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Archive for The Human Brain

Simple Skills for School Success

Posted by 1-Elisa Squier on
 September 4, 2018
  · No Comments

Summer is coming to a close, which for families means one thing: school is back in session. No more sleeping in until noon, spending the day playing outside or lounging around watching TV. Now it’s time for waking up early, spending all day inside a classroom, coming home to do homework, to go to sleep early to do it all over again the next day. In other words, it’s time for routine again.

Many things can make this transition difficult, but there are also ways to help make it easier for kids, teenagers, and even adults. By honing executive functioning skills, everyone can become more organized inside and out, ready to take on the day.

What are executive functioning skills?

Executive functioning skills are those skills necessary for everyday functioning. There are two main categories: behavioral and thinking skills. They are things such as the ability to complete tasks (behavioral), make decisions (thinking), and stay in control of emotions (behavioral). Both are equally important in helping a child make progress towards being an independent, fully-functioning adult.

School strategies

There are a variety of ways to establish routine and begin honing these skills. Start with the ones that need strengthening first. When it comes to school, planning and time management are crucial skills, along with task initiation and persistence (not procrastinating). Teenagers may be able to do many of these things on their own, but if you have younger children, feel free to help them out.

  • Buy a calendar – or if you’re crafty, make one. Find ways of organizing deadlines, appointments, and events in one location that’s easy to see.
  • Set a specific time and place to do homework – preferably free from distractions like TV or cell phones. Consistency will train the brain to get into “work” mode before sitting down to tackle another math problem.
  • Create a reward system – that will help motivate you to get things done. Instead of punishing yourself for not doing something, treat yourself when you finish a goal.

Start young

The earlier you start training the brain, the easier it is to form good, lasting habits. But don’t freak out if this is the first time hearing about these skills! Brains are resilient and maintain plasticity throughout a person’s entire lifetime. That’s a fancy way of saying that brains can be trained to learn new habits at any age, though it does take less time at a younger age.

Be age appropriate

Executive functioning skills are naturally honed over time, which means that as a child’s brain grows, so will its ability to function well. As a parent helping to train a young one’s mind, it is important to remember that a 6-year-old will not have the same abilities as a 16-year-old, no matter how much they practice.

Helpful Tips:

  • Modify chores or to-do lists to keep in mind a child’s ability
  • Keep in mind the child’s attention span

Check out Harvard’s free activity guide for help finding activities for the right age group.

Adults can do it too!

It’s important that parents play an active role in developing their child’s skills, since environment plays as big of a role as biology. However, you can only teach as much as you know. Try keeping a consistent schedule for yourself or creating your own reward system for goals you want to reach. It’ll help you stay on track, and you’ll be setting a great example for your kids.

Reference:

Dawson, P. and R. Guare (2009). Smart but scattered. New York: Guilford Press.

For more information:

Understanding Executive Functioning

Executive Function Is Key to Student Achievement

What is Executive Functioning? Video

Contributed by Elisa Squier, M.MFT, LMFT Associate

Clinical Supervision by Amy Fuller, PhD, LMFT-S, LPC-S

Categories : Adolescents & Children, The Human Brain
Tags : executive functioning, kids, school, success

Is Conformity Addictive?

Posted by Angela Blocker on
 March 7, 2017
  · No Comments

Even the best of us do it sometimes.

Standing in a coffee shop trying out a new drink ordered by the person in front of us– only to agree with our original judgement that it would be too sweet or just gross. It’s not unusual for people to change judgements and behaviors to conform in social settings. Conformity is a change in behavior or belief as a result of real or imagined pressure.

Dr. Solomon Asch conducted a groundbreaking study designed to evaluate a person’s likelihood to conform to a standard under pressure. He took a group of participants and showed them pictures of lines with noticeably different sizes. (He told them it was a visual perception test) Participants were then asked to identify the longest line out of a group of four lines of distinctively different lengths. Pretty simple, eh? Well,  Dr. Asch organized it so only one person was the true participant in the group. Everyone else was a paid actor scripted to give the wrong answer. Unexpectedly, the unpaid volunteer almost always agreed with the actor group. Asch’s study showed our common tendency to be heavily influenced by a group. It  also demonstrated  people tend to care more about being the same as others than about being correct. 

