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Transforming Leadership: Coaching Beyond Therapy for Anxiety

Leadership stress management coaching: Coaching leaders for stress requires a distinct approach, focusing on performance enhancement and practical solutions for a work environment. Unlike therapy, which may delve into the past, coaching is future-oriented and emphasizes action and accountability. Coaches help leaders challenge negative thinking, transform habits, and build confidence within the framework of their… Read More »Transforming Leadership: Coaching Beyond Therapy for Anxiety

The two distinct pathways in the brain that generate anxiety

There are two main pathways in the brain that can generate anxiety: the cortex pathway and the amygdala pathway. Both pathways can cause the amygdala to create an anxiety response, but they operate differently and can be targeted with different techniques. The Cortex Pathway: This pathway involves the thinking part of the brain and is… Read More »The two distinct pathways in the brain that generate anxiety

Guide to CPR for the Amygdala: Understanding, Application, and Benefits for Managing Emotional Reactivity and Stress

CPR for the Amygdala is a tool that helps individuals manage their emotional reactivity and stress by using the SNAP protocol: Sense, Notice, Apply and Preoccupy. It combines mindful self-touch with cognitive distractions or “brain games” to redirect attention and calm the amygdala. It can be used both reactively in moments of distress and proactively… Read More »Guide to CPR for the Amygdala: Understanding, Application, and Benefits for Managing Emotional Reactivity and Stress

Breaking the Grip of Dread: Overcoming Persistent Apprehension

It’s important to be compassionate with yourself during this process. Choose one or two techniques that resonate with you and begin to implement them. If you find self-help approaches difficult, reach out to a professional for support, recognising that seeking help is an act of compassion.

The Interplay of Trauma and Anxiety: Brain Mechanisms, Healing Pathways, and Professional Guidance

Trauma significantly affects anxiety, altering brain function and leading to avoidant behaviours and heightened emotional reactivity. Addressing past traumas can lead to reduced anxiety and a richer more meaningful life. Self-help techniques like mindfulness, acceptance and conscious breathing can help, and there are several effective approaches that can be used by a professional. Choosing the… Read More »The Interplay of Trauma and Anxiety: Brain Mechanisms, Healing Pathways, and Professional Guidance

Rewiring the Anxious Brain: Practical Exercises and Techniques

Rewiring an anxious brain involves using a combination of techniques that target both the amygdala and cortex pathways. These exercises range from calming the amygdala through distraction and relaxation, to modifying cortex-based thoughts through cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and values clarification. The key to success is understanding the different sources of anxiety and applying the appropriate… Read More »Rewiring the Anxious Brain: Practical Exercises and Techniques

Cortisol

Cortisol is a key hormone in the body’s stress response system. While essential for immediate reactions to danger and having some benefits, chronic overproduction of cortisol can be harmful to both mental and physical health.

Rewiring the Anxious Brain: Tools, Techniques and Strategies

Rewiring the brain from anxiety is an achievable goal that focuses on a change in the relationship with anxious thoughts and feelings. It requires a holistic approach, combining self-help strategies with professional support where needed. Key to this is accepting anxiety as a normal part of life and focusing on building skills and confidence to… Read More »Rewiring the Anxious Brain: Tools, Techniques and Strategies

Anxiety and the Brain: Understanding and Treating Anxiety with Havening

Anxiety involves the amygdala’s stress response to perceived threats, which can become heightened by encoded trauma. Havening is a powerful method that uses touch, attention, and visualisation to directly target the encoded memories in the amygdala, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety. It is a gentle and rapid method that can be used as self-havening or… Read More »Anxiety and the Brain: Understanding and Treating Anxiety with Havening

How does mindfulness affect the link between thoughts and emotions?

mindfulness helps to create a different relationship with thoughts and emotions by increasing awareness, promoting acceptance, and reducing reactivity. By observing your internal experiences with non-judgmental awareness, mindfulness can help you gain control over the link between thoughts and emotions, making you less controlled by them and more able to respond thoughtfully.

Havening Techniques for Anxiety Relief

Havening is a psychosensory technique that combines touch, attention and positive visualisation to alleviate anxiety and other emotional and physical difficulties. Havening is able to interrupt neural pathways in the brain and form new, positive ones. Through gentle touch and focussed attention, it helps to release emotional memories and associated negative emotions and can reduce… Read More »Havening Techniques for Anxiety Relief

Understanding Your “Nervous Mind”: what helps calm your mind

When you feel like your mind is “nervous,” it often means that certain parts of your brain are overactive or misinterpreting signals. It’s helpful to understand the roles of these key areas: The Amygdala: This is like your brain’s alarm system. It’s designed to respond to threats and can trigger a fight, flight, or freeze… Read More »Understanding Your “Nervous Mind”: what helps calm your mind

How to retrain your anxious brain

To retrain an anxious brain, it’s important to understand that anxiety is a complex response involving different parts of the brain, especially the amygdala and the cortex. The amygdala is responsible for the fight, flight, or freeze response, while the cortex handles thoughts, logic, and planning. Retraining your brain involves using the principle of neuroplasticity,… Read More »How to retrain your anxious brain

The amygdala and trauma: understanding what your brain is doing leading to roots for your recovery.

The amygdala plays a central role in the experience of psychological trauma. It is a part of the limbic system, which is responsible for survival-based responses to threat. The amygdala is primarily involved in processing emotions, especially fear and anxiety, and it is critical for generating emotional and physiological responses to stimuli. Here is a… Read More »The amygdala and trauma: understanding what your brain is doing leading to roots for your recovery.

What is self havening touch and what it can do for you.

Self-havening touch is a simple, yet powerful technique that uses gentle, soothing touch to specific areas of the body to help reduce anxiety and promote emotional well-being. It’s a key component of Havening Techniques®, a psychosensory treatment grounded in neuroscience. Here’s how it works and how it can be helpful for self-help in managing anxiety:… Read More »What is self havening touch and what it can do for you.