Free Resources

These are FREE tools for learning, PRACTICE videos + science RESEARCH.

 

STRESS, ANXIETY, NERVOUSNESS, FEAR, TRAUMA, DEPRESSION…
RESEARCH:
“…the exact same stress response as that zebra running for it’s life or a lion running for a meal … we turn it on for purely psychological reasons.” – Stress and Health – Standford neurobiologist Dr. Robert Sapolsky
Long Term Stress, brain, epigenetics – short TED-ed – Madhumita Murgia – The Telegraph.
Flight, fight, freeze response in mammels – Peter Levine, PhD Clinical Trauma Specialist – Clinical Study of Somatic Experiencing.
Shaking and Stress Reduction – Newsarticle Dr Mark Naim, GP
PRACTICE:
There are many tools-styles to try – find what is most effective for yourself right now.
PRACTICE: Focusing – Six Steps – Eugene Gendlin
PRACTICE: 2 self holding exercises video/article – Peter Levine, PhD
PRACTICE: 5 Senses Exercies – Clayton University Psychological Services
PRACTICE: 4-7-8 Breathing – Dr Weil
PRACTICE: TRE detailed proposals, or this TRE – Kalinda Kano
PRACTICE: Some Great Simple Shaking Methods – Deepika Sheleff

ABOUT RAISING YOUR HEARTRATE+USING MUSCLES
RESEARCH:
Especially if you experience Depression, ‘Low Energy’, Lack of Focus – I have not seen anything as effective as getting your heart rate up on a regular basis. I cannot recommend anything more highly: Find what is fun. Do that. Dr. Michele Segar notes, many people “have a very narrow definition of what exercise should look like…“If you liked biking as a kid, bike … Play tag with your kids … dance …  climb the stairs a few extra times while you’re doing chores around the house.”

Dr Kelly McGonigal – Stanford Psychologist – Connection between Movement and Psychological Emotion States 45 min.
Dr John Ratey – Harvard Medical  -“Exercise and the Brain‘ – 2 min video.
Spark Learning and Creativity – How thinking effects our thinking, learning – 10 min
If Exercise were a Drug it would be the Most Valuable One Ever Developed – 15 min
Study shows exercise stops effects of aging – ABC Science Australia
Epigenetics + Exercise – Healthcare Journal (Basal)
Systemic Reviews suggests mindfulness may be particularly helpful for depression – article
PRACTICENoticing sensations – yoga style – 50 min
PRACTICERaise your heart rate/Use Your Muscles – Somaitc HIT inspired – 10 min
PRACTICEsmooth mobility games – Chandler Stevens
PRACTICEmovement games, more intense – M(eauz)tion
PRACTICE – Try shaking, wiggling, bouncing, hopping, swinging your arms, dancing. Try asking yourself, how do I want to move right now? Try inviting (not forcing) a little more energy into what you are doing. Keep sprinkling in this invitation of more energetic movement.

HEALTH + NATURE
Health Implications of Reconnecting the Human Body to the Earth’s Surface Electrons – Journal of Environmental and Public Health – Surface Improves Blood Flow – University of California, Irvine
Even Photos of Nature Reduce Stress – Science Alert
Mental Health, Overthinking, Nature – Science Alert
Nervous System Response to Green – Journal of Environmental Research + Health
Affective States and Cortisol Concentration in Mountain Hiking – Env. and Public Health, Austria
PRACTICE: Find some trees. Notice how you feel next to them. Does anything in you shift?
PRACTICE: Sand Play
PRACTICE: Mountain Hiking Play
PRACTICE: Nature Massage