Why? Our Brain Tells Us to Conform

Neurologically, our brains tells us something is off. Vasily Klucharev of National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow found that disagreement a with group opinion triggers a kind of negative alert.  “When you see a difference between your own opinion and that of others, the brain experiences an error signal,” reports neuroscientist Klucharev. “And when we detect that kind of error signal, it’s a signal to learn and adjust your behavior” The brain expects us to go along with the crowd and it doesn’t feel good not to. In fact, the degree to which your brain is activated for going against the crowd, the more your brain will tell you to change your behavior.

But That’s Not All

Our brain signals something is wrong when we go against the crowd; but, it also rewards us when our opinion matches others. Chris Frith and Daniel Campbell-Meiklejohn,  two researchers from the  Aarhus University in Denmark and University College London, found that a part of the brain called the “ventral striatum” (a major part of the reward center of your brain) activated when rating pop songs. Whenever a participant’s rating matched the rating of two experts this pleasure part of the brain lit up. This observation shows that others’ opinions, when shared with your own, are rewarding. “That shared opinion is a reward like food or money,” says Campbell- Meiklejohn. “And it has the power to influence behavior.”

A more recent study from the Chinese Academy of the Sciences published in 2016 found that these conformity patterns can lead to permanent changes in the areas of the brain associated with memory.  The brain considers our past behaviors and experiences in situations and predicts what will happen in similar scenarios of the future. If we are behaving out of character, the brain  screams “NO! don’t disagree”. The more we give into our brains, the higher the likelihood of conformity, or any other habit, happening again and again. Before we realize, it becomes a permanent pattern.

Go Against The Grain

Researchers are still unclear about the origins for the need to conform but the studies do lend themselves to being thought provoking and challenging.  How often do you conform? Do you realize how often you do? What do you experience when you try to say no? It may be time to practice dancing to the beat of your own drum or at least say no to the seasonal drink at the coffeehouse.

 

Contributed by

Angela Blocker , M.A, LMFT Associate

Clinical Supervision by Amy Fuller, PhD, LMFT, LPC

 

References
  • Campbell-Meiklejohn, D. K., Bach, D. R., Roepstorff, A., Dolan, R. J., & Frith, C. D. (2010). How the opinion of others affects our valuation of objects. Current Biology, 20(13), 1165-1170.
  • Klucharev V, Hytönen K, Rijpkema M, Smidts A, Fernández G  (2009) Reinforcement learning signal predicts social conformity. Neuron. 15;61(1):140-51.
  • Sukel, Kayt. “News.” Conforming Opinions Activate the Brain’s Reward Center. The Dana Foundation, 2 Nov. 2010. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.
  • Whitbourne, Susan. “6 Ways to Stand Out From the Crowd.” Psychology Today. N.p., 14 Jan. 2017. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.

 

Categories : Addiction & Recovery, Counseling, Mental Health, Self-Awareness, The Human Brain
Tags : conform, conformity, habits, human brain, neurobiology

The Secret Life of the Introvert

Posted by Shani Bell on
 January 12, 2017
  · No Comments

The Myth

Are you the life of the party? The center of attention wherever you go? Then, clearly you are an extrovert, right? Not necessarily. Traits like being outgoing, friendly and confident tend to be more closely associated with extroverts than with introverts based on public knowledge of these terms, but these are not the real tell-tale signs. If we take a closer look at the essence of an introvert, we might find some hidden introverts among the class of outgoing attention-getters.

 

The Science

According to researcher Jonathan Cheek, there are actually four different types of introverts. His STAR model includes social, thinking, anxious and restrained. The first type, social, more closely fits the common understanding of introvert. This describes someone who is not timid but avoids the crowd and would prefer to stay home alone than party with friends. The thinker is a type who is described as imaginative and introspective rather than nonsocial. Those who are considered the anxious type are, like the social type, more socially averse. Their dislike of the crowd is due more to fear than personal preference. Finally, the restrained type is simply slower to get moving. These introverts tend to take their time processing information, thinking deeply before responding to a situation. But that does not mean that once they get going, they shy away from a social situation.

Scott Barry Kaufmann, finds that there are thinkers and restrained types that still score highly for in enthusiasm and assertiveness, traits people usually associate with being extroverted. Kaufman even stated that the social- and anxious-introvert may have an inward aversion to crowds but still have a desire to be highly social that causes them to move past their apprehensions. You might actually know (or be) an introvert who pushes herself to be a social butterfly.

