’s rhythm. Predictable, emotionally intelligent, symbolic actions give the RAS a new script (Amit Ray, 2021. Reticular Activating System for Manifestation).
Every time you light a candle, wrap yourself in a color-coded robe, or speak a familiar sensory phrase, you’re cueing your RAS to say: “Focus here. This is safe”, which are gentle reminders to your brain about what’s important and what feels good.
The RAS and Sensory Cues: What Your Brain Sees First
The RAS filters chaos by choosing what to notice first. That means your rituals aren’t just habits—they’re scripts for your senses.
- Color rituals activate visual cortex patterns (the part of your brain that processes what you see), sending the message: “This shade is soft, familiar, mine”.
- Mindfulness teachers like Amit Ray suggest that flame-gazing may entrain the brain’s theta rhythms—associated with calm and creative focus. While not a clinical claim, this poetic concept resonates with recent EEG findings on light-based meditation.Theta waves are slow brain signals that make you feel calm and present.
- Even where you place objects—a favorite stone, a botanical green pillow—becomes a sacred signal. These cues aren’t clutter. They’re contracts with your safety.
A Micro-Ritual for Resetting Your Focus Filter
You don’t need to overhaul your life to shift your RAS. You just need one consistent cue. One object. One color. One moment.
Symbolic Tools to Begin With
- Candlelight: Light a single flame in the same spot each morning. Let your eyes follow it for 60 seconds before looking at a screen.
- Color Anchor: Choose one Reset Color (like blush, sage, or navy) and place it where you begin and end your day.
- Object Placement: Set a stone, scarf, or flower in a chosen location. Name it to yourself: “This is my signal to feel safe again.”
These small sensory acts cue your RAS: “Filter out the noise. Let in the softness.”
(Think of these as little rituals that help your brain know what to focus on and what to let go.)
Reflective Close: What Signal Do You Want to Notice Tomorrow?
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about pattern.
When you begin your day with ritual, your RAS listens.
It starts to filter for calm.
It learns to spotlight what nourishes.
So tonight, as you prepare for sleep, ask yourself:
What signal do I want my brain to notice first tomorrow?
Let your answer shape the sensory scene you wake into.
Because your brain doesn’t change from thought. It changes from rhythm.
And rhythm, dear one, begins with ritual.
Want to Go Deeper?
This micro-essay is part of a broader exploration on how rituals rewire the brain. For the full neuroscience and symbolism behind this practice, read:
👉 Can the Brain Be Rewired with Ritual?
