Mind-Body Workbook for PTSD (3 page)

On day one, you started becoming physically calmer and gaining mental clarity as you came to your senses. Maybe it lasted for a while, or maybe it was brief. When you made the map the second time, what pulled you away from hearing any background sounds, feeling the pen, and seeing the ink go onto the paper? Yes, it was your thoughts. Your mind naturally makes thoughts, both positive and negative. You will never get rid of the negative thoughts. In fact, trying to get rid of them only makes things worse. When you push them away, you give them energy. The I-System takes your natural negative thoughts, makes your body become tense, and closes you off from your senses.

When thoughts arise, it helps to label them using a mind-body bridging tool called
thought labeling.
For example, when you’re in the shower and the thought
I’ll never get through the day
pops into your mind, say to yourself,
I am having the thought “I’ll never get through the day,”
return to your showering, and sense the water on your body and the sounds in the shower. Thought labeling lets you see that a thought is
just a thought
. This keeps the I-System from spinning stories that create mind clutter, distress your body, and numb your senses. You are now breaking the vicious cycle of negative thoughts. For example, a thirty-year-old woman whose life had gone from one crisis to another reported, “Showering used to be when I reviewed my crisis list, but now it’s my calm time. My husband immediately noticed a dramatic improvement in our mornings.”

During your day, whenever a thought pulls you away from what you are doing, label that thought and return your awareness to your activity.

What do you notice?

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Day Three     Date:____________

Becoming aware of the sounds around you is one of the
bridging awareness practices
you’ll learn in this workbook. With these practices, you create a bridge from a life filled with PTSD symptoms (the damaged self) to a life lived at its best (your true self). Building this bridge is easier than you think.

1. There are many sounds in your environment. During the day, stop and listen to any background sounds, like the white noise of the heating or air conditioning system, the wind blowing through the trees, or the hum of the refrigerator or computer. If your thoughts start to spin, gently return your awareness to what you were doing. While focusing on any background sounds, see what happens to your mind and body. Does your mind settle? Is your body more relaxed? What happens?

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When the I-System is active, it closes off your senses until all you are aware of is your mind clutter and body tension. It’s like putting your hands over your ears to block out sounds. The I-System not only keeps you from hearing the ever-present background sounds, but also keeps you from experiencing your ever-present healing powers. When you use your senses, your I-System calms, letting you deal with your problems with a calm mind and relaxed body so you can heal after your trauma. For example, a twenty-five-year-old man with a life full of intrusive memories and body tension reported, “I don’t know what it is about the fan, but when I hear it, I relax!”

2. For most of us, driving can be a stressful experience, especially in traffic jams and construction delays, and around unsafe drivers who believe they’re the only ones on the road. When driving, keep the radio, music player, and cell phone off. Note what happens to your body tension as you feel the steering wheel, hear the roar and feel the vibrations of the engine, see the scenery, and pay attention to the road.

What was it like to drive today?

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Many have reported to us that this practice has literally saved their lives.

3. When falling asleep tonight, listen to and focus on background sounds. Feel and rub the sheets with your fingers. See the darkness when your eyes are closed. Be patient and keep returning to your senses. The busy head can never settle the busy head. If you wake up in the middle of the night, label your thoughts; for example,
I’m having the thought “That was a bad nightmare,”
or
I’m having the thought “I’ll never go back to sleep,”
and then return to your senses. This nighttime practice is essential to your well-being.

Observations:

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A Vietnam War veteran with chronic, severe sleep problems told us, “I have an old rottweiler that sleeps on my bedroom floor and a young mutt that sleeps on my bed. Now I just
listen
to the old guy snore and
feel
the fur of the little guy. I haven’t slept so well in twenty years!”

You are developing your bridging awareness practices. Remember to keep using the exercises from previous days.

Day Four     Date:____________

You’ve touched hundreds of things today. Were you aware of how it felt under your fingertips when you touched your shoes, socks, shirt, keys, fork, watch, paper, or computer? Were you aware of your senses when you touched your child or a close friend? Did you sense the coffee cup or water bottle in your hand? Chances are, you didn’t. Your I-System has numbed your body, detaching you from your senses. Tuning in to your sense of touch is another bridging awareness practice that quiets your I-System.

During the day, be aware of the sensations under your fingertips as you touch things like glasses, phones, pens, computers, and other objects and surfaces. When you are washing your hands or showering, feel the water touching your skin. Sense what it’s like to touch others or be touched. This may take some effort, because the I-System numbs your senses. A forty-five-year-old man with PTSD said, “The walk to my boss’s office was always a hell walk for me. Now, I just feel my feet on the floor and listen to the sound of my steps. It’s still not pleasant, but it’s a whole new experience. My boss even asked me if I’m on new medication.” An Iraq War veteran told us that simply rubbing and sensing his thumb against his finger calmed him down enough to prevent him from punching someone.