So the science shows that determining the introvert is not quite as simple as comparing wallflowers to superstars. People are typically on a spectrum somewhere between introversion and extroversion. And introversion, itself, is a mixture of factors, such as introspection and level of sensitivity to the environment, that go beyond sociability.

The Point

Who really cares? You may wonder what the importance is of understanding introversion as a trait. Self-awareness and understanding those in your circle are key to properly caring for your own needs and knowing how to interact positively with others. Comprehending the tendencies of an introvert can help you identify when to give yourself or others space to re-energize. Knowing that you or a loved one may operate differently can lead to a greater sense of acceptance that nurtures positive relationship, either with yourself or the introvert in your life.

The Test

Do you think you are an introvert? Take this short test to see if you are and where you fit: http://www.quietrev.com/the-introvert-test/

 

Contributed by

Shani Bell, MAAT, LPC-Intern

Supervised by Dr. Amy Fuller, PhD, LMFT-S, LPC-S

 

Categories : Anxiety Issues, Emotional Intelligence, Mental Health, Self-Awareness, Social Skills, Sticky, The Human Brain
Tags : emotional intelligence, human brain, mental health, self-awareness, social skills

The Real Reason Why Children with ADHD Need Structure and Play

Posted by Angela Blocker on
 May 31, 2016
  · No Comments

 

“Your child has ADD? Follow a Routine!” How often have parents of children with ADD heard this message? One of the crucial steps in helping a child manage ADD is implementing structure that can be followed consistently. But how much is too much?  Schedules have proven to be effective but often at the cost of natural free play.  How can parents balance structure and play for their kids?

Why Is Structure Important?

Structure has many purposes for children– including helping a child’s brain develop. Karen Spangenberg, neuropsychologist and author, explains that adults lend their ability to regulate to their children when providing structure.  The prefrontal cortex or the part of the brain that is crucial to decision making, judgment, attention span and impulse control and other executive functioning processes, is underdeveloped in children. “External structures can assist a child’s brain to learn more efficiently, as if they possessed a more mature frontal system,” states Spangenberg. Structures like morning and bedroom routines and homework planners have been proven to be incredibly effective in the development of kids, especially those with attention disorders. It becomes even MORE effective when children are taught to hold themselves responsible for their routines.  In providing structure, adults are teaching their children to self-regulate.

Has Play Lost Its Significance?

Maybe.

Between school, after school activities and community activities, it is easy for free play to be limited or even eliminated from children outside of recess at school.  “Children are less free than they have ever been before,” states Peter Gray, Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Boston College and author of Free to Learn.   He attributes the increasing demands of early education and structured extracurricular activities as possible reasons for this change.

This is especially true of children with attention disorders.

Researchers have found that even during free-play periods, preschoolers with ADHD engage in less social, more solitary play than other children.  Dr. Jaak Panskepp, neuroscientist and psychologist at Washington State University, supposes it may be due to medication.  In some cases, psychomotor stimulants have been linked to the reduction of play urges.

Don’t go throwing out the Vyvanse and the Adderall though.

Panskepp does not doubt the role of temperament in diagnosis of ADHD and views stimulants as an effective way to reduce impulsive behaviors. He believes possibly even a preventative tool. “I think it is one of the most important things that children need to grow up well, perhaps even reduce the number of kids diagnosed with ADHD,” he says. Unstructured play is also important for brain development and crucial to learning socialization skills like negotiating, creating alliances, and testing boundaries of fairness.

Instead of Battle, Think Relationship

All children, especially those with attention disorders, need time for play.  This free-play time has a surprising effect on structure. Studies show children are more attentive after spending time in play. It actually helps to reinforce the structure. The Finnish Educational system capitalized on this relationship and these schools have skyrocketed to become some of the best in the Western World. Both structure and play activate parts of the brain promoting prosocial development and executive functioning skills. Parents and caregivers with an informed understanding of both are encouraging the development of the two areas children with ADD have a more difficult time with.

For more information about the Finnish School System or about incorporating structure and play into your child’s life, check the links below. FullerLife is here to help you bring balance to life’s battles.

