Beyond Surviving with Rachel Grant

In today's video, I walk you step by step through the Body Breath Meditation. This is a powerful visualization, because it combines a variety of the breathing techniques we been learning in this series to address multiple trauma symptoms, such as interoception, diaphragmatic breathing, right hemisphere activation, and positive emotion induction. Get comfy and enjoy! #beyondsurviving #traumatoolkit #coachrachelsays #bodybreath #somatichealing #ptsd #childhoodtrauma #metoo #breathingtechnique #visualization #meditation #nervoussystemregulation #emotionalawareness #bodyawareness #concentration #attention #reducestress #quietthe mind Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that extending exhalations leads to "longer parasympathetic (relaxation response) activation? Well indeed it does --- and that's a helpful thing to know, because that means we can use prolonged exhalation to help ground and self-soothe. Follow along and practice this 5-5-8-2 Breath technique and see if you notice a difference when you slow down your exhale! #beyondsurviving #coachrachelsays #somatichealing #traumatoolkit #nervoussystem #grounding #healing #raiseyourvibration #selfempowerment #youarepowerful #balancedlife #dissociation #relaxation Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that throughout your day, each nostril "takes turns being open or stuffy, and this is related to brain activity"?! In this Balanced Brain Breath practice, we balance activation of the two hemispheres of the brain by alternating breathing through one nostril at a time. Try it out! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #traumatoolkit #breathingtechnique #balancedbrain #somatichealing #stressrelief #healing #ptsd #childhoodtrauma #balance #grounding #brainactivity Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This 5-Count Breath Technique I share with you today incorporates counting and visualization as a way to support the breathing practice and helps you stay focused, so you can reap all of the deep benefits of breathing from the diaphragm. #coachrachelsays #traumatoolkit #beyondsurviving #somatichealing #deepbreath #presence #grounding #destress Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you have difficulty breathing slowly, deeply, or run out of breath too soon, the ocean can be your guide to help you lengthen your breath and intensify the relaxation response. This Ocean Breath technique is accomplished by constricting the epiglottis (the epi-what?! - yeah, me too, totally learned some anatomy here!). Check out this guided breathing exercise --- and feel the calming, soothing sensations! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #somatichealing #breathe #oceanbreath #healing #toolsthatwork #relaxationresponse #peacefulness #deepbreath #empowered #slowdown #loweryourstress Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you know the 3 poses that most support diaphragmatic breathing? Well, I'm here to share them with you! Breathing through the diaphragm helps us to activate the vagus nerve, which stimulates the relaxation response. This type of breathing will help you come out of states of activation, but it's also a great practice to incorporate into your day to day to strengthen and nurture your nervous system. Let me know which of the 3 poses you liked the most!! #beyondsurviving #coachrachelsays #nervoussystemregulation #breathing #vagusnerve #emobidment #relaxation #nurtureyourself #metoo #childhoodabuse #healing #toolsthatwork #transformation #inhale #exhale #bellybreathing #selfsoothing Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that there are four important and useful ways that focused breathing changes the brain? Today we explore how using breath to change the brain can help you "reduce and better manage post-trauma symptoms, including arousal and reactivity, trauma re-experiencing, and negative alterations in cognition and mood symptoms." (excerpt from Trauma Treatment Toolbox) #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #neuroscienceoftrauma #ptsd #nervoussystem #vagusnerve #amygdala #prefrontalcortex #healing #metoo #childhoodtrauma #healingisajourney #retrainthebrain #mindsetshift #choice #youarepowerful #breathing #selfhealingtools Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ever had someone say to you, “Just take a deep breath” and everything inside of you just wants to backhand them?! I certainly have had that experience. And yet – this is pretty solid advice because focused diaphragmatic breathing is one of the most immediate (and most accessible) ways to activate the vagus nerve, which serves as an amazing “chill out” button for our system when pressed. Tune in to learn how to press this button when your activated to send a potent signal to your brain to relax! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #breathing #neuroscienceoftrauma #somatics #healing #takeadeepbreath #reducestress #goodbyeanxiety #chillout #vagusnerve #parasympathethicnervoussystem #regulation #grounding #toolsthatwork #balance #focus #relaxation Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that love can be a powerful antidote to activation?! One of the amazing things about accessing the feeling of love is that it causes the brain to release oxytocin, which is a powerful hormone that is even sometimes referred to as the "love drug". This hormone is also a neurotransmitter, and so when released sends all sorts of "feel good" signals to the brain and nervous system to signal safety - which is a key component of nervous system regulation. Listen in as I take you through a quick exercise that will help you access this resource state and will be a support to you the next time you feel triggered or dysregulated. #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #love #oxytocin #nervoussystem #healing #triggered #neuroscienceoftrauma #childhoodtrauma #sexualabuse #metoo #overcoming #thriving #pendulation #feelgood Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There is one thing I know to be absolutely true....we ALL have fears! Fear is a powerful feeling. It can move us to get out of the way of danger, warn us when there is a threat, activate our spidey-senses. Unfortunately, fear can also be paralyzing and cause us to miss out on so much. Let's explore how to be with this feeling and transition out of the energy of fear (particularly when there is no real danger) so we can do the things we want to do and experience the things we want to experience! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #fear #neuroscienceoftrauma #nervoussystemregulation #healing #metoo #getunstuck #faceyourfear Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When we get angry, the nervous system is cued for fight or flight. Sometimes, what is igniting our anger has nothing to do with a present day injury, slight, injustice, or insult. Rather, the brain/body has picked up on something that cues a historical trauma and we are off our head before we know it. Expanding our capacity to be with anger as it arises, to pendulate from dysregulation back to regulation, and to get curious about our anger (why?, where is it coming from?, what exactly happened?) is key to our living more empowered, grounded, less reactive lives. There is absolutely 100% nothing wrong with feeling angry - it's a powerful and useful feeling - AND! we need to know how to move in and out of this energy with mindfulness. I'll walk you step by step through an exercise to help you explore this. #beyondsurviving #coachrachelsays #anger #nervoussystem #metoo #feelyourfeelings #empowered #grounded #trauma #childhoodtrauma Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being able to notice and identify the common thoughts you tend to have when yo are distressed is a key skill to develop. This will afford you the opportunity to slow down, challenge negative patterns of thought, and get back in the driver's seat. You do not have to immediately believe the thoughts you have. Let's explore some ways to identify distressing thoughts! #coachrachelsays #neuroscienceoftrauma #beyondsurviving #traumatoolkit #healing #nervoussystemregulation #metoo #childhoodtrauma #overcoming #mindfulness #challengenegativethoughts #avoidthespiral #empowered Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Being able to tune into your body and notice the shifts and changes in your sensations and energy plays a vital role in healing. The more we are connected with the body, the better able we are to identify sensations that are tied to distress and activation and thus be better equipped to drop in and do some regulation before our system is too out of whack. #coachrachelsays #neuroscienceoftrauma #peterlevine #beyondsurviving #traumatoolkit #embodied #senses #healing #nervoussystemregulation #yourbodyisyourguide #energy #metoo #childhoodtrauma #overcoming Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most damaging outcomes of trauma is that our capacity to cope with stress becomes limited due to our nervous system being all out of whack. This takes a toll on us as day after day we walk out into the world, face life's challenges, and feel like the littlest thing can tip us over the edge. The good news is, we can build our capacity to cope with stress and to stay grounded so that we can experience more freedom and ease in our lives. I share how we can start to do this by focusing on attuning to our levels of distress. #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #healing #dissociation #grounded #presence #healing #copingstrategies #neuroscienceoftrauma #metoo #slowdown #empowered #nervoussystemregulation #attunement #increaseyourcapacity #emotionalhealth #selfawareness Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I share with you a strategy for being able to gauge when you are reaching your boiling point - the level of distress at which your stress level becomes unmanageable. This is critical so that you can slow down when doing trauma healing work, when communicating or interacting with others, or when doing any self-guided healing work. You DO NOT want to go past your boiling point! I also share about how states of relaxation can also be activating for some and how "stress-laxing" can impair our ability to reap the benefits of rest! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #rest #relaxation #boilingpoint #healing #dissociation #withdrawal #connection #grounded #presence #healing #neuroscienceoftrauma #metoo #slowdown #stress #empowered #nervoussystemregulation #pendulation #levelsofdistress #outofcontrol #overwhelm #emotionalhealth #selfawareness Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Did you know that there are levels of distress? As survivors of trauma, we often end up thinking in very black and white terms … and this can then cause us to categorize any distress we are feeling as super problematic. By growing your awareness about the different levels of distress, you will be better able to regulate your nervous system and maintain perspective as you are navigating the day to day. I share with you a fabulous exercise to help you do just that! Time to take your temperature :) #beyondsurviving #neuroscienceoftrauma #distress #levelsofactivation #selfawareness #pulsecheck #perspective #regulation #spectrumofexperience #slowdown #tunein #raiseyourvibration #mindsetshift #healingisajourney Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It may seem counterintuitive - but one way to expand your capacity for emotional and nervous system regulation is to actually intentionally go into states of dysregulation (like ya gotta hop on the ride in order to learn how to navigate getting off!). Now it's important that you do this with support and using very specific strategies - two of which I talk about here --- pendulation and titration! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #neuroscience #pendulation #titration #nervoussystem #healing #metoo #emotionalrollercoaster #grounded #calm #detrigger #mindfulness #intentionalhealing #empowered Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I share about the three types of healing modalities - top, bottom, horizontal. It's important to understand the different entry points for healing and to build a toolkit that has a variety of tools while also identifying which modalities you are most drawn to! I also share a bit about neuroplasticity - so if you've ever been stuck feeling like things are just never going to change - be sure to tune in! #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #neuroscience #bodybasedhealing #somatics #creativity #brainbasedhealing #whatworksforyou #toolkit #haveitall #healing #metoo #findyourpath Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I share about the amygdala, insula, hippocampus, pre-frontal cortex, and cingulate cortex. When we experience trauma - these parts of the brain are impacted and lead to specific trauma symptoms. #coachrachelsays #beyondsurviving #neuroscience #activation #fear #nervoussytem #hippocampus #brainbasedhealing Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Get a little sneak peak into what I have in store for you in Season 11! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/beyond-surviving. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.