WAYS THE BODY STORES MEMORIES – BODY PLASTICITY
Muscle Memory and a New Cellular Model for Muscle… – Journal of Experimental Biology
Working with Traumatic Memory – Dr. Peter Levine – Clinical + Behavorial Medicine
Trauma and Memory – Dr. van der Kolk – Neurobiological underpinnings
Does Fascia Hold Memories – Paolo Tozzi Msc, Osteopathy
How Brains and Bodies Respond to Threats – Jacek Debiec, M.D., Ph.D. – Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, UofM, Ann Arbor.
Genetic ‘Memories – IFL Science
How Your Immune Systems Memory Works – Science Nordic
PRACTICEClass notes with practice working with memories

BREATHING
Breathwork is capable of both calming and re-vitalizing. There are many styles. Play around and find what is most effective for yourself!
Body Effects + Differences in Various Styles of Breathwork – Dr. Dani Gordan, MD
Just Breath – Herbert Benson “It’s a powerful tool for influencing…health and well-being.”
Brain Effects – Quartzy article. Podcast – Journal of Neurophysiology
Tetany, hands/muscle cramping during breathwork – Jon Paul
Breathing Exercises + the Vagus Nerve – Christopher Bergland, endurance athlete
PRACTICE: Local group – New Orleans – contact Kate Becker
PRACTICE: Barbara Carrellas – Breathe Orgasm
PRACTICE: 20 connected breathes – Ashton Aiden
PRACTICE: 3 quick exercises to try – Aninia Schwan

THE PHYSIO-EMOTIONAL IMPORTANCE OF PLAY-IMPROVISATION-EXPLORATION
The Playful Advantage – Leisure Sciences: An Interdisciplinary Journal
Why It’s Good Grown-Ups Play – The Washington Post
5 Ways to Bring Play – The Mayo Clinic
Dharma article – “As children we have an inner drive to learn….Yet at the same time children just play, freely explore pathless territory.”
PRACTICE: Walking Mountians Teddy Bear Style
PRACTICE: Play with whatever is around you.
PRACTICE: How to explore – Explore movement from an exercise you already do.
PRACTICE: Play with locomotion – with 20+ examples
PRACTICE: Go outside and look for a kid on the street, in a park. Try doing whatever they are doing.

MOVE THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Small breaks for moving spread throughout the day can have incredible benefits.
Effect of frequent interruptions of prolonged sitting – Intl. Journal of Behavioral Nutrition + Physical
Try This Sit/Stand Routine… – Especially for OFFICE WORKING – Medical Daily
Brief Diversions Improve Focus – Science Daily *** “Why Sitting is Bad for You – TedED
Science Says…Go for a Walk – Mother Jones
PRACTICE: Wiggle Improvisation – find a bathroom or anywhere you can  – 5 minute
PRACTICE: 2 min – for office work
PRACTICE: Stretching in an office
PRACTICE: Super cool article and wonderful video about squats!

ON FINDING A TEACHER/PRACTITIONER/HEALER
Their embodiement – Dr Tamara Russell, neuroscientist, psychologist
On Experts – erin christine bell
How Change Happens in Therapy – Serge Prengel

ABOUT STRETCHING
Whether Static, Dynamic, Active or Passive streching, remember to stay aware of sensations throughout any type of stretching.
Different types of stretching for different activities – Human Kinetics UK.
Dynamic vs. Static Stretching – With specific examples for pre/post running – Nathan Koch PT, ATC
PRACTICE: curious sensation exploring, shoulder focus.
PRACTICE: curious sensation exploring, knee-hip focus.
PRACTICE: dynamic stretching routine 5 min.

ON PAYING ATTENTION TO SENSATION / CONSCIOUS PRACTICE / MINDFULNESS
Secular Mindfulness – Psychologist, Martial Artist, Neuroscientist Dr Tamara Russell
Study of Monks able to significantly change their body temperature through meditative practice – Harvard Gazette

But, even with all the links above, I still don’t understand, WHAT DOES “MINDFUL” WORK DO?
Well, a lot of things. Differently so, in different people. There are many studies which show clear body changes after various forms of mindful practice. My way to summarize the group of scientists who advocate mindful work is to say: they speculate that doing various forms of mindful practice seems to bring forth connectivity patterns between various brain regions, nervous system branches, and other body parts (remember, a brain is just ONE part of our entire body!). Such physically observable changes are often associated with reports that people “feel good/better” while or after various mindful practice.
These findings suggest that yoga and meditation practitioners have stronger functional connectivity within basal ganglia cortico-thalamic feedback loops than non-practitioners… this greater connectivity might be related to the often reported effects of meditation and yoga on behavioral flexibility, mental health, and well-being.”