 

How to Encourage Free Play

Reliable Routines for Children with ADHD

 

Contributed by

Angela Blocker , M.A, LMFT Associate

Clinical Supervision by Amy Fuller, PhD, LMFT, LPC

 

 

References

Alessandri, S. M. (1992). Attention, play, and social behavior in ADHD preschoolers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology J Abnormal Child Psychology, 20(3), 289-302. doi:10.1007/bf00916693

Anderson, J. (2016, March 08). What’s causing ADHD to skyrocket in kids? Retrieved March 26, 2016, from http://qz.com/633688/whats-causing-adhd-to-skyrocket-in-kids/

Badt, K. (2013, July). Let Your Child Play: The Answer to ADHD and More, According to Scientists. Retrieved April 28, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/karin-badt/let-your-child-play-the-a_b_3623056.html

Gray, P. (2014, September 6). Playing with Children: Should You, and If So, How? Retrieved March 26, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/201409/playing-children-should-you-and-if-so-how

Hubbard J., & Newcomb, A. (1991) Initial dyadic peer interaction of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and normal boys. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology. 19, 179–195.

Panksepp, J., Siviy, S., & Normansell, L. (1984). The psychobiology of play: theoretical and methodological perspectives. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 8(4), 465-492.

Panksepp, J. (2007, May). Can PLAY Diminish ADHD and Facilitate the Construction of the Social Brain? Retrieved April 28, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2242642/

Spangenberg Postal, K. (2011, April 11). How Structure Improves Your Child’s Brain. Retrieved April 28, 2016, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/think-better/201111/how-structure-improves-your-childs-brain

Categories : ADD-ADHD, Adolescents & Children, Mental Health, Parenting, Play Therapy, Sticky, The Human Brain
Tags : ADD/ADHD, Attention disorders, child development, children, leisure, mental health, parenting

How Habits Can Make or Break Your Productivity

Posted by Angela Blocker on
 February 4, 2016
  · No Comments

Why Can’t I Just Do It?

We make lists. We set goals. We plan. We go to pretty amazing lengths to avoid procrastination. At some point, we may become so accustomed to putting things off we may give up planning for anything and just wait until last minute. Calling a friend, going for a run, and doing laundry before we are completely out of socks, are things we know we need to do. WHAT STOPS US?

Blame Your Brain

One factor contributing to procrastination has to do with the natural habit-forming process in the human brain. Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, and expert on the brain’s pleasure-reward systems, explains that creating good habits means fighting against instant gratification. The anxiety, panic, frustration, and other feelings associated with the time it takes to finish something, can keep us from beginning or continuing, things we need to do. These feelings may be temporarily relieved by doing something pleasurable. Dopamine is the feel-good chemical in your brain. It helps you to feel at ease. That is why looking at silly cat videos on YouTube or checking Facebook can be so attractive when facing a deadline.

Why is it sometimes difficult to stop checking and rechecking social media? Habit. The human brain creates patterns for efficiency sake. Learning a new skill or habit requires a considerable amount of energy and brain power because the brain is forming new neurological pathways and circuits previously nonexistent. Once a skill or habit is learned, the brain sends signals through these pathways. The more the skill or habit is practiced the quicker and more efficient the brain becomes at sending the signals. Check out this video to understand how quickly this process happens.

When working on a long project or assignment, if your brain has become accustomed to the repeated momentary reward of dopamine coming from Facebook, a snack, or even using the bathroom, it will be more difficult to sit through three hours of cranking that assignment out. So what can you do?

Shape Your Brain

The good news is the opposite is also true. The more practice you get focusing on a task all the way through to completion, the more your brain will become accustomed to this mindset. In other words, once a pattern in established it can also be changed.

Motivation enthusiast and writer for the NBC news, Lauren Neergard, offers some suggestions to help get you started forming better habits and skills:

  1. Repetition. Do it again and again.
  2. Reward yourself. If you are working on a long term assignment or exercise for a week, treat yourself! It will encourage you to repeat your hard work.
  3. Monitor your stress level. Resist the urge to self-medicate or soothe negative feelings through quick fixes when bad things happen throughout the day. Instead of grabbing a doughnut after an argument with your spouse, be mindful of your discomfort and choose a banana or apple – or even deep breathing – instead.

Our brains have incredible capabilities. The same process used to create bad habits in our brain can be used to start and maintain amazing and productive habits.

Looking to make a change? Take a few minutes and watch this video on breaking bad habits. For more information on the power of dopamine, listen to Dr. Volkow discuss the role of dopamine the habit forming process of the brain.

 

Good Luck!

