Be the Change: Let’s turn six frameworks into mindsets for personal, social, political change: 1. Protectors 2. Threat System vs Soothing System 3. Self Esteem vs Self Compassion 4. Neuroplasticity 5. Trauma Informed Care 6. Power Threat Meaning Framework. 1/37 #HealingTrauma
Framework works are a powerful way of using a template of what we know works. Once these framework are understood by you, you can use them to reflect on your world, on a daily basis, for stability, clarity, the ability to regulate emotions easier, connection and belonging. 2/37
Once we have played around with them enough, the brain is very clever. We only need to say some key words associated with these frameworks and this practice alone can become a beautiful mediation. It can have a very powerful effect on your system: 3/37
The first framework is everything that encompasses being human. Starting from the body and expanding to include existence itself. These include life’s protectors: Body (food, water, movement, rest), mind (threat vs soothing system, self esteem vs self compassion), 4/37
social connection (family, friends, community), culture (food, music, dance, science, art, technology) country (nature, hiking, fishing, camping, star gazing), spirituality (existence itself; theism, atheism, agnosticism). You have your entire life to explore these. No rush. 5/37
Now, try conceptualise mental illness as living within our threat system (i.e. fight, flight, freeze, or collapse). Think of depression as freeze or collapse; anger, anxiety, terror as fight or flight. Remember threat system is only intended for a real life and death threat. 6/37
So the two fundamental questions to ask are:
1. Is this moment safe or dangerous?
2. Is this moment real or my imagination?
We need to get good at telling the difference between danger vs safety. Between imagination vs reality. That’s pretty much it. 7/37
1. Is this moment safe or dangerous?
2. Is this moment real or my imagination?
We need to get good at telling the difference between danger vs safety. Between imagination vs reality. That’s pretty much it. 7/37
If the moment is dangerous, we will fight, flight (run), freeze or collapse to stay alive. If we think it is dangerous and it turns out to just be our imagination (i.e. anxiety; fear of something bad happening), remind yourself: “It is not real. There is nothing to do.” 8/37
When the moment is safe the soothing system is for: peace, joy, love, compassion, blissfulness, ecstasy. Via:
1. Intimacy.
2. Play.
Intimacy is “stillness” like freeze/collapse. Play is “movement” like fight/flight. The difference: safe vs danger in stillness vs movement. 9/37
1. Intimacy.
2. Play.
Intimacy is “stillness” like freeze/collapse. Play is “movement” like fight/flight. The difference: safe vs danger in stillness vs movement. 9/37
How cool is that!? We can drop the labels (i.e. I’m Depressed). Rather, check danger vs safety - threat system vs soothing system - where we are determines what we need. If depression is freeze/collapse, stillness, low arousal, then try intimacy: like music, a hug. 10/37
If anger, anxiety, terror is fight/flight, movement, high arousal, try play: running it off, kick boxing. Notice what won’t work due to intensity of arousal: i.e. freeze (low) cannot immediately play (high), fight/flight (high) cannot immediately do intimacy (low). So cool. 11/37
Crack the code: Where am I? Threat system? Soothing system? Is there danger? Is this moment safe? Is this real? Or my imagination? Where exactly am I: fight, flight, freeze? For collapse you won’t be awake. Can I switch fight/flight to play? Freeze to intimacy? You can try. 12/37
Intimacy: connecting deeply with life or someone, including yourself, in this moment, in stillness, such as: “Be thankful (i.e. gratitude) to feel alive (i.e. empathy) right here right now (i.e. mindfulness), or a book, nature, friend, lover, pet, music, movie, rest. 13/37
Play: deeply connecting with life or someone, including yourself, in this moment, in movement, such as cooking, cleaning, working, helping, volunteering, creating, campaigning, entertaining, yoga, martial arts, dance, games, sports, science, technology, arts, anything. 14/37
Now we have a framework for protectors: body, mind, social connection, culture, country and spirituality. Now we have a framework for danger vs safety and reality vs imagination: threat system vs soothing system. Let’s add another template: self esteem vs self compassion. 15/37
Self esteem vs self compassion is really what defines us: our sense of self worth. It’s also about how we evaluate ourselves with performance and compare ourselves to others, which causes immense harm for many. So check regularly, am I doing self esteem or self compassion? 16/37
If you are doing self esteem you will always be “half” wanting more. To be special, above average, judging yourself on external factors, a “success” or a “failure”, comparing your self to others, such as beauty, fame, fortune, performance, worrying what others think of you. 17/37
If you are doing self compassion you will always be “whole”. Kindness, common humanity, mindfulness. Treating yourself like you would treat a best friend, focusing on what connects us, rather than what divides us, E.g. we are all imperfect, we all suffer, we all belong. 18/37
Are we doing the intellect or mindfulness? Intellect (i.e. a cutting instrument): notorious for being judgmental, critical, dissecting, analysing, objectifying, all in the name of survival. Mindfulness: nonjudgmental acceptance of the present with openness and curiosity. 19/37
