Hi, I just wanted to share a visualization that worked for me.
I took the brain assessment and found that I have excess activity in the ACG and Limbic areas. This means that I get stuck on negative thoughts – Killing ANTs works great for me. When I get stuck on a negative thought, I get nervous, panic-y, my heart races, my muscles get tense, and my eyes fill up with tears. So there’s two things happening here: one is mental where the thought comes in and I get stuck on it, and the second step is having physical reactions to these thoughts like a mild panic attack.
Maybe some people can relate to something similar happening with themselves.
So here’s how I fix it. I googled these parts of the brain, read about them, and looked at images so that I can understand what I’m dealing with. The ACG and Limbic areas of the brain are curled up in the center core of the brain, and to me it reminds me of my Jack Russel terrier when she is curled up on the couch. So, I personified this area of my brain, and I visualize that part of my brain as a Jack Russel terrier. Anyone with experience with terriers will understand. When she is calm and quiet, curled up in a ball she is so sweet. And when she is alert and curious with her ears perked up and her little nub tail wagging, she is sharp, smart, and adorable. But when she focuses in on something, especially a chipmunk in the yard… watch out! Jack Russels are intense, relentless hunters. She gets zeroed in on her prey, chases it, and will stop at nothing to get it. If I didn’t intervene, she would dig up the entire yard following a chipmunk tunnel. She’s just like the ACG/Limbic areas of my brain – overexcited, relentless, stuck on her goal, muscles tense and twitchy, wild, primitive, and animalistic.
Honestly, I don’t know how to calm my brain areas – I mean, I’m not a neurosurgeon. But I know how to calm my dog. I pick her up and move her inside or away from what she is focused on. Out of sight, out of mind. I pet her and say soothing things like “It’s OK. You’re a good girl.” And she calms down and rolls over for belly rubs. She’s the most calm after I feed her dinner. I feed her high quality foods and when her belly is full, she curls up on the couch all comfy.
So, I imagine the same thing to calm that area of my brain. I tell myself that focusing on this thought or problem or whatever is not helping at all. Just like digging up the yard is not really going to catch that chipmunk. I focus on my breathing instead. Calm, slow breaths counteract the physical reactions in my body. It stops the fight or flight reactions, muscle tension, racing heart, etc. I clear all thoughts from my mind except breathing in and out. As thoughts try to come back in, I gently tell them, “No. It’s not your turn to get attention from my brain right now”, and I let the thoughts float away. When my body is calm, I imagine that I am petting a Jack Russel in the core of my brain as if it lives there, operating that section of my mind. I tell it “It’s OK. You’re a good brain. Lets just take a break.” I imagine my brain calming down and rolling over for belly rubs. When the meditation ends, I go get a healthy snack to nourish my brain. Like positive reinforcement for having the ability to stop and return to a calm, normal state of mind.