Contributed by

Angela Blocker , M.A, LMFT Associate

Clinical Supervision by Amy Fuller, PhD, LMFT, LPC

 

 

References

  • Cimons, M. (2013). Exploring the Brain’s Relationship to Habits. Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=126567
  • Hall, A. (2014). The Science Behind Our Urge To Procrastinate. Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/science-of-procrastination_n_5585440.html
  • Neergard, L. (2011). Can’t kick bad habits? Blame the brain. Retrieved January 22, 2016, from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/40893205/ns/health-behavior/t/cant-kick-bad-habits-blame-brain/#.VqJbM_krLIU
  • Wise, R. A. (2004). Dopamine, learning and motivation. Nature reviews neuroscience, 5(6), 483-494.
Categories : Addiction & Recovery, Problem Solving, Sticky, The Human Brain
Tags : habit forming, habits, motivation, procrastination, productivity, skills, The Human Brain

The Power of Positive Emotions

Posted by JenniferChristian on
 November 25, 2013

Wired for Danger 

We have a natural tendency to focus on what goes wrong. Over thousands of years we have developed a built-in survival mechanism wired to detect danger. Our minds know that learning from negative experiences is a matter life or death. Our brains are like velcro for anything negative that crosses our path. This skill is important for our survival but also impacts our feelings. If focus only on negatives, we can become angry, anxious, or depressed.

On the other hand, positive or neutral experiences happen all the time each day, but have no bearing on whether we will live or die. Our brains are like teflon for the positive experiences. Something pleasant happens, it slides right off, and we continue through our day. What does this have to do with how we think, act, and feel?

Nourish the Brain

According to neuropsychologist, Rick Hanson, where we place our focus has the power to shape our brains.

If you rest your mind on self-criticism, worries, grumbling about others, hurts, and stress, then your brain will be shaped into greater reactivity, vulnerability to anxiety and depressed mood, a narrow focus on threats and losses, and inclinations toward anger, sadness and guilt. On the other hand, if you rest your mind on good events and conditions (someone was nice to you, or there’s a roof over your head), pleasant feelings, the things you do get done, physical pleasures, and your good intentions and qualities, then over time your brain will take on a different shape, one with strength and resilience hardwired into it, as well as a realistically optimistic outlook, a positive mood, and a sense of worth.

Hanson suggests that we have the power to build inner strength and resilience by focusing on positive experiences in such a way that our brains are reshaped to respond to life with more positive feelings, sense of calm, and confidence. He suggests that we literally “hold the good” for as long as 10-20 seconds each time we have a pleasant experience. In his new book, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence, Hanson has a number of simple practices that have powerful benefits. He developed the HEAL exercise to build the positive centers of the brain and also decrease the negative charge of painful experiences, both past and present:

HEAL 

  • “H: Have a positive experience:
    • Notice a positive experience that’s already present in your awareness, such as a physical pleasure, a sense of determination, or feeling close to someone. Or create a positive experience for which you’re grateful, bring to mind a friend, or recognize a task you’ve completed. As much as you can, help ideas like these become emotionally rewarding experiences, otherwise it is merely positive thinking.
  • E: Enrich it:
    • Stay with the positive experience for five to ten seconds or longer. Open to the feelings in it and try to sense it in your body; let it fill your mind. Enjoy it. Gently encourage the experience to be more intense. Find something fresh and novel about it. Recognize how it’s personally relevant, how it could nourish or help you, or make a difference in your life. Get those neurons really firing together, so they’ll really wire together.
  • Photograph by Becky EnVérité

    Photograph by Becky EnVérité

    A: Absorb it:

    • Intend and sense that the experience is sinking into you as you sink into it. Let it really land in your mind. Perhaps visualize it sifting down into you like golden dust, or feel it washing you like a soothing balm. Or place it like a jewel in the treasure chest of your heart. Know that the experience is becoming part of you, a resource inside that you can take with you wherever you go.
  • L: Link positive and negative material (optional)
    • While having a vivid and stable sense of a positive experience in the foreground of awareness, also be aware of something negative in the background. For example, when you feel included and liked these days, you could sense this experience making contact with feelings of loneliness from your past. If negative material hijacks your attention, drop it and focus only on the positive; when you feel recentered in the positive, you can let the negative also be present in awareness if you like. Whatever you want, let go of all negative material and rest only in the positive. Then, to continue uprooting the negative material, a few times over the next hour be aware of only neutral or positive material while also bringing to mind neutral things (e.g., people, situations, ideas) that have become associated with negative material.” (Hanson, 2013)

When we “hold the good,” we open our hearts to experience joy, and remind ourselves that each moment is our life.

