I love the awareness around brain retraining that has grown over the years and how there are numerous programs out there to choose from. There is an option for everyone, it’s just a matter of what resonates with you. These programs provide education on neuroplasticity and the role it plays in chronic illness/pain (life in general, really), which is so beneficial as you rewire your brain.
One of the great advantages to utilizing a brain retraining program is that they create a great framework to begin your practice. Programs are a great foundation to get yourself started!
But they are just that…a starting point.
Over the next few months, I will be sharing an aspect of brain retraining that has been the most valuable to me. I want you to feel empowered to make your brain retraining practice your own!
You are beautifully unique, so why shouldn’t your practice be the same?
Many in the chronic illness community are so accustomed to trying to do everything right and follow all directions to the tee in the hopes of healing. The fear is that if we don’t do XYZ just right, then all is lost. Fear in chronic illness leads to fear of doing it wrong & ruining your chance of healing. So, this leads to stressing for perfection or giving up because we can’t do it perfectly. I get it, I’ve been there (I have responded both ways at different times).
But it is in letting go and putting off the attention to getting it just right that the true magic of retraining your brain happens. There is no one right way to utilize neuroplasticity principles in supporting yourself in healing, or a certain amount of time that it takes.
I love what Dr. Alain Gehin says:
“You learn techniques to understand principles. When you understand the principles, you will create your own techniques."
This principle resonated deeply with me. I was on my second program, but was feeling a bit stagnant and uninspired with my practice. It was when I read this that it clicked with me that while the practice I learned in both programs I had done were great, they were not personalized to me. This is when I began adapting my practice to fit me and doing this brought a huge shift in my progress.
I continued to learn the science behind brain retraining and have incorporated more tools along the way from professionals in the field. As I progressed further in my practice and experienced healing, I needed different things in my practice then when I was first beginning. Adapting your practice is a continual process, as we are ever changing and sometimes need different things.
It’s also a way to keep things fresh, which is so good for our brain!
Brain retraining is not one size fits all. Learn and make it your own! The one thing that is required is to put in the time and effort. I can guarantee it will not work if you are not putting in the work.
When I say you have to do the work, I’m not meaning that you have to put hours & hours of your time into it. Some of the programs out there say you have to meet a certain amount of time in order for it to work. I’m here to tell you to take that pressure off yourself. Start where you are and if that means 10 min a day, then that’s a win! Then work up from there.
Be gentle and kind with yourself today, friends. If you are feeling overwhelmed or bored with your practice, then these posts are for you. There is a way to create a brain retraining practice that resonates with you and that can fit into your life in a more manageable way.
May you feel empowered that you CAN make a change and remember, there is no one right way to do this. There is such freedom when we let go of needing to do it “right.”
Shea is a Coach and working towards completing her coaching certification from Western Seminary. Shea is passionate about Neuroplasticity and Mind/Body medicine and she is thrilled to have the opportunity to be on the Vital-Side team as the Social Media Engagement Manager.
Brain retraining techniques, somatic work, and working through limiting beliefs has brought Shea to a place of thriving after many years of just surviving. Shea is passionate about empowering others in choosing to actively engage in their own capacity to heal.
To learn more, you can find Shea at @thehealinghop
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