EBT 1: Chapter 1 by Emotional Brain Training

Chapter 1 Progress ■

Goal 1. Community & Connections I created community, participating in weekly support and making 1 or more Community Connections.

■

Goal 2. The Power to Rewire I checked in at least

9 10

times per day.

I practiced the skill of the week, the Damage Control Tool, at least 3 times. ■

Goal 3. Emotional Freedom I imagined myself: Aware of My Sanctuary.

■

Goal 4. Life at 1 I exercised for

100

200

300

minutes this week

I made one change in my health care or self-care. ■

Goal 5. Meditation I used EBT Meditation

Total Goals Met: 1

1 2

2 3

3 4

or more

times/week

When you have completed all 5 goals, move to the next chapter!

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Overview of Chapter 1 Welcome: You are already off to a great start. Be sure to listen to the support audio program that comes with this kit. It will introduce you to the course and help you focus on the most important points. Also, check out the Imagine audio program to guide you with EBT meditation and the Imagines, the guided imagery and the expressive arts part of the training.

Be Gentle with Yourself: Don’t push yourself. Starting is the more challenging part of this work. It will become so much easier in time. As you begin, you may feel lots of positive and negative emotions about getting started. You may be angry that you don’t already have these tools, sad that it is so much work, afraid you will not be able to do it, and guilty that you are not already wired at 1. Alternately, you may feel grateful there are tools, happy to be engaged, secure that you can do this work, and proud that you are starting. Many people have some or all of these reactions.

Riding A Bike: The emotional brain changes slowly, with repeated practice. So early in the training everything may seem difficult or superficial. Later in the training, the work is actually much easier. The tools are initially learned and stored in conscious memory. With practice, those tools become stored in unconscious memory, and using them becomes more automatic. It is similar to when we first learn to ride a bike. At first we wobble on the bike and feel not at all natural. When riding the bike becomes automatic, it is joyful and elegant.

Not Being Perfect: If you are typically an “A” student, you may feel as if you are doing “C” work. Remember, that “C” is equivalent to “A” in this work. Just move through the activities in each chapter, knowing that any novel experience initially lays down a stress circuit: since most of the Kit work is novel for you, you will be triggering stress responses. If you can tolerate not doing it perfectly, over time you will be able to become wired for well-being, which is transformational.

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Goal 1. Community You are beginning to create your EBT community of people with whom you practice the skills and experience the method. Add at least one person to your list this week. You can add to this list slowly as you meet people in your group or in your telegroup, on the EBT Internet Community, and in your day-to-day life. Make at least 1 Community Connection. For ideas about how we do this, see the Appendices. It may not feel natural to pick up the telephone and call someone to practice the skills; however, by doing that you will develop relationships, observe the work of others (so that you do not need to do it ALL yourself) and learn. After each Connection, please pause and reflect on what you just did: in essence, breaking stress circuits and building joy circuits. Collect a Joy Point, because you have made a connection that not only supported your success, but also helped the other person.

■ I added at least 1 person to my Community Connection List. ■ I mdae at least 1 Community Connection. ■ I collected a Joy Point after that Connection.

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Goal 2. The Power to Rewire This week, please continue to focus on your emotional state throughout the day. In short, be aware of your number. Use your consciousness, stored in the prefrontal cortex, to focus and appraise your emotional state. That experience of attachment, and learning that single piece of information â&#x20AC;&#x201D; your number â&#x20AC;&#x201D; gives you the power to really see yourself, alter your expectations, and, should you choose to do so, switch your state. To remind yourself to be aware of your emotional state, check in throughout the day. Whether you check in at natural intervals during the day or by setting a watch or alarm for hourly Check Ins, keep track of your number. Each week we will focus on enhancing your skill with one tool. This week the tool is Damage Control. By becoming highly skilled at this tool, you can start breaking stress circuits right away. You can begin to STOP the buzzing of that allostatic circuit. In Brain State 5, two important changes occur. The first: we become vulnerable to the effects of cascading stress hormones, which make us go to extremes of thoughts, emotions and behavior. Remember the fight or flight response? In Brain State 5, we are NATURALLY disconnected and may think or act in harmful ways. We are not able to feel sanctuary, because the brain state of 5 chemically affects us so that we run away from what we perceive (or misperceive) as life-threatening. Evolutionarily, we are not supposed to feel safe in Brain State 5. That is why we want to run, flee, or get away. In addition to the natural shared tendency we have in Brain State 5, to disconnect from the sanctuary within, the second change is that our personal memories from past experiences of stress are also aroused. These memories exist in our unconscious memory systems. When they are aroused, we have no conscious realization that what we are experiencing is caused by past experience. We just feel stressed and upset. These emotional experiences are encoded in wires that shape our most basic expectations of ourselves, others and life. Because they were stored during stress, they are often distorted and unreasonable. As they are reactivated, they cause us unnecessary, unproductive stress.