Hanson, Rick, Ph.D. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.

Contributed by:

Jennifer Christian, M.A., LPC

 

Categories : Anger Management, Anxiety & Panic, Counseling, Depression, Gratitude, Mental Health, Parenting, Relationships, Self-Care Practices, Sticky, The Human Brain
Tags : anger management, anxiety, depression, gratitude, mental health, parenting, relationships, Self-Care Practice

Scary Thoughts

Posted by JenniferChristian on
 October 28, 2013

Photograph by Conor MacNeill

With Halloween around the corner, it seems like a good idea to go a little scary at Fuller Life Family Therapy. This week will be full of kids in adorable costumes, colorful candy, brightly lit pumpkins, and haunted houses. Halloween brings an element of fun to all things scary.

Most of us are already fully aware of the things that scare us. Along with ghosts and trick-or-treaters, common fears include heights, spiders, shots, and snakes. We might be surprised at the things that cause fear in others, and they might be surprised at what scares us, even our own thoughts. Our thinking actually has as much power to make us scared as a big spider.

The Threat and Self-Protection System

The brain is beautifully designed to keep us safe as it is constantly on the lookout for anything that may be dangerous.

The function of (the threat-protection system) is to detect and pick up on threats quickly and select a response, e.g., fight, flight, freeze or some other coping efforts, and give us bursts of emotions such as anxiety, anger or disgust. These feelings ripple through our bodies alerting us and urging us to take action against the threat. The system will also be activated if there are threats to people we love, our friends or our group. (Gilbert, 2010)

When danger is evident, the body is immediately flooded with chemicals and hormones that create an instantaneous reaction. In other words, we get that “scary” feeling. Our ability to protect ourselves (or run or freeze) kicks into high gear.

After the threat passes, our bodies are designed to regulate back to “normal” and relax.

Scary Thoughts

Anxiety or fearHowever, our thoughts also influence the threat processes in our brain and can hinder the body’s ability to calm itself back to normal. When we engage in self-critical or self-judgmental thinking, our body actually acts in much the same way as an actual threat.

Self-criticism appears to have a (very similar) effect on our body. When we experience a threatening situation, the flight-or fight response is triggered: the amygdala sends signals that increase blood pressure, adrenaline, and the hormone cortisol, mobilizing the strength and energy needed to confront or avoid a threat. Although this system was designed by evolution to deal with physical attacks, it is activated just as readily by emotional attacks from ourselves and others. (Neff, 2011)

In other words, negative, self-critical, or judgmental thinking stimulates the brain in the very same way as an actual threat. The body is flooded with hormones, and we are flooded with emotions to cope with the danger.

Scary Thoughts

Here are some examples of scary thoughts:

  • What if I fail?
  • No one cares.
  • I am unworthy of love.
  • It is all my fault.
  • I always mess up.
  • No one understands.
  • What if ______________________? (fill in the blank with the worst possible scenario)
  • I have to be perfect to be liked.

Courage and Compassion

Often, when “negative tapes” play in our mind, it is because our mind is working very hard to keep us safe and out of danger. Unfortunately, these thoughts can make us feel more scared, hurt, or disconnected. In order to face our fears, we need a bit of courage to practice self-compassion. Compassionate self-talk has been shown to calm the threat-detection system and allow us to be more understanding with ourselves. When we respond to ourselves with kindness and compassion, we calm our body and create space to respond courageously with our best selves.

  • Courage: being scared and practicing tools that will help us face our fears.
  • Self-Compassion: noticing our painful thoughts and responding to ourselves with care.

 Practice

Scary thinking is a habit that many of us go to when we are overwhelmed or stressed. The good news is we can learn and practice new habits that can help us calm down and de-stress. Self-compassion is one response that has been shown to calm those scary thoughts and make a real difference on how we feel inside.

For more information on self-compassion, check out our Self-Compassion Resources and also check out the books listed below.

Gilbert, Paul. (2010). Compassion Focused Therapy.

Neff, Kristin. (2011). Self-Compassion: Stop Beating Yourself Up and Leave Insecurity Behind.

Tirch, Dennis. (2012). The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Overcoming Anxiety: Using Compassion-Focused Therapy to Calm Worry, Panic, and Fear.

