M4 : Lesson 9 – Module 4 Summary & Daily Practice Guidelines + Q&A
Please see the Module 4 Workbook for Lesson 9 materials
Both simplified and comprehensive daily routine options are included
Please mark lesson as “complete” in order to unlock the next module when it becomes available.
MODULES ARE RELEASED EACH WEEK FROM WHEN YOU JOINED
YOU MUST COMPLETE ALL 7 MODULES
Transcript
Module 4, lesson 9, summary tools and homework overview. Well, let’s just go over what we learned in module 4, brain retraining in a nutshell. Lesson 1, we learned that neuroplasticity allows our brain to rewire associations, change our symptom responses, and engage self healing mechanisms. In lesson 2, we learned that stress distorts our memory processing and the brain can replay thoughts and feelings and even symptoms from the past causing confusion between the present moment and past threats. Engaging our memory centers with positive input like we do with brain retraining can improve the function of the brain and the body.
Lesson 3. The ABC brain retraining utilizes mental rehearsal, somatic presencing, memory repatterning, creative visualization, and aligned actions. ABC is a top down and bottom up method. Lesson 4. Abc stands for awareness, body presence, choice, and creation.
There are 5 options for part c of ABC to choose from. Lesson 5, we discussed intrusive thoughts, distracting images, and a lack of creative ideas and memories is a normal aspect of resistance to brain retraining. Lesson 6. We are wired to stay the same. Our cells become addicted to stress biochemistry.
Lesson 7. With triggers, our initial goal is not to get rid of the symptoms. Instead, we teach the brain we can be in a state of nonresistance to the triggers and eventually reassociate a positive brain state to the trigger. And lesson 8, brain retraining alone has its limitations especially if there’s a history of trauma or deep emotional wounding. Oftentimes, we need to add in somatics and inner work processes.
This is just a summary of everything that was in the lesson so that you can get a good overview. We had our daily routine and time commitment practice schedule in lesson 4. We had our ABC dimensional shift overview of how to do ABC in lesson 4. In lesson 5, we had my personal example, other members examples, and guided walk throughs. Now your to do, your daily practice right now is doing up to 3 to 4 brain retraining practices a day, and please continue with your quick awareness pattern interrupt be here practice throughout the day and your vagal toning practices.
See lesson 4, the daily practice and time commitment PDF for a full overview. Next, let’s go over the daily suggested routine from the practices of modules 1 through 4. This slide will be a comprehensive routine. The next slide will go over a simplified routine. Start off first thing in the morning by waking up and doing a vagal breath and brain retraining.
I recommend that as soon as you wake up, pick a favorite breath for 3 to 5 minutes and do some breathing. And while you’re still laying down, you can do a Rosenberg basic exercise. And then I recommend to get up and add 1 to 2 ABC brain retraining practice sessions. Next, when you’re about ready to go to breakfast, it would be a great time to start some eye exercises. I recommend doing the eye exercises from module 3 for a total of 5 minutes, and you can add in somatic stomach pumping if you feel like you need digestion help.
And then before your noon meal or evening meal, I recommend a 3rd and 4th practice of your eye exercises and your brain retraining. I recommend repeating the eye exercises before you eat, and at some point in the afternoon or evening, add in an additional 1 to 2 ABC brain retraining sessions. And then at night, when you’re lying down, try to do another Rosenberg basic exercise and a gratitude practice or maybe even another ABC. Now, the simple practice suggestion, I recommend to start like this. Again, waking up first thing and breathing and brain retraining.
As soon as you wake up, finding your favorite breath for 3 to 5 minutes, and then get up if you can out of bed and do 1 ABC brain retraining practice for at least 5 to 10 minutes. From there, I recommend doing your eye exercises. At least picking eye exercise number 1, the eye gaze stabilization, for a total of up to 5 minutes before eating. You can also add in your somatic stomach pumping if you feel like you need that. Throughout the day, please continue with your awareness, pattern interrupt, and be here, noticing the present moment.
And then in the evening, while you’re laying down, you could do a Rosenberg basic practice. You could do gratitude. And if you felt like it, maybe another ABC practice. Please become familiar and well practiced with these exercises before moving on to module 5. And as you’re capable, add in more eye exercises, add in more ABC practices to your daily routine as you can tolerate.
