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What are the benefits of using Neuro-Tools?
What Using Neuro-Tools Can Do For YOU!
What Using Neuro-Tools Can Do For YOU!
5 Neuro-Tools for Each Outcome
5 Tools for Acceptance and Surrender
** NOTE: These tools are NOT appropriate for people experiencing suicidal ideation
Make note of the things you can change, and the things you cannot change, about your situation or what you are facing.
Notice where you feel resistance to accepting these things. Note when a thought or feeling brings tension to the body and where. This is your biofeedback for when you are tightening into resistance.
Mindfulness increases the awareness of this - link in 5
Body Scans or Attuning to the Body NeuroMeditation or Brain Exercise to increase awareness
Learn more about how the body responds to stressors (the things we resist) through the Vagus Nerve and the Nervous System
GENTLY invite acceptance and softening to these places. Draw in greater fluidity and ability to surrender the things you cannot change. Practice the 10 Keys for Success - especially BOTH/AND thinking
Practice the Accepting What IS NeuroMeditation
Practice Mindfulness - it increases our ability to stay rooted and grounded as we allow all that we think, feel, sense or perceive
Use your Vagus Nerve - practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral NeuroMeditation or Brain Exercise
learn more about the Vagus Nerve and the nervous system - they are keys into the unshakable center
Practice Mindfulness as NeuroMeditation or Brain Exercise: *imagery is what matters here if you don't like these, explore the NeuroMeditation Institute's page on Insight Timer
Practice Breathing with the Tree of Life as either:
Practice Mindfulness through Being the Mindful Mountain
When your mind is racing practice Molly's version of Dancing the Cingulate:
*** Practice the above FIRST - or any FOCUS practice your brain connects with) to interrupt and then bring in Mindfulness practices ***
Practice connecting with YOUR Unshakable Center often. This not only increases the impact, but also, develops your ability to more quickly shift the system into this state. Also - connecting with this part of you intertwines you with the belief you have strength and the ability to get through things.
Sometimes we need greater love, support, acceptance, value, care and safety/protection to root into our Unshakable Center. If you find yourself struggling to feel the connection with that part of you, try developing and spending time in the Cave of Safety to generate foundational resilience and strength.
The Cave of Safety: NeuroMeditation or Brain Exercise
5 Tools to Anchor into Your Unshakable Center
5 Tools for a Balanced & Stabilized Mind and System
Learn about the Vagus Nerve and the Nervous System to develop interoception, and awareness of your state. When you can determine your state, you can use NeuroTools to adjust state and return to calm and the ventral vagal.
Practice Attuning to the Body:
Practice Anchoring Bi-Lateral:
Practice Mindfulness to build your ability to return to an anchored state when thoughts, feelings and sensations activate us. Mindfulness practices increase self-awareness.
To stabilize and balance the mind practice
Molly's Dancing the Cingulate:
**This is also incredibly helpful as a FOCUS practice to interrupt activation of the stress response
Know Thyself - Develop YOUR toolkit (which is going to be unique to YOU, your brain and your system) for interrupting activation, restoration of safety/calm, and strengthening your unshakable center. Focus interrupts and balances. Mindfulness increases our Self awareness, our unshakable center and our flexibility. Open Heart generates compassion for self & others. Quiet Mind builds the observer, increases calm awareness, and prepares us for (or returns us to) sleep.
A restorative practice: Connecting with AWE
Practice increasing your flexibility - 10 Keys to Success Link
Notice either/OR thinking and statements
Bring in/invite - BOTH/AND thinking and statements
practice non-judgement with self and others
Connect with Wise Old You in the Cave of Safety
Focus on RECEIVING whatever you need in any moment in this safe place
unconditional love, safety, support, acceptance, value, strength, comfort - whatever you need.
Practice Increasing Compassion for Self & Others:
Spending time in this space fosters belief in your ability to get through things, strengthens inner safety and resilience, increases feelings of worth and value, and empowers you to give yourself what you need.
REPETITION strengthens these feelings, and also entrains your system to shift more quickly into the ventral vagal, safety and calm.
Develop tools to become more aware of your nervous system state, and routes to shifting that state, to help you get through difficult moments. Become an expert in YOUR nervous system.
Practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral:
Practicing Mindfulness increases our connection with our strong, unshakable center. Frequency of practice strengthens this part of us. And Open Heart practice increases our connection with self-love and self-compassion.
