M4 : Lesson 4: How to do ABC Brain Retraining
Please see the Module 4 Workbook for Lesson 4 materials.
Please note there are 6 videos/sub-lessons to this module 4, lesson 4 material.
This potent ABC brain retraining tool alone can be life-changing. Remember, changing your habitual brain firing patterns can take time, so be consistent and ask for help on the forum if you need more clarification on the process!
Transcript
Module 4 lesson 4. Overview of ABC brain retraining. This lesson is actually broken up into several smaller videos. I wanna keep it as part of one lesson because it’s all about ABC brain retraining, but I wanted to break it up into smaller videos for easier reference later on. We’ll go over the time commitments and overall guidelines.
We’ll go over how to do part a of ABC. Then part b followed by part c, and all five variations of doing part c of ABC. I will go into a full example, and I also have a section with others examples that you can listen to. And lastly, a guided walk through of the ABC technique. Primal Trust ABC dimensional shift quick summary.
Again, a, is for awareness of your resistance. And this is where we’re aware of our thoughts and judgments, behaviors, and our nervous system response. B is for body presence, acceptance and nonresistance of this current moment. And c is for choice, creation, and visualization. This is where we use imagination and values based action inspired by our true self.
The level 1 ABCdimensional shift technique, purpose. To rewire the brain’s stress patterns that are contributing to symptoms and illness. To desensitize the brain and body’s stress response to internal and external triggers and increase freedom to experience a life you love. And to create new conscious perspectives of your reality that is more health affirming and trusting so that your body’s autonomic nervous system has improved capacity for managing stress and triggering experiences. Our intention is that this practice is not meant to be used as a holistic fix it pill to make your symptoms go away.
This is really important to understand. It is meant to create new pathways of thought and behavior over time. We are not doing this to fix our symptoms. We’re doing this to create a different brain state and allowing our body to resolve itself as it will. I wanna emphasize this again.
We do not do brain retraining only when we’re triggered or only when our symptoms are really bad. It’s not meant to be like a type of holistic Xanax pill or anxiety relieving pill that can become a band aid although brain retraining can help you calm down and feel better. You’re wanting to set up a pattern that you can change your emotional state on a regular schedule even if you already feel okay in the moment. Sometimes we can end up cross wiring this tool with our symptoms if we only do the practice when we feel bad or scared. This is meant to be a tool for personal growth not just symptom management.
So please make a schedule as best you can initially and eventually it can be more free form. I would do 2 practices back to back first thing in the morning again in the afternoon when I felt a slump of energy and again at night within an hour of going to bed. I know some people do all four practices in the morning. I also recommend doing the brain retraining practice standing or even with slight swaying movements or moving your body. This helps to build exercise ins stamina and allows your body to have subtle responses of movements to the repatterning of your brain.
Now, I’m not being dogmatic about this suggestion, and you can do brain retraining, sitting, or even lying down. But your likelihood of staying focused throughout the brain retraining practice is decreased. And if you’re dealing with chronic fatigue or pots, doing the practice in standing can help improve your tolerance to activity over time by creating a positive association with energy exertion and a right positioning. I’d like to go over some recommended time commitments of your regulate practices combining modules 1 through 4. Before I go into this slide, I’d like you to know that in the next slide, I will have a simpler version of the time commitment.
So this slide is going to indicate a more comprehensive way of moving through the program. I’d like you to do around 2 to 4 brain retraining practices a day. That means planning a total of at minimum 15 minutes a day of brain retraining. And at maximum up to 60 minutes a day. As far as how long for each individual brain retraining practice, I recommend anywhere from 5 minutes up to 15 minutes per ABC brain retraining practice.
We’ll go over a more detailed schedule at the end of this module. But to summarize, I’d say plan on 1 to 2 ABC practices in the morning, another one at midday and another one in evening for a comprehensive approach. In addition to brain retraining every day, we also have our vagal toning that you’ve already learned in module 3. I recommend to continue with 10 to 20 minutes a day of a combination of your eye exercises, your breath, or any other vagal toning exercises. And of course, please continue with tool number 1.
The awareness, pattern erupt and b here now practice, to help rewire your conscious mind into the present moment. So this means to dedicate between 30 minutes maybe even up to an hour a half a day for your brain rewiring and nervous system rehabilitation program, especially if you have chronic conditions. Again, you’re going to be able to customize this to what you can do. So I’m giving you guidelines here but this is not a dogmatic approach. And in the next slide, I’ll go over a simpler version of the same general approach.
So you might be asking, what if I can’t do too much? Well, here’s a simple guideline for your time commitments for the regulate practices. Brain retraining. Try for at least once a day every morning and aim for 5 to 10 minutes. So at the very least, Get one practice in a day, and congratulate yourself for doing that.
As far as bagel toning, I recommend that you complete some type of breath practice in the morning upon waking for 1 to 5 minutes. Again, you can choose what breath that is for you. Maybe it’s vu or heart math or mantra. And then follow that up with the eye exercise of the eye gaze stabilization or core exercise number 1. At least one time a day for up to 5 minutes.
So that every day you’re doing a little bit of brain retraining and a little bit of vagal toning. And of course, continue with tool number 1, the awareness pattern interrupt, be here. Now, this should only take you between 5th 20 minutes total per day of regulation for those of you who need a very simple version. And please know that this simple practice It’s a great start. You don’t have to aim for perfection.
Master this and you’ll be able to build from here without so much overwhelm. How soon before I see results? Well, this is different for everyone. I have seen many that have big shifts within the first few days. For me, I saw changes within the 1st few weeks, and by 4 months, I had a radical difference in my function and general symptom level.
However, I personally continued to do an hour a day of brain retraining for a whole year before decreasing that down to 15 to 30 minutes a day after that for ongoing support. I also did about 15 minutes a day of the eye yoga for about 6 months and about 15 minutes a day of schematics as well. I currently still spend an hour at least a day on self care, and I love this time to myself. It is not a chore. It is a sacred time to me, and I encourage you to find a way to help this feel sacred to you as well.
8:53In the next video lesson of 4, it’s gonna be lesson 4.1, and it’s how to do part a awareness of ABC.