When it comes to therapy and understanding our mental health, we often find ourselves at a crossroads. Do we delve into our past traumas, trying to undo them? Or do we forge a new path, creating healthier associations for our minds? Dr. Bruce D. Perry, in his thought-provoking book, "What Happened To You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing", presents a compelling argument:
“It’s interesting-most people think about therapy as something that involves going in and undoing what’s happened. But whatever your past experiences created in your brain, the associations exist and you can’t just delete them. You can’t get rid of the past. Therapy is more about building new associations, making new, healthier default pathways. It is almost as if therapy is taking your two-lane dirt road and building a four-lane freeway alongside it. The old road stays, but you don’t use it much anymore. Therapy is building a better alternative, a new default. And that takes repetition, and time, honestly, it works best if someone understands how the brain changes. This is why understanding how trauma impacts our health is essential for everyone.” ― Dr. Bruce D. Perry
In my journey, I've visualized this process similarly: constructing more roads, enhancing the paths marred by trauma, and forging numerous bridges and connections within our brain. It's about acknowledging the old routes while making way for the newer, more efficient ones.
At Heart and Mind, our Tame your Tiger program epitomizes this philosophy. It's curated specifically to engender this paradigm shift. While the Safe and Sound Protocol is there to address Nervous System Dysregulation and foster a feeling of safety, it's only the foundation. You see, without a profound sense of safety, the task of construction becomes arduous. Once that safety is achieved, our Focus System comes into play, establishing new connections and bridges between the myriad parts of the brain. To top it off, the Interactive Metronome fine-tunes the rhythm and efficiency with which information traverses these new pathways.
Dr. Perry rightly mentions that transformation requires repetition and time. True commitment and investment in one's well-being are prerequisites. But the returns? They're truly invaluable. After all, what's more, rewarding than a resilient and healthier mind?
At Heart and Mind, we believe in not just addressing the past, but more importantly, in building a brighter, healthier future. Together, let's pave the way.