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To learn more about ways to change your state and get unstuck from trauma, I highly recommend Healing Trauma and Waking the Tiger by Peter Levine.
TOP DOWN THOUGHTS TO CLIMB THE POLYVAGAL LADDER
Top down means from the brain to the body
80% of fibers are from body to the brain
Be curious, not judgmental
The judgments are serving to keep you in your state
“I’m worthless” is a reflection of your state and also keeps you there
Observe, don’t evaluate
Notice these thoughts that come in and out of your mind
Meditation apps can help
Headspace
Calm
Aura
Meditation Studio
Meditations on youtube
Accept where you are at
Not the state that you want to be in, but what state you are actually in
You will get to where you need to be
Of course you want the pain to go away, but it’s not something that can be rushed
Actively fighting against it will actually make it worse
Accept that you are normal
This is all physiological stuff in response to whatever you have been through
Stories get piled on, plus judgments and beliefs and other thoughts
Anyone in your situation would have responded the same way
Accept that everyone is different
This isn’t an issue of weakness
It’s an issue of being in states of defense
We all react differently in terms of intensity or length of being in different states
Comparing yourself to other people will only serve to perpetuate your stories and keep you stuck longer
Accept that you did the best that you could
In that moment
With the skill set that you had available at that time
Accept that you are doing the best that you can
In this moment
With the skill set that you have available to you now
You are continuously building your skill set, even now
New Stories to take on:
You’re stuck, not broken
There was a real threat, or there is
The state is there for a reason
You got stuck, just like any of us could have or are
“How do I heal?” “How do I fix it?”
Your vagus nerve is probably fine, that’s not the issue
Just the conduit
The feedback loop is the problem
Your wiring is probably fine
Once you neurocept safety, you will get access to your safe/social state and the behaviors associated with it
You survived, you weren’t defeated
You. Survived.
If a gazelle is tackled by a cheetah, shuts down and then escapes… did they survive or were they defeated?
Music & Sounds by Benjo Beats - https://soundcloud.com/benjobeats
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