Fight / Flight / Freeze
True or False? Trauma can weaken neural pathways to the thinking part of your brain and strengthen neural pathways to the survival part, thus bypassing the thinking part, which makes some children less capable of coping with adversity as they grow up.
TRUE
True or False:
Regular mindfulness can physically change parts of your brain
True. Practicing mindfulness -- especially meditation -- can make the area of your brain that controls your attention span grow over time. It can also fatten up your brain stem and increase the gray matter in your brain, all of which helps you process your emotions better and stay healthier.
What is a butterfly hug?
The Butterfly Hug is accomplished by an individual wrap their arms around themselves, so that each hand touches the opposite upper arm or shoulder. They then move their hands like the wings of a butterfly, to tap their arms/shoulders in an alternating rhythm.
Which side of the brain is responsible for logic, linguistics, and lateral thinking?
The LEFT
Why is it important to identify what state you are in?
So you know what coping skills to use.
Categorize the following under the correct label (fight / flight / freeze).
Fight
True or False: Practicing mindfulness can affect your genes
True. The relaxation you feel when you practice being mindful might play a part in which genes are active in your body. Specifically, it can make the ones linked to inflammation less active. This can not only improve your health, but it may help you live longer, too.
What is something that could cause a person to be outside of their window of tolerance?
Which is the correct order? Connect then redirect, or redirect then connect
Connect then redirect
What is something that might help people regulate when they are in Fight or Flight?
Dim lights, no screens, fidget toy, vigorous movement
What is dissociation?
A disconnection between thoughts and actions. Ranging from mild daydreaming to other chronic conditions.
Mindfulness helps with stress by:
a) Making your body resistant to stress hormones
b) Changing how you react to it
c) Distracting you until the stress passes
Over time, it gives you more control over your emotions and helps you process them differently. This may also help with anxiety and mood disorders.
True or False: We cannot change our window of tolerance
False. We can always practice coping skills that will widen our window of tolerance
True or false? Sugar causes inflammation in the brain and can cause the hippocampus to shrink
TRUE
What is something someone can do when they are in freeze?
name it, fast breathing, lights on, stand up, grounding
What happens to the pupils of the eye during the fight-or-flight response?
- They constrict to limit light entering the eye
- They remain the same
- They dilate to allow more light to enter the eye
Correct answer: - They dilate to allow more light to enter the eye
FACT OR FICTION Listening to alpha waves music can cause our brainwaves to align with the frequency of the music creating a deep sense of calm and relaxation, while listening to delta waves music aligns our brainwaves to the same frequency as when we are falling sleep?
Beta waves can also help with concentration and studying
What are two micro habits you can practice to help you move out of freeze
Heat and cold, light, posture, trigger the vagus nerve, structure, and combat negativity
True or False
Extending exhales longer than inhales for a period of time activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
TRUE
The sympathetic nervous system gets the body ready for the fight/flight/freeze response. With the fight or flight response, the sympathetic nervous system begins revving up the heartbeat and blood pressure and stealing blood from the body to make muscles ready to run. If there is nowhere to run and no hope of escape, the sympathetic nervous system will cause the person to freeze or collapse (both forms of dissociation).
The parasympathetic nervous system is a calming force, that when kicked in, allows the heart rate and blood pressure to lower, calming down the body after a traumatic event.
If the sympathetic nervous system is hyper-aroused then the body suffers from a lack of adequate blood supply as the person is always ready to flee or fight. This damages the person’s ability to calm down after being triggered by something that even barely resembles the danger that damaged their sympathetic system.
If the parasympathetic system does not kick-in appropriately, the body suffers because blood pressure can suddenly drop leading to fainting and other physical problems.
What is the oldest part of our nervous system?
Dorsal Vagal
The adrenal glands release what as part of the fight-or-flight response?
Cortisol
Sweat
Serotonin
Cortisol
True or False. Mindfulness may help with depression
Early studies also show that people who have bipolar disorder or an anxiety disorder might benefit from it as part of their treatment plan as well. And if antidepressants have helped and you’re in remission, mindfulness may work just as well as medication to keep it at bay.
Who developed the Polyvagal theory?
Dr. Stephen Porges
Approximately what percentage of people are left-handed?
10%
Why does this matter?
You have the ability to create safety in your body through your own thoughts and actions.