Mind-Body Workbook for PTSD (27 page)
Read Mind-Body Workbook for PTSD Online
Authors: Stanley Block
- With each item, rate the degree of body tension you have when you realize the item
will not
be fulfilled; use this scale: Ø for none, + for mild, ++ for moderate, or +++ for severe. - What do you notice?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
As you know, the items with plus signs are your requirements. Your I-System pushes the false belief that meeting your requirements gives you peace of mind. You don’t need to analyze peace of mind to
find
it. If you do, it’s I-System driven. True peace of mind comes after finding and defusing your hidden requirements. Only then can you experience your ever-present wellspring of healing, goodness, beauty, power, and wisdom. - Do you understand that the only real peace of mind comes from a calm I-System? Yes ____ No ____
MBB Weekly Evaluation Scale Dealing with Your Trauma: Triggers and Fears
Date: __________
During the past week, how did you do with these practices? Check the description that best matches your practice: hardly ever, occasionally, usually, or almost always.
List three situations you are handling well that used to upset you because they reminded you of your trauma:
______________________________
______________________________
List the requirements you have defused related to the situations above:
______________________________
______________________________
List three trauma memories that no longer activate your I-System:
______________________________
______________________________
9.
Heal Secondary Wounding and Face the Future with Peace of Mind
An explorer never gets rid of her compass, because its information keeps her on track. Your I-System is your lifelong compass that lets you know when you are off course by giving you the warning signals of body tension and mind clutter. It’s critical that you be able to use this information to heal yourself and live your life at its best.
The I-System is a very active system. It’s important to know that if you quiet your I-System using your bridging awareness practices
before
you have clearly identified the requirement, the requirement will activate your I-System again in the future, limiting your ability to heal yourself.
This chapter will introduce an advanced, rapid-fire mapping practice to uncover your hidden requirements that we call
power mapping
. This free-association tool quickly expands your awareness of your requirements about a problem, situation, event, or person. Without using your bridging awareness practices, you do map after map, just watching your overactive I-System in action. When you power map, your I-System has free rein, but your true self is still in the driver’s seat.
In this chapter, you map your
secondary wounding
experiences. Secondary wounding is when a person says or does something to you that hurts because it relates to your trauma experience. You’ll learn that you don’t need to fear the future, that it’s not your enemy. You’ll keep using your mind-body bridging tools to uncover your overactive I-System’s myths, limitations, and false self-beliefs. Your ability to quiet and befriend your I-System is essential to your progress. Let’s get started so you can have peace of mind and a sense of well-being about your future.
Day One Date:____________
1. During the day, notice when someone says or does something to you that’s hurtful because it relates to your traumatic event. Complete this chart:
2. Map your most recent, painful secondary wounding experience from the previous chart. In the oval, briefly write the experience. Then, around the oval write whatever comes to mind. Take three to five minutes. At this advanced stage in your practice, it helps to let your thoughts and feelings flow freely, whether or not they relate directly to your traumatic experience. Don’t edit yourself. When you are done, note your body tension at the bottom of the map.
Secondary Wounding Experience Map
Body Tension:
______________________________
______________________________
- List any requirements you find about the event that triggered your I-System:
______________________________
______________________________
- Bubble your map by drawing a circle (bubble) around the thought that brings the most body tension. Take a few minutes to scatter more thoughts around the circled item. Bubble any other troubling items. As you find more requirements, add them to the list in part a.
- How do you act in this mind-body state?
______________________________
______________________________
3. Do this map again, writing the same secondary wounding experience in the oval. Before you start writing, listen to background sounds and feel your body’s pressure on your seat, your feet on the floor, and the pen in your hand. Once you are settled, keep feeling the pen in your hand as you start writing any thoughts that come to mind. Watch the ink go onto the paper and keep listening to background sounds.
Secondary Wounding Experience Map with Bridging
- Compare the two maps. What do you notice?
______________________________
______________________________
- Are your thoughts clearer? Yes ____ No ____
- How do you behave in this state?
______________________________
______________________________
- Are you prepared to defuse the requirements you found on your previous map? Yes ____ No ____
With this map, you saw firsthand that your sense of well-being and peace of mind don’t depend on what people say or do, nor do they depend on what you have or haven’t been through.
Day Two Date:____________
During the day, notice when others’ behavior upsets you.
1. What body tension or mind clutter did you notice when people didn’t behave as you wanted?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
2. Uncover the requirements you have for these people:
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
For someone’s behavior that’s still troubling you, break down that behavior (for example,
He disrespects me
) into smaller behaviors (for example,
She holds her head up
,
That look in her eyes
,
The condescending tone of voice
,
The way he always has to give his opinion of the Iraq War
). Defusing the requirements that go with the smaller behaviors will help defuse the larger requirement.
3. When you have uncovered your requirements, take a moment to tune in to your senses. What happens to your requirements?
______________________________
______________________________
______________________________
4. Map another recent, painful secondary wounding experience. Briefly write the experience in the oval. Around the oval, write whatever comes to mind. Take three to five minutes. At this advanced stage in your practice, it helps to let your thoughts and feelings flow freely, whether or not they relate directly to your traumatic experience. Don’t edit your thoughts. When you are done, note your body tension at the bottom of the map.
Secondary Wounding Experience Map
Body Tension:
______________________________
______________________________
- List the requirements you found about the event that triggered your I-System:
______________________________
______________________________
- If you are unsettled about a thought that comes with body tension, bubble map it by drawing a bubble around it. Take a few minutes to scatter more thoughts around the circled item. Bubble any other troubling items. As you uncover more requirements, add them to the list in part a.
- How do you act in this mind-body state?
______________________________
______________________________
5. Do this map again, writing the same secondary wounding experience in the oval. Before you start writing, listen to background sounds and feel your body’s pressure on your seat, your feet on the floor, and the pen in your hand. Once you are settled, keep feeling the pen in your hand as you start writing any thoughts that come to mind. Watch the ink go onto the paper and keep listening to background sounds.
Secondary Wounding Experience Map with Bridging