Foundational Approaches

 

 

 

 

EDUCATION IN EMOTIONAL AWARENESS

 

All of us have an internal guidance system doing its best to tell us when our experience and our creative tools (thoughts, words, and actions) are either centered, or off-center.  This guidance is communicated primarily through emotion.  It wants us first and foremost to be safe, and running a close second is its desire for us to feel love. Emotions are immensely wonderful indicators, but they are not wonderful navigators. In fact, they are TERRIBLE navigators.  Most of us blindly heed them and give them too much power over our decision-making processes.  Not to mention after years of conditioned pain, trauma, and self-sabotage most of us have internal guidance systems that are just a mess!  Our approach helps people to re-center and better understand this system, simplifying emotional understanding in order to better heed the messages.  For example, we’ll look at anger as resistance or rejection.  We view insecurity as a lack of safety.  We view all emotions as utterly necessary and beautiful, and not experiences to which we should feel victim.  Let us help you to read your life and understand the messages your center (the grandest, most actualized version of you) is sending you.

 

EXERCISES TO INCREASE MENTAL STRENGTH

 

The mind is a muscle.  It is our processing center.  In order to process effectively, it needs to be healthy.  Just like any muscle, it needs exercise.  Imagine someone has a traumatic experience where they’ll need to bear the weight of an intense, negative, heart-wrenching emotion.  The emotion needs to be processed, but if the mind is not in good enough shape it will not be able to bear the heavy weight of this emotion.  And so the weight doesn’t get processed and doesn’t get let go.  It remains within us, weighing us down.  

 

Unfortunately, distraction and addiction have rendered most people’s minds very unfit, and weak.  From this perspective, I would go so far as to say that modern culture actually breeds morbidly obese minds.  Like an out-of-shape body, our minds are under-utilized, over-fed, clogged, and generally unhealthy in so many ways.  Mental exercise has never been more necessary because we are mentally eating more than ever before in human history.  We are absolutely inundated with sensory stimuli, information, opinions, entertainment, emotional cues, bright lights, shiny objects, etc.!  Just like the body, the mind needs to exercise and it needs to rest.  We need to be able to flex this muscle and we need to be able to rest it.  We would love to teach you the amazing and differing ways that the mind gets exercise and rest.  And the best part is that with creativity we will cater these exercises to your unique intrinsic gifts.

 

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR BEHAVIORAL DISCIPLINE

 

The third pillar of our foundational trinity is the physical component - behavior.  This includes words and deeds, and can be summed up with the quote, “Show me the habits, and I will show you the person.”  It is that simple.  Who am I most consistently?  What behaviors/habits do I engage in every day, or several times a day?  Looking at these habits or patterns of behavior, if they are not based in love and aligned with my deepest truth, with my highest self, then I will not be the person I say I am.  Behind closed doors where no one is watching, I will not be at peace with myself.  My representative may be an outgoing, funny, purpose-driven person, but as soon as I am left with myself I will need to distract myself.  I will need to numb myself.  I will need to enter some other reality - whether through drugs, entertainment, video games, etc. - in order to escape my present inner reality (this is not to imply that all drugs, gaming, or entertainment is bad).  This is tough for most people to grasp, let alone truly understand and accept.  Take a good look at your habits, what do you see?  If the real you is the you when no one is watching, who are you?  We’d love to get real with you in these areas.