Free Video Event by Arielle Schwartz about Trauma

[Hope67]

Hi everyone,
The free video event is called 'Beyond Trauma to Healing & Happiness" and is by Dr Arielle Schwartz (a Clinical Psychologist)

A Free Video Event With Clinical Psychologist, Author, Consultant, Therapist Trainer Arielle Schwartz, PhD<br />https://theshiftnetwork.com/Beyond-Trauma-Healing-Happiness

I've listened to her talk before, and find her helpful.  I am looking forward to this event on August 12th.

Hope 

[Hope67]

A link to the video is here:
https://theshiftnetwork.com/Beyond-Trauma-Healing-Happiness/recording

I've watched the first 33 minutes of this - and find I can't concentrate further just now - but I have taken these notes about the first 33 minutes, which I am going to share here:

"Beyond Trauma to Healing & Happiness" by Dr Arielle Schwartz - Clinical Psychologist.

high sensitivity, body - physical acumulation of stress.  Yoga. Somatics. EMDR.
Inegrative model.  Post-traumatic growth.

Trauma: Dysregulation of our nervous system.  Defensive response. Don't have opportunities to metabolise/digest the aspects, which were over-whelming at the time.

How do we recover?
Holistic road to recovery.

Dr Schwartz wrote a book during the pandemic called "The Post-Traumatic Growth Guidebook"

6 R's of Neuro-psychotherapy
1) Relating: relationship is integral
2) Resourcing: must feel safe enough now.  Achieve this via resource development.
3) Re-patterning: Re-patterning the body.
4) Re-processing: Pull up the file, edit and create changes, process.  New understandings.
5) Reflecting: Who are you?  Why are you here?  Create a life that is meaningful.
6) Resilience: Psychological and physiological

Vagus nerve - 10th cranial nerve; sensory information to the brain.  Early development wounds.  Vagus nerve connects major body system.  Connects to chakras.

Sometimes the vagus nerve has blockages or not working.

Stimulate vagus nerve.  Access points to vagus nerve.  Active participant rather than recipient.

Body carries so much intrinsic wisdom. 
Child in unsafe environment - needed to dial down, as too much overwhelming information/stresses.

Pace ourselves.

Experiential part of the video:  Direct way to interact with the Autonomic nervous system (ANS) is via the Vagus nerve. 
Breath = way to do this.
Diaphragmmatic breathing - massage of vagus nerve.  Creates change in heart rate variability.  Access rest and digest response.

Slow breath - calming.
Aim for 6 breaths per minute.
Breath in for 4 counts and exhale for 4:    1...2...3...4...
Find your own rhythm.

Adding layers...
Allow diagphragm and belly to soften.  Create more space for your lungs.

Lengthen exhalation as compared with inhalation.
i.e. 4 count inhalation and 6 count exhalation:  In: 1...2...3...4... and Out: 1...2...3...4...5...6....
5 to 10 breaths will create a change in the state of your nervous system.

Build vagal tone.

Value of making some contact with your body areas where the vagal nerve lies just beneath the skin - i.e. around the eyes, and the ears.

Dr Schwartz demonstrated this in terms of massaging these areas on one of side of her face first, and invited people to do this alongside her.  She demonstrates all the movements - easy to do, and she mentioned the cochal area (ear) being a direct access to the vagal nerve.  Massaging ear.

Vagal stimulation practice.  Both halves of face, one after the other.
Sensing and feeling.
Noting how the breath spontaneously responds.

Ear shaped like the foetus.
Gentle listening hands.

(This was the 33 minutes or so timing of this video, and I must admit that I have possibly dissociated a bit and couldn't concentrate further, so I came here to the forum to just type out the notes I'd taken, but I do intend to watch the remaining part of the video sometime soon).  I do want to try some daily vagal nerve stimulation, as I have previously been beginning to do this, after watching another of Dr Schwartz's videos, and also through reading information about it (possibly from Dr Porges).

Hope 

[Papa Coco]

Hope67

Thank you for sharing these videos. I'm watching the Beyond Trauma to Healing and Happiness one now.

[Bach]

Hope, I've been doing vagal nerve stimulation almost every day for quite some time now.  I I think it does help.  Sometimes when I'm severely triggered it can temporarily stimulate further anxiety but gentle persistence a little at a time here and there seems to be quite beneficial for me.  I have a list of several little exercises that stimulate either the vagus nerve or related neurological functions.  For a while I was trying to do them one after another a couple of times a day like a 5-minute workout kind of thing, but I found that hard to keep up consistently, so now I do whichever ones I feel like doing throughout the day whenever it occurs to me to do them.

[Hope67]

Hi Papa Coco - I hope you find the video interesting. 

Hi Bach - I remember you talking about doing some vagal nerve stimulation, and I'm glad to hear that it is helping you.  I also very much appreciate hearing you say that if you're severely triggered that it can temporarily stimulate further anxiety - because I felt quite triggered myself today, whilst doing it - and will reflect on that further in my journal - but it was good to hear your experience, as it validated what happened to me. 

Bach, if it's easy to describe the list of little exercises that you have, I would love to know what they are - as I really would like to try doing 5 minute kind of work-outs regularly, like you are.  Maybe there's also some places online where I can find access to some of those exercises - ideally I would like to get free resources.  I have considered the course that Dr Schwartz is offering, but currently don't have a budget for a course - also I think that little exercises in bite-sized chunks is what would suit me well at the moment.

I finished watching the video, and I won't put any further notes up - because I feel sure people can watch it, if they want to see what the second half was like. 

