Podcast Summary
Expressing emotions is crucial for our overall health and wellbeing: Repressing emotions can lead to blocked pathways and dangerous health outcomes, emphasizing the importance of emotional processing. Neuro somatic intelligence training can help us safely and healthily express emotions for improved health and wellbeing.
Expressing emotions is essential for our overall health and wellbeing, as it allows our systems to be united and whole. However, repressing or denying emotions can lead to blocked pathways and the prevention of feel-good chemicals from flowing through our bodies, impacting both our biology and behavior. Candice Pert's quote, "When emotions are expressed, all systems are united and made whole. When emotions are repressed, denied, or not allowed to be whatever they may be, our network pathways get blocked, stopping the flow of the vital, feel good, unifying chemicals that run both our biology and our behavior," highlights this idea. Repressed emotions can also lead to dangerous health outcomes, making it crucial to prioritize emotional processing. Neuro somatic intelligence training, which combines evidence-based psychology and neuroscience, can help us understand how to work with our nervous system to create safe and healthy emotional expressions, leading to improved health and wellbeing. It's important to remember that emotional expression can be challenging if our bodies and nervous systems haven't learned that it's safe, and we may need tools and support to help make that expression safe and appropriate. Overall, the ability to express and regulate our emotions is vital for our health and wellbeing, and it's essential to prioritize practices that support this process.
Unexpected emotional responses during training: Being trauma-informed helps trainers recognize and respond to unexpected emotional reactions during training, ensuring a safe environment for clients.
Working with the human body, especially the nervous system, can bring up repressed emotions unexpectedly. This is why it's crucial for trainers, especially those in neurotraining, to be trauma-informed. I once had a student in a vision training class whose anger was triggered during a seemingly simple exercise. Another time, a middle-aged woman in a balance training class had an emotional flashback while just observing others do the exercise. These incidents demonstrate how physical movements can evoke strong emotional responses, often connected to past traumas. Being trauma-informed allows trainers to recognize these reactions, respond appropriately, and create a safe environment for clients. It's essential for anyone working with the human body and nervous system to understand the connection between physical and emotional memories.
Connecting body and emotions during training: Engaging physical activities can evoke deeper emotions and cognitive responses, starting with shorter sessions and gradually increasing intensity. Nature can also be a powerful tool for emotional release and healing.
Activating physical parts of the body can lead to emotional and cognitive responses, even if those connections aren't immediately clear. This can happen during various types of training, such as vision, balance, massage therapy, or strength training. In the case of emotional work, establishing a structured practice can help make these deeper emotions more accessible, starting with shorter sessions and gradually increasing the length and intensity over time. Using nature as a regulator can also be an effective way to release emotions and find healing. The speaker's personal experience with grief is an example of how this process can lead to unexpected outcomes, including viral videos that resonate with others and offer a sense of validation and support.
Expressing and processing grief is essential for healthy relationships and a healthy nervous system.: Expressing and processing grief daily can transform relationships, find social connection, and improve overall health.
Expressing and processing grief is essential for maintaining healthy relationships and a healthy nervous system. Grief is a natural response to loss, and it's important for seeking support and care. However, many people suppress their grief due to past experiences of not receiving adequate care or due to the fear of expressing big emotions. This suppression can lead to a barrier in forming deep connections with others, limiting the ability to experience joy and pleasure. From a neurobiological perspective, grief is the internal sensation of loss, similar to phantom limb pain, which is a dissonance between our perception and reality. It's a protective and communicative emotion, signaling the need for care and support. By practicing expressing grief, even for a minute each day, people can transform their relationships, find social connection, and improve their overall health. Join us live at rewirechild.com for two free weeks of nervous system training and emotional processing tools.
Loss of limb or loved one disrupts brain's perception: Both losing a limb and a loved one can cause disruptions in the brain, leading to feelings of threat, pain, and incompleteness. Healing involves creating new signals and inputs rather than trying to trick the brain.
Both the loss of a physical limb and the loss of a loved one can cause significant disruption to the brain's perception of the body or environment, leading to feelings of threat, pain, and a sense of incompleteness. In the case of a missing limb, the brain no longer receives input signals from that area, causing it to perceive a threat and resulting in phantom limb pain. Similarly, when a loved one is lost, the brain is no longer receiving emotional and cognitive inputs from that person, leading to feelings of grief and potential physiological manifestations such as anxiety, depression, and even increased inflammation. The best way to heal from these losses is not to try to trick the brain into believing that the limb or loved one is still present, but rather to create new signals and inputs that can help the brain reform and heal the affected maps. This process takes time, but ultimately leads to a sense of wholeness and safety once again.
Practicing emotional expression for healing from grief and loss: Recognizing and addressing raw emotions from small losses can help prevent deeper wounds and chronic health issues. Practicing emotional expression can also aid in healing from larger losses and unresolved emotions like shame.