Note what you touched, how often, and the sensations you felt throughout the day.Do you feel more settled when you are aware of what you are touching? What happened?

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A college student shared this: “I clean houses to pay my tuition. I was always resentful and upset, but now when I clean houses, I feel the vacuum in my hand, smell the cleaner, and see the water move in the sink. Now I don’t need to go jogging or be on top of a mountain to feel good about myself!”

You are still developing your bridging awareness practices. Remember to also use the practices from previous days.

Day Five     Date:____________

The next bridging awareness practice uses the sense of sight, and it’s actually hard. The I-System makes up stories that cause us to grasp at certain images and reject others. When you use one or more of your senses, the I-System calms down. When we come to our senses, our awareness expands and we actually see what’s out there. When you look at a sunset or even a speck of dust on the floor, does your busy head let you see its colors, shapes, and uniqueness? Probably not for long. Take a look at your next meal. When your food is in front of you, really look at it before you eat it. What textures are there? What are the shapes? What color is it?

How often do you just look at someone’s facial features? A man with a history of losing his temper shared this: “When my wife used that high-pitched voice to criticize me, I would lose it. Now I look at her face, watch her lips move, and notice her facial expression; and for some reason, I feel close to her. Even her high-pitched voice is starting to have a sweetness to it.”

Pay attention today to what you see when you look at scenery and objects. Notice their colors, shapes, and forms. When you really see what’s out there, your I-System rests. Observe others’ facial expressions, and if you get a thought, label it, “just a thought,” and gently return to whatever you were doing.

Observations:

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You are continuing to develop your bridging awareness practices. Remember to also use the practices from previous days.

Day Six     Date:____________

Throughout the day, use your bridging awareness practices (come to your senses) to bust stress and stay relaxed and focused. When thoughts pull you away from your activities, label them. For example, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan shared that she became angry and frustrated whenever her coworkers seemed to spend too much time on breaks, talk too much, or move too slowly. She had quit two jobs and was about to quit this one when she learned about mind-body bridging. Now when she notices the thought
My coworkers are taking too much time on breaks
, she labels it by saying to herself,
I am having the thought “My coworkers are taking too much time on breaks.”
She then uses her senses by feeling her heel in her shoe, seeing her coworkers’ movement, and listening to the air conditioner. Her body relaxes, and she goes on with her duties as a nurse. Though still disappointed with her coworkers, she is no longer frustrated or furious.

List any stressful situations you had today. What practices did you use? Did you use thought labeling? What happened?

You are still developing your bridging awareness practices. Remember to also use the practices from previous days.

Day Seven     Date:____________

These assignments aren’t just exercises; they are your daily life. You may ask yourself,
Can listening to background sounds, feeling my feet on the ground, and being aware of what I touch really help my PTSD symptoms? Can it really be so simple?
If you keep applying these exercises, every cell of your body will shout yes!

One rainy evening, Jeff, a Vietnam War veteran with long-standing PTSD, was taking care of his grandchildren. He got an emergency call that his father had just had a severe heart attack and he needed to get to the hospital right away. Jeff hated driving in heavy rain (especially at night), because it reminded him of the torrential rains in Vietnam. Feeling that he had no choice, he loaded the grandkids in the car and started driving. His mind began filling with racing thoughts, and the pressure in his chest made it difficult to breathe. Using his mind-body bridging practices, he began to actually feel the steering wheel in his hands, which helped him relax his grip. He listened to the sound of the engine, felt the road vibrations, and paid attention to the road. At the end of his trip, even the sound of the rain didn’t agitate him. He told us, “My bridging awareness practices saved my life and my grandchildren’s.”

Use all of your bridging awareness practices and thought labeling in your daily life. Throughout the day, be aware of your activities. For example, feel your foot as it touches the ground, sense your fingertips on the computer keys, hear the hum of the computer, feel the pressure on your behind as you sit, feel the fork in your hand, look at your food, and be aware of how the broom moves the dust when you sweep.

Next write what bridging awareness practices you used, when they worked, and when they didn’t.

1. What bridging awareness practices did you use? Be specific.
   

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2. When did your bridging awareness practices work?
   

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3. When did your bridging awareness practices
   not
   work?
   

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4. When you were able to “pull your hands from your ears” by quieting your I-System, was it a little easier to deal with your day and your symptoms? How?
   

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You are still developing your bridging awareness practices. Remember to also use the practices from previous days.

The following scale lets you see how well you are using this week’s activities in your daily life.

MBB Weekly Evaluation Scale
Self-Discovery and Self-Healing of PTSD

Date:

During the past week, how did you do with these practices? Check the description that best matches your practice: hardly ever, occasionally, usually, or almost always.