Being the Mindful Mountain
Breathing the Tree of Life
Increasing Compassion for Self & Others
5 Tools for Belief You CAN Get Through It
5 Tools to Restore Calm & Quiet to the System
Determine HOW, and on what, YOUR brain likes to FOCUS
When our thoughts are running, we need to interrupt the mind and thoughts first! Focus is your tool for this.
Try practicing Molly's Dancing the Cingulate:
Practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral to root into your center and release tension through the Vagus Nerve.
Go to this page to learn more about the nervous system states and the Vagus Nerve.
Practice Connecting with AWE to shift into quiet calm and as a restorative practice
Practice Quiet Mind. Explore the various routes to this state to determine which works best for YOUR brain and system
Remember, with mind and the body, the feeling of suspension, of floating, of being held. Work to slowly release and relax tension, especially in the spine and the solar plexus.
Make list of the people who make you feel woven into life
give time and energy to connecting with these people
If you don't have people - spend time giving this to yourself through the Cave of Safety:
Practice Open Heart:
OH - Increasing Compassion for Self & Others:
Spend time in NATURE- this aids us in feeling connected to something larger than us, and which endures
plus the incredible benefits we get from time in nature
if you can't get out there - be sure to watch the various ways to access nature
Practice restorative practices:
Connecting with AWE
Breathing with the Tree of Life
Volunteer - this gives us an opportunity to connect with others and helping others aids us in feeling like we matter or that we have an impact.
5 Tools for Connection
Feeling WOVEN into Life
5 Tools to Fall/Return to SLEEP
Determine how and on what YOUR mind/brain likes to FOCUS
Practice Focus first, to interrupt, when your mind is racing
THEN - bring in Mindfulness practice and
let the thoughts come and float on or drift away from you
imagery matters here - you have to feel them release and let go - try using your breath if you struggle to visualize
Note: when clinging to a thought or feeling, imagine a balloon floating on a string in your hand. Slowly open your fingers and hand and let the string slip through your fingers and away.
Try Quiet Mind practices.
Use Connecting with AWE:
Vastness/expansive vista, or spaciousness/space.
Try Quiet the Mind for Sleep:
Focus on your contact with the bed and the feeling of SUSPENSION as though you are floating on water or being held by a hammock or net. The feeling is in the spine and the solar plexus. Also notice your jaw and tongue.
Learn about the Vagus Nerve and the nervous system to increase your ability to identify which state you system is in. This helps you to know which tool to bring in to restore calm.
Practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral - to root you into your unshakable center through your Vagus Nerve
Practice the Attuning to the Body to increase your awareness of when you feel safe and when you don't.
Create YOUR version of the Cave of Safety. Then spend time in there savoring & soaking in, the feelings of safety, support & unconditional love/acceptance.
Determine HOW and on What, YOUR brain likes to FOCUS. This is KEY to interrupting the amygdala and the threat response in the nervous system. If unsure - try these and see if they hold your attention:
Molly's Dancing the Cingulate
Connecting with AWE
Breathing with the Tree of Life
JUST FOCUS ON YOUR BREATH! See as color or illumination if that helps, or focus on the ribs, belly and chest expanding and contracting with each breath
Practice Mindfulness and/or Quiet Mind to build your reflex/muscle response to return to groundedness when activating thoughts, feelings and sensations arise - or when people or events push us off course.
Open Heart practices increase our compassion for ourselves and others. Engaging with these practices can expand our sense of inner safety.
Increasing Compassion for Self & Others:
5 Tools for Increased Inner Safety
Breathe - Just focus on breathing: do this in whatever way works best for you. Go to the FOCUS page for more on this.
stress naturally comes down with breathing
when you focus on breathing you are interrupting the amygdala by placing attention on something else
Notice your contact with what you are sitting, standing or lying on. Focus on that contact and feeling your weight.
Determine HOW, and on what, YOUR brain likes to FOCUS on. Then practice this often. It helps stabilize the mind but also interrupts the signalling from the amygdala. Once interrupted, you can then bringin calming tools.
Calming and restorative practices - explore Mindfulness and Quiet Mind. If you don't connect with imagery in one, try another. Imagery matters. It strengthens or repells connection. These are just a few to try:
Connecting with AWE
Anchoring Bi-Lateral
Breathing with the Tree of Life
Develop and spend time in YOUR Cave of Safety and soak in the feeling of being completely safe, protected, and unconditionally loved, valued and supported. Give yourself time in this space to build the foundational feeling of safety. Strengthening the root of it.
