The nervous amygdala

The Over-Stimulated Amygdala

The amygdala is a structure located in the mid-brain. It is one of the first weigh stations that information encounters as it is entering our body through the senses. The amygdala is part of the body’s early warning system. It processes information from the standpoint of “How can this hurt me?” It looks for similarities between the current event and previous events that may have resulted in pain. The amygdala is not very discerning. It can find similarities between events that may be quite obscure. When the amygdala becomes too sensitized as a result of repeated trauma or over-stimulation, it begins to see similarities and, thus, threat in many things. It can become so sensitized that it perceives any emotion as threatening.

Tapping to calm the amygdala

Emotional Freedom Techniques or Tapping is a tool that allows us to discharge the negative emotion behind bothersome memories. The energy associated with these negative memories results in a disruption of the flow of energy through the body’s energy system. EFT allows for the systematic, methodical and, above all, kind means of collapsing the emotional charge that contributes to these disruptions. EFT utilizes the Meridian System that was mapped by the Chinese many thousands of years ago. It is the same system used by acupuncturists. Instead of using needles, in EFT we use physical tapping on the meridian points to dislodge emotional disruptions.

More About Emotional Freedom Techniques (Tapping)

There is more about EFT located on this web site. For additional information, visit www.emofree.com. For a very in-depth article about the amygdala, go to Ashok Gupta’s article on ProHealth.com.

Feel free to message or call me with any questions or to find out if EFT might be a good therapeutic tool for you.

George

The many benefits of exercise

What if there were a treatment that could do the following:

• Reduce the pain and disability of people suffering from knee arthritis by 47%
• Reduce progression to dementia and Alzheimer’s in older people by 50%
• Reduce progression into diabetes by 58%
• Reduce hip fractures in post-menopausal women by 41%
• Reduce anxiety by 48% & depression by 47%
• Lower the risk of early death by 23%
• Decrease fatigue
• Increase quality of life

Turns out, there is.

Exercise WILL make you feel better

So often, I hear myself reminding my clients, once again, of the benefits of exercise and the importance of including it in a comprehensive program of self-care (see S.T.R.E.S.S.S.S. Formula for Wellness). The evidence to support the value of exercise is continually mounting. It’s simple: Exercising (30-60 minutes of brisk walking) regularly will help us feel better, physically, emotionally and mentally. What other treatment can make that claim?

Get out there and move your body

Walk like it will help you feel better. It will.

I’ve been in the health and fitness industry for over 30 years, first as a exercise leader and personal trainer and, now, as a licensed mental health counselor and yoga teacher. I have seen the benefit to others as well as experiencing it myself. It’s real.

Check out this video (9:19) People Are Dying Early Because They’re Not Doing Something Most 1-Year-Olds Can Do  from Upworthy and Dr. Mike Evans.  It confirms what I say to each of my clients during most every session and what we know intuitively. We can’t expect our minds to operate optimally if our bodies are not being cared for. Committing 30 minutes every day to exercising your body leaves 23½ hours for all the other stuff. It’s an investment that will pay back many times over.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs updated for 2014

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Updated for 2014

Via AsapSCIENCE.

Understanding depression for someone who has never experienced it can be very difficult.

Depression is a complex illness.  This can make it very difficult for the friends and family members of a person with depression to understand.  Most people have experienced periods of feeling bad which they have been able to overcome. This can lead us to believe that people with depression should “just let it go” and “move on.” Depression is neither simply a period of feeling down nor something that someone can just “get over.”

The Science of Depression

This 3-minute video does a good job of explaining depression.

What can I do to help someone with depression?

While you can’t force someone with depression to seek help, there are some things you can do to encourage them and some behaviors that are not at all helpful. PsychCentral has some good suggestions for both what to do and what not to do. This video from Upworthy and The World Health Organization is also quite good:  Let These Drawings With A Dog Show You What You Should Do When You Approach Someone With Depression by Joseph Lamour

It is important to understand that depression is affecting the life of your loved one in many different ways including energy level, motivation, ability to make decisions, self-esteem and world outlook. Let them know that they don’t  have to go it alone. Encourage them to seek the help of a qualified mental health professional. If that feels too daunting from where they are sitting, try walking with them. As simple as that sounds, walking briskly for 20 minutes per day can be very effective in elevating mood. With even a slight elevation in mood, your loved one might find the motivation to take the treatment of their depression to the next level.