So far: protectors (body, mind, social connection, culture, country, spirituality), threat system (fight/flight, freeze/collapse) vs soothing system (intimacy and play), self esteem (competition) vs self compassion (collaboration), intellect (survival) vs mindfulness (love) 20/37
Now let’s add the trifecta. Neuroplaticity: the brain can change! Trauma Informed Care: Nonjudgmental, person centred, recovery focused (safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, empowerment). Power Threat Meaning Framework: Intergenerational trauma 21/37
will keep enduring until we each break the cycle: the negative operation of “Power” (i.e. a family member, educator, employee/er, government, religious institution, war, natural disaster, climate change, etc) triggers our “Threat” system (fight/flight, freeze/collapse) 22/37
and we do what we need to stay alive. However, what “Meaning” do we attribute to these events? Soothing system: aka safety (i.e. I’m okay/nothings changed/I’m still the same)? Or more of the threat system: aka danger (I’m different/not the same/broken/damaged/ unsafe)? 23/37
So the most important question is: How can I break my cycle - not others - but my systems (i.e. frameworks) from being stuck: in a state of threat (fight/flight, freeze/collapse), in self esteem (always less, never enough), in trauma (feeling unsafe, distrust, choice-less, 24/37
in competition, disempowered), in shame (fear of being kicked out of the group), in stigma (being kicked out of the group), which all culminate into “powerlessness”, due to a constant state of “threat”, impending doom and ultimately “meaninglessness”? 25/37
Well now you can crack the code: Check protectors (body, mind, social connection, culture, country, spirituality). Fill your cup up. Check your threat system vs self soothing system (danger vs safety, real vs imagination, freeze/collapse vs intimacy, fight/flight vs play). 26/37
If there’s no danger in front of you, this very second, if it’s just your imagination, or something real somewhere else, far away, then it is actually the healthier choice to acknowledge you are safe, in reality. Choose intimacy and play. There are many ways: protectors. 27/37
Check self esteem (competition) vs self compassion (kindness, common humanity, mindfulness). Drop the intellect: the judgment, comparing, dissecting. Drop the blame. Drop the shame. We are all the same when it comes to life and death. We all have a life. We will all die. 28/37
Check Neuroplasticity. Do you believe we can change? Or have you given up? Do you think your condition is permanent? Do you trust the brain does change? It is always working towards healing. More so when we get out of the way. Note these are all “Meanings” we can change. 29/37
Check Trauma Informed Care. If you are in danger, please find safety. Ask for help. Many do care. We will all try our best to keep you safe. Safety is primary for any of the above or below to work. Otherwise, we are stuck in a constant state of threat: trauma. 30/37
If you are safe, honour your safety. Make it a part of your day to be thankful you are safe. Trust life. You have choices. You can collaborate, you are empowered. You might not feel this within society, but we can feel this for life itself. Life created us; not society. 31/37
Check Power Threat Meaning Framework. Reduce your contact with negative operations of power if at all possible and safe to (i.e. setting boundaries, or marketing trying to sell you crap you don’t need to buy; you will need to learn to say no). If we cannot change something, 32/37
then draw on Wisdom such as the Dalai Lama: Radical acceptance. Remember these guys have seen it all before. For thousands of years. If they survived we can too. All we require is our basic needs: shelter, food, water, movement. We also need nature and connections. 33/37
We cannot connect when we are in a constant state of threat (fight/flight, freeze/collapse). So if you have your basic needs, and the moment is safe, then this is where you can use the Power Threat Meaning Framework. Rewrite your immediate world with the protectors, 34/37
intimacy, play, kindness, common humanity, mindfulness. We can be the change. It’s the healthier choice. It’s the wiser choice. Choose life. Collaborate. Drop outdated beliefs. Create your own “meanings”. In doing so, you break your own cycle of “threats” and heal trauma. 35/37
“Power”: Now we are alive again, in this moment: thankful (i.e. gratitude) to feel alive (i.e. empathy) right here, right now (i.e. mindfulness). The ultimate truth: they cannot take the sky. They cannot take away your freedom to love. Now you are your own best friend. 36/37
*If you would like to learn more of any of these Frameworks, I have made threads on each. I wanted to combine them so everyone can see how they are all connected. You cannot go wrong using trauma informed tools for wellbeing. 37/37 #HealingTrauma #Justice4Australia #WeAllBelong
Basic needs: shelter, food, water, movement, rest. *Accidentally left out rest. Notice it is movement vs stillness once again. Once you make this connection, it’s very simple to navigate from the threat system (fight/flight, freeze) to self soothing system (play, intimacy).
Here you go @ThLittleGeneral. @threadreaderapp please unroll. 💜🕊 #HealingTrauma #Justice4Australia #WeAllBelong
*Frameworks
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