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pula pa on pO
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Time Time
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Stress
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Response
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ptt ype ed ta ag
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Time Time
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Figure These graphs depict data from a person who has used the Program Peace method of exposing a
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dominant display to diaphragmatic breathing Despite using dominant body language from time to time
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their breathing remains slow and deep and there is no discernable change in their heart rate or stress response
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Because they have calmed their bodys unconscious reaction to the display it no longer provokes fear guilt
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or stress
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The exercises in this book will first ask you to pair assertive behavioral subroutines that
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you would ordinarily find unnerving with paced breathing After isolating and treating them
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individually you will be asked to combine several of them together so that you can become
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comfortable using many assertive nonverbal behaviors at once For instance we will learn to
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breathe deeply with a calm face upward eyes straight neck and relaxed vocal posture You will
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PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
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also work on dissociating optimal postures from the submissive ones that often accompany
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them For example we will isolate widening your eyes from raising your eyebrows and isolate
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smiling from squinting and sneering
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Your brains current records of how to hold your body correspond with remarkably high
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precision to where you think you fit in the hierarchy of your social group Most people who
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want to be more assertive try to manipulate the environment by competing conniving or using
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power plays to change other peoples perceptions of them in hopes that they will be allowed to
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gradually assume a more dominant role Unfortunately this is a stressful process that tends to
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compound their problems Instead Program Peace will show you how to transform yourself
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from the inside out
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The Program Peace method relies on established principles from the science of
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neuroplasticity Neuroplasticity is the brains ability to restructure neuronal connections in
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response to new experiences and demands This process underlies all learning training and
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rehabilitation It is always available so you can start at any age and practice whenever you
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want Another great aspect of neuroplasticity is that it makes things automatic With time
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neuroplastic changes consolidate and stabilize making what you have learned second nature
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The exercises in this book leverage neuroplasticity to optimize your composure by exposing
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your brain circuits for acting like a boss to the brain circuits for feeling safe Coactivating the
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neurons in these circuits will allow you to override your autopilot and make the habits of an
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alpha your default
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Ilustration A A neuron B Cross section of the brain C Coactive brain regions
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Even behaviors that express positive emotions have been routinely coactivated with
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distressed breathing over your lifetime Smiling is the quickest way to recruit shallow breathing
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in most people We will use long deep breathing in Chapter to detraumatize your smile and
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in Chapter to detraumatize your laugh This book will provide you with a diaphragmatic
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makeover restructuring dozens of behaviors and postures dissociating them from the fightor
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flight response and decoupling them from distressed breathing By now you may be curious to
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find out what diaphragmatic breathing feels like so lets get acquainted with it using the
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activity below
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Chapter Optimal Quality of Life Training
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Activity A Diaphragmatic Breath
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In part one of this activity you will exhale and in part two you will inhale For each part
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focus on taking exceptionally long and deep breaths to fully engage the diaphragm Try to
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make each last eight to seconds
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Diaphragmatic exhalation Inhale completely before starting your exhalation
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Purse your lips and blow on your fingertip for as long as you comfortably can
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While you slowly breathe out pay attention to the sound of your breath and the
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sensation produced by the air hitting your fingertip ensuring that both are steady
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and constant Deep long breaths with a constant flow rate are the keys to
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activating the diaphragm Blow out until you have no more air left You should
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notice that during the last few seconds it is challenging to keep the stream
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steady This is the aspect of the muscle most in need of retraining
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Diaphragmatic inhalation Do the same for an inhalation Take a couple of normal
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breaths and then exhale completely before starting Purse your lips and place
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your finger on them This will make your breath audible Then inhale until you
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cannot inhale anymore Breathe in slowly and steadily ensuring that the sound
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you make is constant and unflinching
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If you were able to make these breaths last longer than eight seconds and make your
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breath smoother than usual then you experienced what engaging your diaphragm feels
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like After you perform both activities a couple of times each consider what it would take
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to make every breath a diaphragmatic breath
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Next is the first Program Peace exercise which pairs a long diaphragmatic exhalation with
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vocalization to strengthen both your voice and diaphragm Being able to talk for an extended
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period before needing to inhale is a very dominant trait To do it you need a strong diaphragm
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that can push all the way through its full range of motion squeezing most of the air out of the
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lungs On the other hand it is very common that submissive people with tense diaphragms
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have to gasp after every few words they speak Partially because they are used to being
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interrupted their diaphragm is not capable of unwavering prolonged contractions Once you
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extend the amount of time you can speak on a single breath even by a couple of seconds you
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will feel and appear much more confident
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Introductory Exercise Prolonged Vocalization
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You are going to vocalize for as long as you can times in a row Before each
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vocalization take a full inhalation During each following exhalation vocalize in a deep
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but relaxed register It can be loud or soft Choose a low note and a vowel sound such as
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ah uh or om and maintain it as long as possible Continue vocalizing until you
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cannot breathe out any longer You should be able to do this for at least five seconds
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PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body
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but shoot for eight or even up to if you can You might pull out the stopwatch on your
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phone and time yourself Do this times in a row
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This exercise is challenging for the diaphragm and the voice and can be somewhat
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uncomfortable because you are forcing the diaphragm to work in an unfamiliar and
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atrophied zone Normally your voice is confined to a shallow range in which the
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diaphragm falters neurotically in response to emotional fluctuations threatening stimuli
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and interruptions Keeping your voice steady will teach your diaphragm to contract
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more steadily
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If you perform this exercise five times over the course of a week it will cease to be
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uncomfortable You will get used to it quickly and find that you can do it for several
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minutes at a time Because it ensures diaphragmatic motion it should make you feel
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very relaxed after just a few minutes The longer you do it the more relaxed you will feel
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It is a great exercise to use if you are feeling anxious You can also do it around others
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by humming quietly with your mouth closed Within a few weeks your voice will be
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noticeably more impressive and commanding This is a skill that leaders and lecturers
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develop the ability to use the diaphragm to put sustained continuous pressure on the
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