Befriending the Emotional Brain
All the following are important and should be done simultaneously (the content below comes mostly from the book The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van Der Kolk, M.D., with some comments from my own experience located mainly at the end) : Dealing with hyperarousal : Taking a few slow, deep breaths. Emotional-regulation techniques like EFT Tapping (Emotional Freedom Technique). Activities that involve physical movement, breathing, and meditating (e.g., yoga that includes meditation, chi and qigong, African rhythmical drumming, martial arts, aikido, judo, take Kwon do, kendo, jujitsu, capoeira, ecstatic dance, or anything you create or know that include all three parts). Mindfulness : pay attention to your physical sensations, label them and their relationship with emotions you may be feeling, and observe the interplay between thoughts and physical sensations. Tip de Alison Roffman : paste post-its around the house that remind you to "breath", "be mindf