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

When a circuit fires repeatedly and keeps us in Brain State 5, we lose our sanctuary. That circuit is the problem. It’s very important to become highly effective at recognizing when we are in Brain State 5. Do not judge the state; just recognize it. Then use the Damage Control Tool to zap the circuit! By getting practice with this tool, it will become easier to use, and more automatic. You might notice yourself saying: “Oh, I get it. The world isn’t awful. I’m not lost. I’m not a terrible person. Other people aren’t bad. It’s just that I’m in Brain State 5. It’s just a wire. I’m going to zap it!” You will feel much safer, because you will know what to do when hit with a fullblown stress response. Please practice the Damage Control Tool at least 3 times.

The Damage Control Tool: Zap a 5! Check In: I’m at 5! This is important. Often, the manifestation of a Brain State 5 will fool you. You won’t think you’re at 5. You’ll think you are just miserable and the situation at hand warrants feeling so upset and stressed. It will feel real and justified to you, even though it is really just a circuit, and that circuit is impacting your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. Just realizing that you are at 5 is challenging. Moments or hours can go by before you check in and realize that, although it feels as if you are lost, confused, in peril, and that it ALWAYS will be that way, it is just a circuit that has triggered a brain state. The realization that this is not real, but just a circuit that triggered a brain state, takes PRACTICE. How many times have you triggered a Brain State of 5, and instead of zapping it with Damage Control, you just sat in it, lived it, endured it, or sought to escape it in ineffective ways? Now you are training your brain to act differently. You recognize that you are dealing with Brain State 5, not with your actual, current situation; and no matter how bad your situation is, your brain state is keeping you ineffective. The real problem is the brain state and the wiring that triggered it, rather than the situation. By lifting yourself out of that brain state, the unnecessary and unproductive pain that you are causing yourself will diminish. Use the Damage Control Tool to remind yourself: this is just a CIRCUIT. It’s not me. It’s just a WIRE that has triggered this brain state!

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

After you say each of these sentences to yourself, pause for as long as it takes to experience the sense that it is “sinking in,” that you are really listening to yourself and taking that message to heart. That sense in your body that you have taken in that message on an emotional level helps you re-attach to yourself. The wiring of Brain State 5 has broken the connection to yourself, and by re-attaching emotionally, you break that stress response. You may not be able to do this all the time, particularly at first, but keep in mind that you are creating an emotional shift within by using this tool.

1. Do Not Judge. The fight or flight response is triggered by the reptilian brain and it is snappish! The cascade of stress hormones starts spewing venom everywhere. The natural and immediate impulse is to judge yourself viciously and/or to rip apart others, judging them with equal fervor. Either type of judgment immediately weakens your connection with yourself, others, and your spirituality (however you define it). Judgment is so toxic to your experience of peace and sanctuary within that it is essential to stop that circuit: saying passionately to yourself: DO NOT JUDGE. The conviction with which you affirm not judging is very, very important. The more passionate you are that you are choosing NOT to judge yourself and others, particularly when your brain is spewing chemicals that foster that drive to judge and rip people apart, the more you off-load stress. How can you have that inside and feel loving joy? You cannot. However, we will go to 5 at times, and our best shot at minimizing the harm is to intervene as quickly as possible, even if it is not quick or complete, and zap the circuit with the Damage Control Tool. So consider the importance in your life of being able to zap that circuit, and passionately insist that you do not judge. Not in this lifetime! Even though it is the natural tendency, you will combat it. You will say to yourself: DO NOT JUDGE, meaning I WILL NOT JUDGE MYSELF OR OTHERS.

