Phase One Part Two – Phase One Practices
Practice and become skilled at being able to easily move from the fight-or-flight state to a rest-and-digest at will.
Practice Overview.
As you continue with this section, you should be able to recognize your states of consciousness through simple reflection. You should be able to determine the difference between the experience of fight-or-flight and the experience is rest-and-digest. You should also know if you are a person who experiences times of thriving. If you are not, it’s o.k. It’s not your fault or failing. If you continue with a dedicated practice, you will be able to experience the genuinely centered state of thriving in no time.
If you are still not clear on the three states of consciousness and your experience of them, I recommend continuing with the Phase One Part One practice or engaging in some of our online resources—like some of our online videos, particularly the Brain Hacks located under the Articles & Videos section of our website. Being able to recognize our life as a byproduct of brain function is critical to being able to effectively use the continuing phases of this program. Be willing to take the time you need to gain full advantage of all the benefits this program has to offer.
Our next step is in learning how to move from a ‘triggered’ fight-or-flight state to a more ‘peaceful’ rest-and-digest state in a healthy way. Many of you are probably already doing this through coping mechanisms or placating behavior. Coping is a good practice but as you may already know, it is not a long-term solution. It requires constant maintenance and often creates only incremental, yet arduous growth.
There is only one goal we have in Part Two of Phase One. We are here to learn how to relieve the conditions of fight-or-flight and create a feeling of safety. We’re not trying to have miraculous healing at this moment. We are just trying to take enough of the edge off our suffering to move into the work of becoming more centered.
Of course, moving from a fight-or-flight response to a true state of safety and well-being is not our end goal. We want to break the pattern of triggers entirely. So, this is only the beginning. The good news is; if you are already adept at this phase of the program, you’ll have the opportunity to move on to the next phase quickly. If you are not yet skilled at the healthy relief of suffering, I recommend you take as much time as necessary in this next exercise, to become adept. Again, the next phases of the program will be much easier to move through if you can master this one first.
When doing the next practice, the first step is to record a state of suffering. To do this we will engage in thoughts that can feel triggering. If you have any severe disorder, like PTSD or depression, or even severe physical ailments, you are probably already triggered a great deal of the time. You may not notice a real difference until you are deeper into the practice. The good news is, you probably have more motivation than most. The relief you feel from this work will likely inspire you to do more.
For some, the thought of approaching triggers can be terrifying, but the goal here is to be able to move from the triggered state immediately into a state of rest-and-digest. Please approach this step gently at first and remember; you are about to gain control over a condition that has likely controlled your life for some time. Opening these doors may feel vulnerable, but the ultimate benefit of this work is in gaining the ability to close them forever. Please remember, we are not here to process the suffering you may feel. You don’t need to peel the onions of your childhood. We’ll simply be recording feelings, just as you’ve been practicing for the last week or two. Now, we’ll just be adding practices that help you to modify those feelings.
If you are not already in a state of suffering, you may need to activate the fight-or-flight response by thinking of times in your life that trigger suffering, like financial issues, relationship struggles, or events of loss. You don’t need to go for the heavy triggers, like trauma. When triggering the fight-or-flight response, keep your approaches light. You don’t need to return to the pains of the past in this program. The practices will resolve those. Always remember; you don’t need to remember trauma to heal from that trauma. Work with life’s little nuisances and if necessary, always do your early work with a professional or someone you trust. I and my team are available in a multitude of ways to help you through any phase of the program. It won’t be long before you can control even your worst triggers on your own.
Finally, as you move forward in the processes, remember to stay with one level of consciousness at a time, until you’ve mastered it. For a more in-depth understanding of any of these levels of consciousness or the brain functions creating them, please refer to our online programs and/or printed resources.