Contributed by:

Jennifer Christian, M.A., LPC

 

 

Categories : Anxiety & Panic, Anxiety Issues, Compassion, Counseling, Mental Health, Self-Care Practices, Sticky, Stress Management, The Human Brain
Tags : anxiety, compassion, fear, panic, self-care

Trauma and the Body

Posted by JenniferChristian on
 August 30, 2013

Photography: Solitude by Jeremy Hockin

Many people suffer from either physical or emotional wounds that remain from a previous traumatic experience, and sometimes both. Trauma is defined as a serious injury or shock to the body, as from violence or an accident, or an event or situation that causes great distress and disruption. A traumatic experience can hijack the body and break down the connection between mind and body. We may not be able to connect rationally or articulate what we feel. In a recent interview Bessel van der Kolk, trauma expert at the Boston University School of Medicine explained,

“It’s amazing to me what a hard time many people I know have with (articulating what happened). This is not about something you think or something you figure out. This is about your body, your organism, having been reset to interpret the world as a terrifying place and yourself as being unsafe. And it has nothing to do with cognition. You can say to people, ‘You shouldn’t feel that way’ or ‘You’re not a bad person’ or ‘It wasn’t your fault.’ And people say, ‘I know that, but I feel that it is.'”

The body is designed to heal itself, and the brain’s job is to take care of the body. This is good news for many who struggle daily with the effects of trauma. Through compassionate and gentle practices we can once again embody our bodies. “Unless you befriend your body, you cannot become well.” (Bessel van der Kolk) One’s healing journey can begin with the aid of a compassionate therapist partnered with “somatic experiecing,” (explained below) such as yoga.

Therapeutic Trauma Treatments

  • EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): According to Dr. Amy Fuller, EMDR is “a revolutionary therapy that has helped millions let go of painful experiences, memories, or beliefs. By utilizing the brain’s natural healing processes, EMDR therapy quickly heals many emotional problems and conditions which have been difficult and time consuming to treat in the past.”
  • Compassion Focused Therapy: “Helps people who have undergone a traumatic experience to develop compassion for themselves and others, a sense of safety, and the ability to self-soothe when difficult memories or emotions arise.” (Lee James, and Gilbert)
  • Somatic Experiencing: “Somatic experiencing takes advantage of the body’s unique ability to heal itself. The focus of therapy is on bodily sensations, rather than thoughts and memories about the traumatic event. By concentrating on what’s happening in your body, you gradually get in touch with trauma-related energy and tension. From there, your natural survival instincts take over, safely releasing this pent-up energy through shaking, crying, and other forms of physical release.” (Robinson, Smith, and Segal)
  • Van der Kolk also suggests exploring techniques such as Rolfing, Craniosacral therapy, and Feldenkrais that “help people really feel their body, experience their body, and open up to their bodies.“

Healing Yoga for Trauma

Simple, gentle yoga therapy practice for releasing trauma.

Healing Trauma Resources

Deborah A. Lee, Sophie James, Paul Gilbert: The Compassionate-Mind Guide to Recovering from Trauma and PTSD: Using Compassion-Focused Therapy to Overcome Flashbacks, Shame, Guilt, and Fear

Lawrence Robinson, Melinda Smith, M.A., and Jeanne Segal: Emotional and Psychological Trauma

Denise Kersten Wills, Healing Life’s Traumas

Restoring the Body: Bessel van der Kolk on Yoga, EMDR, and Treating Trauma

Contributed by:

Jennifer Christian, M.A., LPC

Categories : Anxiety & Panic, Compassion, Counseling, Grief, Self-Care Practices, Sticky, The Human Brain, Trauma and Loss
Tags : anxiety, compassion, grief, loss, panic, self-care, trauma

Experience the Fullness of Life

Posted by FullerLife on
 August 7, 2013
  · No Comments

Experience the Fullness of Life

Full, you will find, may denote abundance, completion, perfection, saturation, satisfaction, and more. And so this week, you might pause and explore some of the many ways in which your life is full. – See more at: http://spiritualityhealth.com/blog/celebrant-institute/ritual-experience-fullness-life#sthash.GJU0zIFf.dpuf

Dr. Amy Fuller‘s insight:

Taking a moment each day to express gratitude for something that our life is “full of” is a wonderful way to practice gratitude, defeat our culture of scarcity and enhance our joyfulness.

Categories : Counseling, Emotions and Relationships, Gratitude, Mindfulness Practice, Self-Care Practices, The Human Brain
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