A while back we share the first part of this blog, where we spoke about the brain and what happens to our brain when it’s under stress. Now, we share what we can do about it. Enjoy!
The War is not Over – When Stress becomes the Norm
When we are constantly exposed to high-stress states and danger, we live a life burdened by continuous exposure to stressors and reactivity to experiencing those stressors. Our bodies operate in almost repeated Fight, Flight, Faint and Freeze states and they in turn keep us stuck in negative emotions, rumination and worst-case thinking.
The stress hormones regularly coursing through our bodies cause great wear and tear on our bodies and compromise our immune systems, not to mention causing us to be stuck looping in unhappiness and distress, and not knowing how to get ourselves out of it. And no wonder, since in this stressed state, the higher functioning parts of our brain that are designed to help us find solutions are shut down.
From that place, we become enslaved to our emotions and bodily reactions and lose touch with the parts of ourselves where we have true agency, freedom and choice.
The Journey Back Home – How Do We Get Back to Safety?
Our brain has the capacity to change. The neural structure, connections and functions have the aptitude for “plastic change” and for learning. This change can happen both ways so if we are in states of danger continuously, our brain changes to operate from the self protective networks automatically. This is why we become locked in the vicious cycle of stress.
Yet that same principle of plasticity holds great hope. How so? Because we can retrain our brains to operate from safety. Because of neuroplasticity, we can switch back to our original state where we are primed to connect and contribute.
When we are liberated from stress, we regain our true freedom and experience love, joy and peace as our default emotions.
From books to publications to workshops and more, and from science to spirituality, an entire body of knowledge has been created to answer the question: how do we return back to safety? It is hardly something that can be covered in a single blog and yet I would be remiss to leave you without practical tools and insights to support you on your journey.
The Core Principle of Plasticity
Our brains are conditioned to respond to internal and external stimuli in a certain way. That way induces a certain state in our bodies and minds. When our brains are exposed to certain states continuously over time, they learn to operate by default from those states.
Therefore the key is to induce a desired state continuously and over time.
Consistency: Our brains learn to switch to any state through consistent and chronic exposure to that state. So in order to rewire our brains, we need to practice consistently and diligently. We can see the results of meditation for example on our brains not after a session but after a few months of consistent daily practice.
State Immersion: You can repeat “I love myself” over and over again. It will not start working until you emotionally and physiologically feel it. It is key that you begin, even if you do not feel it in your heart and body, and reprogramming happens when you are immersed in safety as a state. This is why practices like visualization and meditation, when practiced consistently, are much more powerful than using cognition alone.
Healing our Three Brains: The techniques that work for healing our brainstem will not work for healing our limbic brain, and the tools we use to heal our neocortex will not work on our brainstem. Using techniques that heal one of our brains helps and yet is not complete. We need to apply the right techniques for healing each of our brains to truly transform our psyche.
The Modern Mystery School – Spirituality as a Studied Solution
Healing from the trauma of our perceived separateness and coming back home to connection and contribution is at the heart of the spiritual journey.
This is exactly the journey you can take at the Modern Mystery School. It is a journey of consistent practice, within a community of fellow humans who are seeking to ascend in their consciousness. It offers you access to powerful state-changing tools and teachings that are handed down in an unbroken chain of master to student for over 3000 years, and designed to heal every part of you – mind, heart, body and spirit / energetic imprint?
Take the journey and empower yourself and remember who you truly are.
Come back home.
Other content that might interest you:
- Understanding Stress and Reactivity – Part 1 of 2
- When Conversations Get Tough: How to Talk with Complete Candour while Remaining in Connection
- The Counter Instinctive Principle to Achieving Audacious Goals & Building Habits that Stick
Attend my 1 hr FREE guided group meditations – Sign up now.
Blog collaboration: Mike Popovici & Lulwa Saffarini, Blog written by: Lulwa Saffarini
Photo Credits:
- Main photo licensed form Adobe Stock