2. Minimize Harm The next statement in the Damage Control Tool is: MINIMIZE HARM. In reality, there will be some harm. That’s the nature of the flooding of stress hormones. You may feel bone chillingly alone, terrified, lost, abandoned, miserable, ashamed,

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

panicked, hostile, or totally depressed. That’s Brain State 5! That’s what chemically happens in that state. Yet that state WILL END, and the most effective strategy about harm is to accept that there will be some, but we need to figure out how to minimize it. Do you really need to binge on 10 cookies or will 3 do? Do you really need to pick up the phone and make an unfortunate call, or can you resist the temptation, and instead curl up on the couch and chill out until the circuit stops rattling? Even getting one cell of your being to observe yourself and bring some sensibility to your situation enables you to make a huge difference in the consequences of being in Brain State 5.

3. Know It Will Pass When we’re in Brain State 5, we KNOW FOR SURE that it WILL NEVER PASS. That’s the chemical message we are getting. We have NO HOPE that the future will be any different. Of course, that makes sense. Marshalling an effective escape from a hungry lion requires that we believe that there is no repose in sight. Whatever is happening now IS OUR REALITY. We cannot perceive there is anything else that might help us around the corner. It is not easy, but we can work at beating back that chemical surge by reassuring ourselves: KNOW IT WILL PASS. Practice using this tool at least three times this week. Remind yourself that you are at 5; it’s just a circuit. Say each sentence to yourself, pausing and letting each message sink in. Then move on to the next sentence, repeating the tool over and over until you experience an emotional shift. You can always lovingly accept that you just need to be in Brain State 5 now, and stay there for as long as you need to do so. However, becoming able to zap a Brain State 5 is a powerful tool that will enhance your capacity to establish peace . . . and sanctuary . . . within.

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

The Damage Control Record: ZAP a 5! #1: I used Damage Control. I zapped a 5!

Ye s

What I learned: _____________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________

#2: I used Damage Control. I zapped a 5!

Ye s

#3: I used Damage Control. I zapped a 5!

Ye s

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Goal 3. Emotional Freedom Imagine — Creating Sanctuary Please begin by taking a few moments just to relax. Take some nice, deep breaths. When you feel quiet inside, when you’re ready, begin to Imagine. Bring to mind a time when you felt really peaceful inside. You were aware of your body and felt securely connected to that safe place within you. Perhaps it was a time when the situations in your life were going well or a time when you had a new start in life or an unexpected cluster of good fortune. Bring to mind a time when you experienced a sense of peace and safety within. That memory might even have been a time long, long ago or even in the womb, but know that you have experienced that, and bring to mind the feeling in your body, the sensations, of that time. Take a few moments to imagine a time when you experienced sanctuary: that is, peace and safety within. Now bring that experience forward, that experience of relaxation and peace and safety, and see yourself having become adept at using these tools. And even though you are in situations that are challenging, you bring to mind that feeling, that feeling of being connected to a safe place within. See yourself being surrounded by stress but honoring that safe place inside, supporting your need to stay connected to yourself and fully capable of keeping your fingers on the pulse of your inner life, your emotional life, moment to moment throughout the day. Next, bring to mind an image of yourself moving through your day and noticing that you’re aware of your sanctuary, you’re aware of that safe place within, that feeling of peace and connection inside, noticing that more often than you might think, you’re at Brain State 1. And when you notice that you feel connected to that sanctuary, when you’re at Brain State 1, be aware of your next step, what you do. See that more often than not, you choose to deepen that positive emotion, to really see yourself and experience safety in your body. Feel that wave of relaxation and that warm energy, that energy of life in every cell of your being. Bring to mind a vision of yourself at Brain State 1 and using the tool, Sanctuary

