Mind-Body Workbook for PTSD (12 page)
Read Mind-Body Workbook for PTSD Online
Authors: Stanley Block
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- Is your mind cluttered or clear?
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- Is your body tense or relaxed?
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- What are some of your requirements?
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- In this mind-body state, how do you act?
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Some people feel panicked about this map. Their I-System is so strong that they feel that it’s who they really are. They feel as if they’ll lose who they are and have nothing left without their fixers. Some fears people have shared are: “To give up my fixer would be like giving up my right arm!” and “If I let my fixer go, I’ll go right down the tubes.”
3. Do the previous map again, this time using your bridging awareness practices. Before you start writing,listen to background sounds, feel your body’s pressure on your seat, sense your feet on the floor, and feel the pen in your hand. Once you’re settled, keep feeling the pen in your hand, and start writing. Watch the ink go onto the paper, and listen to background sounds. Write for three to four minutes.
- How is this map the same or different from the previous one?
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- Can you experience your naturally functioning true self? Yes ____ No ____
With a quiet I-System, your true self functions naturally. In this unified, harmonious mind-body state, you access your power of healing, goodness, and wisdom to take care of yourself and your responsibilities.
Day Five Date:____________
Larry’s drinking was his attempt to fix his PTSD-ridden life. Throughout his day, he wove stories about why he craved alcohol. These storylines included his wife (
She talked to her sister all day and didn’t clean the house and cook my supper… .
) and even everyday driving (
I can’t believe there are son many red lights. They don’t know what they are doing… .
). He also had stories about how he and his military unit were so close, how he could always depend on them, and how they were the only ones who understood him and what he was going through. The depressor and fixer’s vicious cycle kept him living his life through his stories.
1. During the day, notice your storylines, driven by your depressor and fixer. Storylines draw heavily from past difficulties and future fears or wishes. Whether positive or negative, they keep you from being in the present. The way the depressor and fixer work together always creates a strong need and pressure to keep the story going. When you notice your I-System’s storylines, your awareness shifts back to the task at hand. During an activity, can you shift from your I-System’s storyline to natural functioning?
- Write the storylines you observed today, and notice any pressure from your depressor and fixer that kept the story going:
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- What were your impulsive behaviors (drinking, overeating, anger, driving too fast, and so on) and the storylines you attached to them?
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- When you became aware of your fixer, how were you able to befriend it and shift from your I-System’s storyline to natural functioning?
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2. We all have something we want to do that, despite our intentions, we haven’t done. In the oval, write the thing you find most difficult to do. Jot whatever comes to mind when you think about doing it. Write for three to four minutes. Describe your body tension at the bottom of the map.
My Most Difficult To-Do
Body Tension:
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- Note the signs of your overactive I-System.
- Do you see how your I-System is interfering with your life? Yes ____ No ____
3. Do the same map again, writing the same to-do in the next oval. Before you start writing, listen to background sounds, feel your body’s pressure on your seat, sense your feet on the floor, and feel the pen in your hand. Once you’re settled, keep feeling the pen in your hand, and start writing whatever comes to mind. Watch the ink go onto the paper, and listen to background sounds. Write for three to four minutes.
My Most Difficult To-Do with bridging
- How is this map the same as or different from the previous one?
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- Does your naturally functioning true self let you follow through with any needed action? Yes ____ No ____
Day Six Date:____________
Ted was irritable most of the time. Even the little things set him off. Prone to road rage, he often had to restrain himself from hurting others. For example, whenever someone drove too slowly, his neck bulged, face reddened, and head throbbed. Ted thought,
A guy driving twenty-five miles per hour in a forty-five-mile-per-hour zone should be shot!
He shared that he started using bridging awareness practices and thought labeling as effective tools to “cool myself down.” Continuing his practices, he came to see that his multiple requirements—
The mail should be on time
,
I should not be put on hold
,
Others shouldn’t speak disrespectfully about our country
—had created a physical meltdown that caused him to “hurt all over.” As he came to realize that his anger was an attempt to fix himself and the world, his disposition changed. As a matter of fact, Ted shared that he and his wife were in the car, rushing to deal with a family emergency, when they came upon a car stopped at an intersection. Ted’s wife told him to “get that guy moving.” Ted got out of the car and, instead of getting angry, simply “saw an old guy who was lost, spent a few minutes calmly reassuring him by giving him directions, and then got back into the car.” He then told us, “I had no idea I had that kindness in me.”
1. Use all your mind-body bridging practices in your life today. Calm your mind and reduce your body tension with:
- Bridging awareness practices
- Thought labeling
Now, with a calm mind and relaxed body, you can:
- Become aware of your storylines
- Recognize and release the depressor’s activity (befriend your depressor)
- Recognize and release the fixer’s activity (befriend your fixer)
- Recognize your requirements and release the I-System’s activity (defuse your requirements)
- What mind-body bridging practices worked for you today?
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- For what situations did they not work?
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2. Do a Situation map. From the previous step, choose the most distressing situation for which your mind-body bridging practices didn’t work. Write the situation in the oval. Next, take a couple of minutes to scatter around the oval any thoughts that come to mind. Work quickly, without editing your thoughts. Describe your body tension at the bottom of the map.
Situation Map
Body Tension:
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- Is your mind cluttered or clear?
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- Is your body tense or relaxed?
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- List your depressors and fixers:
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- List your requirements:
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- In this mind-body state, how do you act?
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3. Do the same map again, writing the same situation in the next oval. Before you start writing, listen to background sounds, feel your body’s pressure on your seat, sense your feet on the floor, and feel the pen in your hand. Once you’re settled, keep feeling the pen in your hand and start writing. Watch the ink go onto the paper and listen to background sounds. Write for a couple of minutes.
Situation Map with bridging