I am wilting in the heat now - it is so hot. 

Hope 

[Bach]

Hope, I can't do it today because I am not feeling well and don't have the concentration, but I will do my best to make a list for you very soon.  I also have some links for some videos.  I will put this on my to-do list for the week, but please feel free to remind me if several days pass and I have not yet replied further

[Bach]

Here is a list, along with explanations, of exercises given to me by my functional neurologist, who was treating me with the objective of calming down my fight-or-flight response.  Some of these exercises address the vagus nerve specifically.  Others address aspects of neuroplasticity, essentially for the purpose of making the brain more able to make new connections.  At least, that's how it was explained to me.  It's a long list and I don't every single one each day, but I try to get in a good assortment of them throughout the day.  Some of them are a little complicated to explain, but I did my best.  Also, I'd forgotten how weird most of these exercises sound because I've been doing them for a few years now.  I do believe they help.

Sour/Salty/Sweet - I made three small squirt bottles, one with lemon juice in it, one with salt water in it, and one with sugar water in it.  I dyed them all red so they would look the same.  I pick one at random and put a drop on my tongue.

Air puff in each eye - This is to trigger the blink reflex.  I use a rubber ear syringe for it, but you can also just basically flick your finger at your eye close enough to make you blink.

Mouth noise - Vibrate the back of your throat for 30 seconds.

Tongue flex - This is basically exercising your tongue.  Stick it out to the front, stick it out to the side, stick it out to the other side, poke the inside of your cheek with it, write or draw in the air with it, etc.  Move your tongue around in various ways for 30 seconds.

Air swish - This is another mouth exercise.  Close your lips and swish air around in front of your teeth for 30 seconds.  You can also hum a tune while doing this for extra benefit.

Tragus rub - The tragus is the flap in front of your ear hole.  Rub this between your thumb and forefinger for 30 seconds, one side and then the other.

Left arm/Tongue infinity - Stick your tongue out and move it in the shape of the infinity symbol, while also making that shape with your left arm held directly out in front of you, for 30 seconds.  I was told to move the tongue in the opposite direction of the arm, but I've never managed to do that.

Gag reflex - Trigger your gag reflex in the back of your throat once with a tongue depressor or something similar.

Exaggerated swallow - Pretend you're trying to swallow something large once.

Loud gargling from throat - Gargle with water as vigorously as you can for 30 seconds.

Cold water on face - Put your face in a bowl of very cold water for 30 seconds.

Face rub - Using both hands, rub your face several times from the middle of your forehead down and towards your ears.  Do the same from the middle of your chin up towards your ears.  Do the same from the middle of your nose back towards your ears.

Name 10 things - This is a game for which I made a jar full of prompts such as "Name 10 baseball teams" or "Name ten words that start with the letter (any letter)" or "Name ten edible plants", etc.  The exercise is done standing.  I draw out a prompt, see what's on it and then as I'm naming the ten things, I march in place, clap my hands together between each item, and alternate touching the opposite-side thigh (i.e., touch the right thigh with the left hand, the left thigh with the right hand).

Cold exposure - This can be going outside without a coat during the winter, or standing under a cold shower for at least 30 seconds.  I don't mind doing the outside version during the winter, but I have a really hard time with the cold shower.

Smell lavender+left hand thumb to fingertips exercise - I have a bottle of lavender essential oil, and as I sniff it, I touch the tip of my left thumb to the tip of each finger going back and forth (i.e., index, middle, ring, pinky, ring, middle, index).  I take up to three sniffs of the lavender oil while doing this.

Exaggerated Walk - This is taking several steps in a straight line with as a long stride as I can do comfortably, while also exaggerating the swing of my arms.  Legs and arms should alternate, i.e., left arm goes forward as right leg goes forward and vice-versa.

Writing with non-dominant hand.  That one is self-explanatory.  It's also suggested to try doing other things you habitually do with your dominant hand with your non-dominant one, such as brushing your teeth.

Head move with eyes fixed - This is when you focus on a specific point straight in front of you and move your head from side to side while keeping your eyes focused on that point.

Slap chop fist - For this you hold one hand palm up in front of you and slap the palm gently with the fingers of your other hand, then "chop" it gently with the side of your other hand like a karate chop, then close your fist and tap it with that.  Do this quickly several times in a row.

Concentration game - This is the game where you have pairs of cards with pictures or words on them that you shuffle, lay out face down, and then match up.  I made some cards for that myself on Shutterfly with pictures of my parrot and of my garden but there are also online versions of it.

Spot The Difference game - This is the game where you have two pictures that are almost the same but have small differences.

Walk backwards - As it says.  You walk backwards in a straight line.

Here's a video with some vagus-specific exercises.  I do 4-7-8 breathing for at least 3 minutes every day.  I also often use the exercise that induces sighing or yawning.
https://youtu.be/8Xt83O2oAVo

This was harder to explain in words than I thought it would be!  I hope it is helpful. 

[Hope67]

Bach - Thank you very much for taking the time and care to do this list, I really appreciate it, and will definitely be trying some/all of these things on the list.  You explained them very well, and I am sure many people will find them helpful.  Thank you.

Hope 

[Bach]

Here is a post that shows an excellent daily routine to help strengthen nervous system regulation courtesy of annatheanxietycoach on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ciim9TuhHiV/?igshid=NmNmNjAwNzg=

Swipe through the pages for clear instructions on how to do the exercises plus explanations of why they work/what they target. Good stuff.

[Hope67]

Hi Bach,
Thanks for adding that resource, I've just looked at it, and it's really clearly explained and useful. 
Hope