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Tool, to deepen and extend that feeling of compassion for yourself and feeling that surge of pleasure in your body deepening and extending that rolling kind of joy. So that circuit, that wire, makes it all so easy, becomes stronger and stronger. You’re deepening and strengthening and expanding those circuits that promote joy, ultimate connection in your life. See yourself doing that. Continue following this vision of yourself. Here you are aware of the sanctuary within. And knowing full well that you are committed to creating more moments of joy in your day, to being absolutely free to move through all the brain states but then return to that state of being in which sanctuary, that reward, is abundant. Brain State 1. And see yourself not losing sight of yourself, even when there are things to do and there are needs of the day. See yourself staying connected to your emotional state. You are continuing to be aware of your number and then reaching for the tools when you’re in Brain State 2, The Feelings Check. You just reach for it. How do I feel? What do I really need? Do I need support? Reaching for Emotional Housecleaning when you’re in Brain State 3, a little stressed, expressing anger, sadness, fear, guilt, clearing away those emotions, opening yourself up to feeling grateful, happy, secure, proud, and noticing that you’re back at 1 When you’re at Brain State 4, definitely stressed, it’s a moment of opportunity. You can reach for The Cycle Tool. You can state the facts about what you’re upset about and then nab one of those stress circuits by going into the portal of your emotions, into your emotional brain and expressing your anger, red hot anger, opening up that emotional circuit, sadness, fear, guilt, and then looking down to the most basic expectations that are under those feelings to what that stress circuit is really all about. Bringing that up to conscious level, up to your prefrontal cortex and then wiring in a new circuit, breaking apart that stress circuit and reconsolidating it as a circuit that promotes your joy and then repeating it, grinding it in, particularly soon after you use the cycle to get those new synapses to form, that new circuit to be strong. And you notice that as you go through your day, aware of your emotional state, getting your safety from inside you and then reaching for the tools, switching your brain back to a state of 1, that is not hard. In fact, each time you use the tools, they penetrate a little deeper, they work a little more easily, and it begins to become

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

natural and spontaneous, to check in and reach for the tools more of the time. Now, bring to mind a vision of yourself with a little more stressful experience, one that could easily take you to Brain State 5. Perhaps it’s a physical problem, an illness or a situation that’s demanding, or a memory has been triggered and you are at Brain State 5, a full-blown stress response. Notice that instead of analyzing it, judging it, or fixing it, you take a deep breath; you just pause; and that you appreciate there’s a chemical cascade that is being unleashed inside of you, and that’s happening because it’s not you. It’s just a circuit. It’s just a wire. And like all humans the world over, for a short while you see that you are being chemically affected, and you really do believe that this is real, not just a circuit. The real situation intensified by an old wire, often one stored very early in life or during stressful experiences. So bring to mind a particularly stressful experience just for this moment. Bring that experience to mind, and see yourself in that stressful experience that could actually trigger you to Brain State 5. Watch yourself, the emotions, the sensations, the situation. Really see yourself in that Brain State 5 where it’s very difficult to feel any kind of sanctuary. Yet notice that in the very back of your mind you are aware that there was a sanctuary somewhere, that you have experienced this feeling of safety and peace inside and that perhaps, because you know it’s just a wire, you can stop the activation of that wire and actually activate a different one. You have in the back of your mind a deep knowing that behind that wall of stress your sanctuary is there. It’s there all the time. Once that jangling of the stress circuit fades, you will go back to that sanctuary. You will feel at home inside again, and you will be in that river of peaceful emotions in that sanctuary that’s inside you. See yourself in that stressful situation doing something very powerful: bringing to mind that it’s just a brain state. And be aware of your immense power to calm that circuit and switch that brain state and really see yourself. And you say, “Do not judge. I will not judge myself. I will not judge myself, and I will not judge others.” And feel a wave of relaxation and safety taking the edge off that full-blown stress response. See yourself saying, “Minimize harm.” There will be harm. This is a fullblown stress response, but I can minimize it. And see yourself saying, “This will

