Peripheral Vision Reset

Need a quick coping tool to reset your brain?
Try a Peripheral Vision Reset
  • Lie down or sit with an elongated spine
      • Make sure your back is as straight as possible
    • Turn your head slowly to the right then the left, making note of your range of motion
    • Reach both hands above your head and bring them down to interlock fingers behind your head
    • Without moving your head, look as far to the right as you can and hold it for 30 seconds
      • This may feel like your eyes are straining, but that’s normal
    • Repeat looking to the left for 30 seconds
    • Bring your arms down and rotate your neck
      • You may feel dizzy for a moment
    • Turn your head slowly to the right then the left, making note of your range of motion
      • If your range of motion isn’t close to equal on each side, wait 5 minutes and repeat

Trauma and the Brain

The Brain

It may seem like common knowledge, but it’s important to recognize that our brains are the central area of processing everything that is happening in the world around us. And, in turn, it’s the brain that responds to those factors in our environment. We take in what we see, hear, feel, smell, and taste and create reactions then memories from this information

There are four areas of importance:

  • The Nerves
    • The nerves carry information to the brain and then back out, telling you how to adjust to the input it gets. So, for example, you may realize that the chair is uncomfortable and adapt your seating without thinking much.
  • The Amygdala
    • Information comes into the brain through the amygdala. In most cases, the sensation immediately passes through to be processed, but sometimes this part of your brain steps in and makes decisions before you’ve even had a chance to sort out what you’re sensing.
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  • The Prefrontal Cortex
    • This area is where we can process the information we are taking in. Nerve fibers pass data here from the amygdala, allowing us to connect that information to past events and create new memories.
  • The Hippocampus
    • This section is the area of the brain that stores our memories. Luckily, memory isn’t stored here like it is in a computer. Instead, our memory is malleable and constantly reshaped based on new information. This process is called neuroplasticity.
  • Trauma creates memories that tell our system to protect itself. But if we recognize this process we can use it to recode the memory and put our lives back on track. 
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Big Emotions

     Have you ever been in a situation where you got upset, angry/sad/frustrated, and you knew that your reaction was disproportionate to what was happening? Unfortunately, it happens to all of us at one time or another; we take our emotions out on our kids or spouses. So what can we do about it?

     Did you know that finding inner calm can help you be present? Even when situations become upsetting, you can connect to that feeling again if you are familiar with allowing yourself to be calm and present. iZen is about developing that practice and using it to resolve past trauma.