5 Tools for Interoception and Connection with the Vagus Nerve
5 Tools to Interrupt the Amygdala
Determine HOW and on WHAT your brain likes to FOCUS
if unsure and my favorite - practice Molly's Dancing the Cingulate
practice using Focus when you notice you are out of zone of safety to interrupt the amygdala
Learn about the Vagus Nerve and the nervous system and the role the amygdala has in our activation/perceived threat
Practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral - to interrupt, to balance the brain and mind, to root into your core immovable center
Practice breath as focus - there are so many ways to do this (go to the Explore Working with Breath tools above)
keep it simple - see as color or illumination or focus on the physical sensations of the ribs, belly and chest expanding
Use your hand as a physical tool to focus with touch and tracing up with inhalation and down with exhalation
Practice Connecting with AWE
5 Tools for Life Force and Vitality
Download this image to better identify where the Vagus Nerve is in the body. Seeing it helps with connecting with it. Look at it while practicing the tools below if it helps you to feel it more.
Learn more about the Vagus Nerve and the Nervous System. Study the nervous system activation chart and the Polyvagal Theory Nervous System Arousal Chart. Reflect on and track how you experience activation and what you notice in the body when you are out of the zone of safety.
Practice these to increase your interoception and your connection with your Vagus Nerve and nervous system state:
practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral:
practice Attuning to the Body
Notice what you feel in the body when in different states, including calm and safety. Begin to notice early indicators of moving into hyper or hypo arousal.
Practice Mindfulness to build awareness of these sensations, to increase flexibility, to strengthen ability to remain or return to feeling anchored, grounded through/after activation
Resorative practices return us to the ventral vagal.
Ppractice Connecting with AWE
Practice Breathing with the Tree of Life
Practice the Anchoring Bi-Lateral (#3 above) as a restorative practice. It moves us into the ventral vagal.
Honor Yourself! Work WITH your system.
Remember: No Force! You can't force your system to be in different state, but you CAN learn to gently shift it by working WITH it and honoring yourself.
Breathe - Just focus on breathing: do this in whatever way works best for you. Go to the FOCUS page for more on this.
stress naturally comes down with breathing
when you focus on breathing you are interrupting the amygdala by placing attention on something else
Notice your contact with what you are sitting, standing or lying on. Focus on that contact and feeling your weight.
Determine HOW, and on what, YOUR brain likes to FOCUS on. Then practice this often. It helps stabilize the mind but also interrupts the signalling from the amygdala. Once interrupted, you can then bringin calming tools.
Calming and restorative practices - explore Mindfulness and Quiet Mind. If you don't connect with imagery in one, try another. Imagery matters. It strengthens or repells connection. These are just a few to try:
Connecting with AWE
Anchoring Bi-Lateral
Breathing with the Tree of Life
Develop and spend time in YOUR Cave of Safety and soak in the feeling of being completely safe, protected, and unconditionally loved, valued and supported. Give yourself time in this space to build the foundational feeling of safety. Strengthening the root of it.
5 Tools to Reduce the Stress Response
5 Tools for Self-Awareness & Understanding
Unpack yourself - explore your temperament, personality and perception. Determine your ACES score as you map your life. Note the support you did or did not have during the difficult times. Turn to a therapist if you need support with this process. Go to the Begin Here page for more information on this
Practice Fostering Self-Love
Practice the 10 Keys for Success
Learn about your nervous system and your Vagus Nerve - understanding these helps you grasp their role in your daily lived experience.
Practice Anchoring Bi-Lateral
Practice Attuning to the Body
Practice Mindfulness to build the muscle of returning to the unshakable center when thoughts, feelings, sensations, people and/or experience, activate us or push us off balance.
Note: Mindfulness practice increases self-awareness, builds the observer and aids in flowing more fluidly through experiences.
Spend time developing and in the Cave of Safety. This is the place where we can receive whatever we need in any moment. It is a space only for US. We connect with our belief we can endure things and get through difficulty when we connect with the Wise Old aspect of us - our unshakeable center. It generates the feelings of being unconditionally loved, supported and valued.
Practice Increasing Compassion for Self & Others in the safety of this space
Take time to connect with people who make you feel valued. If you don't have them, seek them out in person or online - search for issues/groups in area of interest.