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

pass.” It feels as if it will go on and on, and life will never return to that soothing and comforting way of being. “I will never get my joy back.” But in the very back of your mind, you know it’s just a wire, and people the world over have those wires and that brain state. And so you see yourself soothing and comforting yourself from within and then returning in that moment to the brain state of 1. Naturally when you stop that circuit, you can actually flip the switch back to 1 where all the magic of life becomes apparent again. And sometimes you switch it back to 4, which is a moment of opportunity, being lifted out of the stress enough so that you can effectively use The Cycle Tool and break that stress circuit. Live your best life doing that. Please pause for a moment, and really hold on to that vision of yourself. You’re enjoying the sanctuary within, and each time you move through the whole range of brain states and you reach for the tools, you notice that you’re switching your state back to 1. And the tracks in your brain from each brain state back to 1 become stronger and larger and denser. And those that ramp up the stress and block your joy, they become weaker and smaller. Hold onto this vision of yourself. You’re accomplishing just what you need to accomplish in your day, the ins and outs of what you need to do. But you have a hidden agenda. You know that you’re using each moment of the day to strengthen the circuits that favor joy and to create more of the rewards in your life. Hold onto that vision of yourself in creating more sanctuary, more experiences of Brain State 1 with that feeling of peace and power from within. Then when you’re ready, complete the Imagine. Express what you thought, what you felt, what you saw, what you heard as you imagined.

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Seeing: Please write about what you saw. Tell the story of what appeared or happened as you imagined being aware of your sanctuary.

Feeling: What feelings arose as you became aware of the sanctuary?

Hearing: What sounds or tones did you hear as you became aware of your sanctuary?

Moving: Move your body in a way that expresses your sanctuary, the experience of feeling peace and power from within.

Drawing: Please draw yourself being aware of your sanctuary. (next page)

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

This is ME: Aware of My Sanctuary

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Goal 4. Life at 1 Exercise will boost your positive neuroplasticity (changing the neural circuits) and neurogenesis (making more neurons). Daily exercise has now been shown to increase the number of synaptic connections and to involve new neurons in neural circuits. It trains the brain not to overreact to stress. During the muscle contraction involved in exercise, the muscle releases IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1). This chemical enters the blood and crosses the blood-brain barrier when it arrives at the brain, and induces the production of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), a chemical which fuels many of the higher thought activities. The more BDNF in the brain, the more neurons, the more branches, and the more neural connections are made. Start your exercise plan this week and experiment with what works best for you. Emphasize endurance activities: walk, bike, treadmill, jog, dance, or do something that enables you to increase your heart rate, but still allows you to breathe easily. Safety is our first priority, so if you have not checked with your physician to be sure it is safe for you to engage in exercise, please do that now. If you prefer, use The EBT Pocket Journal, the EBT iPhone application, or your home page on the EBT Internet Community.

Exercise â&#x2013; I have started exercising or am continuing my existing exercise plan. â&#x2013; I appreciate that exercise enhances rewiring.

Total minutes of exercise: 100 200 300 other:____

Stress pours into your brain from your body, so taking really good care of your body is core to creating joy in your life. Small differences in medications, pain management, muscle and joint functioning, and resistance to infection can add to your joy in important ways. There has been conclusive evidence showing that the most supportive supplementation for the brain is a multi-vitamin and mineral

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

that supplies adequate B vitamins along with at least 1-3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids and additional antioxidants of Vitamin C [1 gram] , Vitamin E [400 IU]. An additional B complex is recommended for those individuals with high stress levels. Please take one action this week to ease stress through self-care or health care. That’s easy. I’m going to start taking my vitamins and fish oil daily. I’m going to add Vitamin C and E, too. My hormones are way off. I’m going to look into my options for balancing them again. My interest in sex is down and I can’t have that! I think I’m overmedicated. I’m going to talk with my physician about changing doses and going to wean myself from sleep aids. My back really hurts me. I’m going to the physical therapist to get some advice and exercises.

EBT Kit 1: Sanctuary Chapter 1

Goal 5. Meditation EBT Meditation is your time to be alone and quiet and to soak in the messages of the tools. You focus on your breathing and you use the tools for about 10 minutes. You focus on observing your Brain State without judgment, really seeing yourself and enjoying the beauty of the quiet that you have created. This is a soothing and powerful way to relax and restore, all while deepening your use of the tools. To experiment with using EBT Meditation this week, find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. Take a few nice deep breaths and begin to relax. There are several kinds of support: Visit the EBT Internet Community or use the EBT iPhone application or the CD that is included with this kit to be guided through the meditation. In addition, there is a written meditation in the Appendices.

Good Health I took this one action to enhance my health:_________________________ _______________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________

Was it helpful? Yes No Not Sure

Congratulations! You have completed your first week of Kit 1.