Recognizing and addressing the raw edges of grief and loss is essential for healing. This can start with small moments of loss and practicing emotional expression through the body. For larger losses, this practice can help process emotions that may leave deep wounds in our identity and nervous system, contributing to chronic pain and other health issues. Ignoring or suppressing these emotions can lead to longer-term suffering. Additionally, unresolved emotions like shame can also benefit from this approach, as they often stem from unprocessed grief and loss. By acknowledging and practicing with these emotions, we can begin the healing process.
The connection between shame and freeze in Complex PTSD: Shame can trigger a state of freeze and vice versa in Complex PTSD, and this connection helps individuals stay connected to caregivers and social bonds.
Shame and the feeling of being frozen are closely linked for individuals with Complex PTSD (CPTSD). Shame can trigger a state of freeze, and vice versa, neurologically speaking. This connection is protective, as shame helps keep individuals connected to their caregivers and social bonds, which are crucial for development. Shame can also magnify negative perceptions, making them seem greater than they are. The speaker shared personal experiences of feeling intense shame during traumatic events, including being taken and diagnosed with breast cancer, and how these experiences were linked to feelings of freeze. Understanding the connection between shame and freeze can provide insight into the complex emotions experienced by individuals with CPTSD.
Understanding the Role of Inner Critic and Shame in CPTSD: Individuals with CPTSD have a protective inner critic and shame voice, which can lead to overgiving, boundary issues, and physiological responses. Tools like NSI can help address the emotional and survival brains to understand the true intentions behind thoughts.
The inner critic and shame voice in individuals with Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is a protective mechanism trying to meet unmet emotional and social connection needs from childhood. This voice becomes hypervigilant and loud, leading to overgiving, boundary issues, and physiological responses such as freezing or shutting down. The declarative language used by the inner critic can turn into self-beliefs, making it essential to understand the role of shame and the nervous system. Tools like Neurosequential Modeling (NSI) can help address the emotional brain and survival brain on their terms, allowing individuals to take a step back from the critical language and understand the true intentions behind their thoughts.
Connection between emotions and nervous system: Practicing neuro-somatic tools to regulate the nervous system can help work through negative emotions and create new experiences. Understanding emotions' connection to the nervous system can lead to compassionate approaches for healing and growth.
Our perception of reality and the emotions we experience, including shame and positive emotions, are deeply connected to our nervous system. Directly trying to talk ourselves out of negative emotions or cognitively deconstructing shame may not be effective and could even worsen the situation. Instead, practicing neuro-somatic tools that focus on regulating the nervous system and mobilizing the body can help us work through these emotions and create new experiences. Positive emotions, while desirable, can also be threatening to our nervous system if we're not used to expressing them due to past repression or fear of the unpredictability of their intensity. Understanding the connection between our emotions and nervous system can help us approach them with compassion and effective practices for healing and growth.
Challenges of Experiencing Positive Emotions: Despite our brains' protective instincts, it's essential to practice receiving and regulating emotions, letting go of anger and self-limiting beliefs, and building deeper connections to trust and embrace abundance in life.
Experiencing positive emotions can be challenging due to deeply held beliefs and the fear of disappointment or hurt. Our brains are wired to protect us and can be hesitant to fully embrace joy and trust new situations. It's important to practice receiving and regulating emotions, and letting go of anger and self-perceived limitations. Through deeper connections and relationships, we can learn to trust and receive abundance, allowing us to fully engage in the flow of life. Remember, our emotions have no boundaries, and how we receive in one area of life can impact how we receive in others. It takes time and practice to overcome our fears and fully embrace positive emotions.
Embrace emotions as a natural part of life: Embrace emotions to foster connection, personal growth and navigate relationships through neuroplasticity
Emotions, whether positive or negative, are not static experiences but rather a part of the natural flow of life. Allowing oneself to fully experience them, without fear of loss, can lead to greater connection with others and personal growth. Neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to change and rewire itself, is a constant process that can help us navigate these emotions and relationships. Remembering this can bring encouragement and courage to face the uncertainty of life and step into new experiences, even when fear or negative beliefs try to hold us back.
Practicing emotional regulation techniques: Regulating emotions through present moment focus and nervous system work enhances relationships and personal growth.
Practicing small emotional releases and regulation techniques can help us become better at managing our emotions and adapting to change in our relationships and daily life. By focusing on the present moment and allowing ourselves to fully experience our emotions, we can improve our emotional intelligence and connection with others. Nervous system work and practices can provide the foundation for this by helping us regulate and integrate our emotions, enabling us to accept and express them in healthy ways without dissociating or suppressing them. This not only enhances our relationships and overall well-being but also allows us to grow and evolve as individuals.
Explore practices and tools for navigating complex emotions: Join Rewire Trial for free nervous system training and emotional processing tools to connect with a supportive community and gain insights for personal growth
There are various practices and tools available to help individuals navigate complex emotions such as grief, shame, and anger. These practices can be particularly beneficial in regulating the nervous system and facilitating emotional processing. If you're interested in exploring these practices further, consider joining Rewire Trial's live sessions at rewiretrial.com. You'll receive two free weeks of nervous system training and emotional processing tools, working directly with the instructors. This is an opportunity to connect with a supportive community and gain valuable insights for personal growth. Check it out at rewiretrial.com.