Practice Fostering Self-Love - Notice when judgement/criticism emerge and invite love and compassion
Open Heart practices increase our feelings of connection with and compassion for self and others. Also giving time to volunteer helps you while also helping others.
practice Increasing Compassion for Self & Others
practice the Net of Indra NeuroMeditation
Develop and spend time in the Cave of Safety.
increases feelings of unconditional love, support and value
increases connection with part of us that can get through things and endures
Practice:
Practice Connecting with AWE
get into nature to develop memories of Awe - or draw on older memories
be sure to use your senses - notice with each sense
use memory by remembering with the senses
5 Tools for Connecting with Self-Worth and Value
5 Tools to Shift Nervous System State
Learn about YOUR nervous system and learn about the Vagus Nerve
Identify what signals your body sends when you are out of the zone of safety - notice early cues and note how to identify if you are Hyper-aroused or HYPO-aroused. This aids us in determining the tool to use
Practice Attuning to the Body to increase interoception
Practice Anchoring Bi-Lateral to interrupt and connect with the Vagus Nerve
Determine HOW and on What YOUR brain likes to FOCUS. This is key to being able to interrupt activation from the amygdala. You often have to interrupt before you can redirect. Until you are sure about your brain and focus preferences, practice Molly's Dancing the Cingulate
Focus on SAFETY. Develop and spend time in the Cave of Safety - when you build the muscle of connecting with the feelings of safety, support, value and unconditional love - this is a powerful tool for helping you to shift your state into the Ventral Vagal from either hyper OR hypo aroused states. You can receive whatever you need in the moment from this place and from Wise Old You.
Practice Connecting with AWE - to shift to neutral and the VV
Explore which tools best help you calm and quiet your system - the key is attuning to your heart, mind and system:
practice Mindfulness - the key with this is connecting with the imagery * NOTE - you'll find a lot out there claiming to be mindfulness practices and might not be that
practice Quiet Mind - there are various routes to this practice. Take time to explore and tease out which you connect with most and which shift you most quickly
Be GENTLE with yourself and treat your heart and mind with great care, compassion and tenderness. ALLOW yourself to move through this process in the way that YOU need to and use the tools that work for YOU
These can be helpful practices:
Develop and spend time in YOUR Cave of Safety - focus on RECEIVING unconditional love, comfort, care, soothing and safety
Open Heart practices increase our compassion for ourselves and connects us with others. They aid us in feeling woven into life. We also do emotional processing when in Open Heart states.
Practice: Increasing Compassion for Self & Others
Practice the 10 Keys for Success - these tools are very helpful for all forms of Grief and Loss
Watch the Science of Trauma and Grief helpful for both struggles, especially if they are connected
5 Tools to Soothe Pains of the Heart from ANY Grief & Loss
5 Tools for Working with Breath
Determine how YOUR brain and system like to connect with breathing. These are just 5 ways - there are MANY out there.
Determine how YOUR brain and system like to connect with breathing. These are just 5 ways - there are MANY out there.
** Remember: There is no RIGHT way for everyone, only a RIGHT way for YOU **
** Remember: There is no RIGHT way for everyone, only a RIGHT way for YOU **
Focus on the physical sensations of breathing:
the ribs, chest and belly expanding
the feeling of air across your lips, tongue, throat and into the lungs
See your breath as a color or an illumination
trace the movement of breath with either to aid in ability to hold focus on it
Use your BODY * NOTE: this is especially helpful with people who connect with touch and that tactile sense.
trace your hand up your outer palm and finger with your inhalation
and back down with exhalation
continue all the way across your fingers and thumb
switch to the other side
With each breath see yourself like a tree. With each breath roots sinking deeper. With each breath limbs and leaves reaching and stretching for more sunlight. Focus on feeling ROOTED and anchored into the earth. Take time to explore what kind of tree you would be: your bark texture and color, your leaves or needles, your limbs and boughs, your blossoms and fruit, your odors and fragrance.
Remember trees can bend with the wind, but remain firmly rooted. Use this two fold image and analogy for this work.
Breathing with the Tree of Life:
Utilize a breath pacer to help you move your breath into RSA breathing (Rhino Sinus Arrythmia).
Set your timer to 6 seconds in/ 6 seconds out and 0 pauses between
If this is difficult start with 4 or 5 and build your ability until you can get to 6
For more information for using NeuroTools for self-guided practice
For information on available courses
I am currently focused on creating the following self-paced online courses.
Neuro-Tools for Vagus Nerve & Nervous System Regulation
This one is currently available live in person or via google meet
Adaptive Resilience: Neuro-Tools for Stress Regulation
Interrupting Anxiety: Neuro-Tools for Calm State Regulation
Shifting State: Neuro-Tools for Depressive Cycles
Reach out to me if you would like to be notified when they are ready, or to request one of the other courses listed on the available courses page.
Learn more about the ways each style of NeuroMeditation impact the brain, or how to determine which style is right for you!
They have a free survey, free short classes and longer courses, trainings and certification available.
Connect with me for individualized support or to connect with classes
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