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Smiling Mind

  Posted on by Toni Jackson :: Psychotherapist & Counsellor

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Are you familiar with Smiling Mind?  They are a non-profit organisation who teach and advocate the benefits of mindfulness for children, adolescents and adults.  They run programs in schools and workplaces around Australia and internationally.  Smiling Mind also has a…

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 Category: mindfulness, Stress and Anxiety      Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

10 Ways To Practice Self-Compassion

  Posted on by Toni Jackson :: Psychotherapist & Counsellor

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Self-Love

What is self-compassion? Dr Kirstin Neff, one of the world’s leading experts on self-compassion, explains that it is the same as the feelings of compassion we have for others, only we turn it inward, to ourselves. She says when we…

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 Category: self care, Tabs      Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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Great, simple visual of the Polyvagal theory from @brbmassage ・・・ All of your nerves (31 spinal and 12 cranial) are spoken of in singular terms but they actually come in pairs—the main nerve splits into two sides. One half of the nerve goes to the right side of your body and one goes to the left side. Each side has a dorsal and ventral root. Polyvagal theory seeks to explain the structure and function of each of the two branches of Cranial Nerve X, the vagus nerve. Each is associated with a different type of parasympathetic behavioral adaptation, meaning it calms you, but both in different ways. The dorsal branch of the vagus is associated with the more primal survival strategy of “freezing” or shut down when placed under great stress. It can shut down your digestive and urinary systems which is why someone might urinate or defecate on themselves when they are terrified. It can even completely stop your heart and send you into cardiac arrest. The ventral branch is more sophisticated. It is called the “smart vagus” because it has evolved to effectively counteract the sympathetic behavior of fight or flight without going overboard into “freeze mode.” The ventral vagus carefully down-regulates your heart rate, slows your breathing and opens you up for social communication and self-soothing behaviors. Vagal tone is basically a measurement of how well you can adapt to stress. We measure vagal tone through heart rate variability, something I touched on briefly already. High vagal tone is good—it means you can more easily access your parasympathetic state. Low vagal tone means your body is quicker to enter a sympathetic fight or flight state or shut down completely. Polyvagal theory has provided us with a deeper understanding of the biological response to safety and danger. It has opened up new approaches to healing that focus on strengthening the body’s system for regulating arousal. If you can regulate your own level of arousal, you can heal your own body. #polyvagaltheory #vagusnerve #parasympathetic #nervoussystem #neuroscience #meditation #deepbreathing #massagetherapy #usmilitary #usarmy #sof #dol #greenberet #rltw #82ndairborne #combatvet #ptsd #tbi #tldr