Don’t give up on your loved one. If you understand that it is not your job and, even, beyond your power to make them stop being depressed, it will remove a lot of pressure. Keep encouraging and supporting. Don’t take anything that looks like rejection of your efforts personally. The best tool in combating depression is persistence.

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Four simple, yet, profound agreements which, if we make with ourselves and keep, can dramatically change our lives.

The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Benefits of a Bedtime Ritual

I learned, as the parent of a young child, how important it was to establish and adhere to a bedtime ritual to get my daughter to bed at night. Did you know that a bedtime ritual can help adults ease into a more restful and gratifying sleep?

Steps to include to support a good night’s sleep

Here’s a graphic from the Huffington Post that illustrates the steps to add to our bedtime rituals. Sweet dreams!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/bedtime-routine_n_5659183.html?utm_hp_ref=tw

Before Bed Routine

Tapping Points Located and Measured

This is pretty cool! Using imaging technology (CT scans), scientists have located and measured acupuncture points. These are the same points that we use in tapping.

Acupuncture Points Measured

Check it out: http://www.healthcmi.com/Acupuncture-Continuing-Education-News/1230-new-ct-scans-reveal-acupuncture-points

Overcoming Compulsive Behavior, Part 2 – S.T.R.E.S.S.S.S. Formula For Wellness.

(Scroll down to see previous installments)

Compulsive behaviors are very difficult to change. If we are going to undertake the challenging process of eliminating compulsive behaviors, it is important that we replace the unwanted behaviors with a set of more healthful behaviors. Recognize that it took time and energy to instill the compulsive behaviors. It will take time and energy to manage them.  In order to move away from engaging in compulsive behaviors, it is important to be fully fortified on every level, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. To that end, I present the S.T.R.E.S.S.S.S. Formula For Wellness.© (continued)

Arthur’s Story, a lot of inspiration

Inhale…exhale… It’s something that we do many times a day without a second thought or any thought. Our respiratory system is one over which we have both voluntary and involuntary control. Thankfully, we do not have to consciously think, “Inhale” to get a breath. Air flows in and out of our bodies even while we sleep or are involved in other activities. The breaths that we take during our waking, routine moments are often on the shallow side, involving only the top third of our lungs. This is enough to minimally satisfy our body’s needs and keep us operating .

Equally, thankfully, we have the ability to interrupt the automatic flow of air in and out of our bodies to take in a long slow inhale, when we think about it. These breaths go deep into the lungs, down to the bottom part where a complex network of blood vessels offers the most efficient exchange of gasses.

Another autonomic system that we have in our bodies is commonly known as the “Fight or Flight Response.” This ancient mechanism of the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated when the brain perceives a threat. When activated, the breath becomes rapid and shallow, blood flow is diverted to the arms and legs, stress hormones are produced in greater quantity, the heart rate and blood pressure both elevate. This puts us in a better position, physiologically, to either fight off the threat or run away from it.

Another part of our nervous system is called the parasympathetic. While the sympathetic nervous system is all about getting our bodies ready for battle or escape, the parasympathetic nervous system is all about chilling. While activated, the body goes into a more restful state. Blood flows more freely to our brains and internal organs. Heart rate and blood pressure drop and our brains begin to produce a pattern of brain waves that is conducive to feeling relaxed.

Back in the day, the threats to our ancient ancestors were more immediate and tangible, think, “Bear walks into camp.” In response, our ancestors either fought or fled (some froze). When the bear was either killed or driven off, everyone’s bodies returned to homeostasis, i.e. blood pressure, heart rates and breathing rates returned to normal and stress hormone production was dialed back.

The threats that we encounter today are much less tangible and often only occurring in our imaginations. Our fast paced, have-it-all-now society encourages feelings of being out of control and inadequacy. These are powerful beliefs that can keep us in a constant state of sympathetic nervous system activation. It’s like keeping the engine in your car revved up all the time, even when stopped at a light.

One way to interrupt sympathetic response and initiate parasympathetic response is to consciously take long, slow, deep breaths. This interrupts the flow of sympathetic nervous system activity and signals the brain that we are safe, that it’s is okay to relax, okay to rest and digest.

Remember to stop throughout the day to check in on how you are feeling. Take in several long, slow, deep breathes. Remind your body and brain that you are safe from immediate harm. Give yourself the opportunity to relax. As the engine of a gently idling car will last much longer than one that is constantly revved, your parasympathetically stimulated body and mind will, also, last much longer. Inhale…exhale…