I’d like to close out module 4 with a few lifestyle style reminders because these tools, although powerful, are not a replacement for having a balanced lifestyle. Here are a few tips. 1st, restoring your circadian rhythm. Trying to get up at the same time every day, ideally within a half hour of sunrise. And if you can, getting outside or looking at the sun and doing a little bit of movement for maybe 5 minutes will really help to reset your cortisol pump, which helps to run your endocrine system the entire day when you help to restore this rhythm.
In addition, please be aware of dopamine addiction and activities that could be depleting your nervous system without you realizing because they kind of have a feel good reward at the time, especially social media, following the news, or any other type of activity where you have an impulse that you can’t quite control. In addition, I really recommend finding times every day where you are focusing, like learning the regulate material, but also times where you’re not focusing on anything. In fact, I’d recommend not watching the regulate material more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time, and then take a break and go do something that’s automatic where you don’t have to think. This will help your brain to reset and be able to return back to learn more later. I also think that a lifestyle of having both structure and flexibility is important.
I’ve given you some ideas of structuring your day regarding your nervous system regulation tools, But please be flexible. If you miss out on something or if it doesn’t happen, don’t be hard on yourself. Let yourself have that freedom to change your mind if you need to. And also make sure that every day you have times that are nonstructured, where you’re just doing what you love. Because I think, honestly, maybe the most important thing is that you are filling your life with things that you love, things that help you feel joy, things that you’re passionate about.
So please take the time to learn something new, to follow your passions as best you can as you go through the regulate process. So take a deep breath. I know that feels like a lot. Right? I’m basically asking you to take at least an hour a day to do brain retraining, vagus nerve toning, catch your stress loops.
Spending an hour a day over 6 months results in drastic neuroplastic change. Can you imagine what your life might be like 6 months from now being dedicated, loving yourself enough to dedicating an hour to you? I wouldn’t be sitting here today if I hadn’t taken that hour a day to retrain my brain, do my eye exercises, and start moving my body. You can change your life doing this practice. I still do at least an hour a day of self care.
9:10Like I said earlier, it’s sacred time to me. Now before you move on to module 5, which is the somatics module, please have a consistent practice in place. Be regularly toning your vagus nerve and getting your brain enhanced with brain retraining and getting that process going, and then we’re gonna drop deeper in the body to complete the toolkit for the regulate program. So when you’re ready, I will see you in module 5.
QA Video transcript
Regulate Module 4 Q&A (2) Dec 20, 2022
Q&A 20th Dec TIMESTAMPS:
31:02 I want to go back to checking my phone and ruminating? Why do I do that
after doing an ABC?
32:10 I’m a longtime brain retrainer. I’ve been doing brain retraining for years but
lately I find during the future visualisation I sometimes start getting emotionally
blocked. How do I deal with it, do I stop and enquire where it’s coming from? Do I
change my visualisation, do I do something different, do I push through it?
34:30 If we’re not supposed to do the work and practice for more than an hour or
an hour and a half a day, does that mean we don’t focus on our surroundings or
focus on being present for the rest of the day?
36:00 How do we move forward when our mind won’t let go of thoughts that are
fearful?
36:40 I’ve been doing another brain retraining program and I have resistance to
moving forward with ABCs. I have this unhealthy thought pattern that the brain
retraining has to be done exactly the way I’ve been taught in the past, else I
won’t heal.
44:00 When I choose an aligned action visualisation I feel great, but if I don’t
follow through with the thoughts and actions I have resistance, and I’m afraid of it
not happening or afraid that I’m not going to follow through. Should I be focusing
on another versions of ABC?
48:12 What do I do about dealing with scary thoughts? Telling myself something
bad happening is even a possibility scares me.
50:30 Why would I speak my ABC practices out loud? I feel resistance to this.
51:15 In module 4 you mention enmeshment with those around me. Can you
expand on what people who enmeshed with others can you do to break this?
53:40 I don’t know what to brain retrain on anymore. I’ve been doing brain
retraining for awhile and I don’t know what to incrementally train on. I need to
figure out what triggers to brain retrain around.
56:25 Can you talk about the kind of visualisations you used to create Primal
Trust?