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Try other prompts here. To talk with others about this, share some part of your experience, or what-have-you: Sensing Form Forum.
 CLASS NOTES –  MATERIAL

 

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[This page is currently under construction. From here and below, tred at your own risk.]

https://gmb.io/injury-healing/

when stuck in depression or other sluggishness.  PRACTICEFeeling Sluggish/Resistance – Energy Raising Somatic Improvisation – 20 min

depression and the microbiome – https://neurosciencenews.com/depression-gut-bacteria-10685/?fbclid=IwAR1XWqblVuMpDvlZ7Sc_9AmK1zLt_cF2XNEXHwaidT4slwwtoruhn3j5q8U

epigenetics article – https://bscb.org/learning-resources/softcell-e-learning/epigenetics-its-not-just-genes-that-make-us/

subjective-objective reality – on the nature of reality from physicists’ viewpoint –
mind and life 2013 – Arthur Zajonc  –  https://youtu.be/n984nd55BqQ
quanta magazine – QBism – https://www.quantamagazine.org/quantum-bayesianism-explained-by-its-founder-20150604/

 

 

dance – https://www.awakeningfromalzheimers.com/best-way-to-improve-your-brains-circuitry-and-memory/https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-05-dancer-brains-brain-frequencies-linked.htmlhttp://neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/dancing-and-brain

 

meditation and HRV – https://www.diygenius.com/meditation-and-heart-rate-variability-training/

complex trauma task force guide for practitioners – http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/ISTSS_Complex_Trauma_Treatment_Guidelines_2012_Cloitre,Courtois,Ford,Green,Alexander,Briere,Herman,Lanius,Stolbach,Spinazzola,van%20der%20Kolk,van%20der%20Hart.pdf

SMALL AMOUNTS OF “GOOD STRESS”
Stress variations and physiological effects – Dr Sapolsky interview

Various ways of considering mindfulness (proprioception, interoception, sensation noticing, porges body perception questionaire.)

150 MINUTES OF MODERATE EXERCISE PER WEEK or HIT ROUTINES
HIT documentary with exercise research – 20 min ABC Science Australia

http://www.new-synapse.com/aps/wordpress/?p=1842 – titration

https://sarahrossphd.com/resourcing-pendulation-titration-practices-somatic-experiencing/ – pendulation, titration…

GUT – Enteric Nervous System – Johns Hopkins

tons of incredible info, ecological perspective on being a human – relating to stress, social support … dr sapolsky

the triune brain is a theory of brain evolution. current studies say its an incorrect theory. we do have older and newer parts of our brain. – neuroscientist daniel toker

Mitochondria: the energy converters: Mitochondria, using oxygen available within the cell convert chemical energy from food in the cell to energy in a form usable to the host cell.”

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/everest/exposure/body.html

Daily Life check-PRACTICE:
Are you getting your heart rate up/moving actively for about 30 minutes almost everyday?
Are you physically touching/being touched by other humans, creatures, nature (dirt, rain, trees…)?
Do you spend time noticing, how does your chest feel? Your belly?
How does the heart rate of the person, creature, plant next to you seem?

NEEDING TV TO RELAX/FALL ASLEEP –

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/3daqaj/is-watching-tv-actually-a-good-way-to-rest-your-brain
https://www.bupa.co.uk/newsroom/ourviews/40-fun-alternatives-to-watching-tv
https://psychcentral.com/blog/20-ways-to-relax-unwind/

ultrasound as medical practice – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0OzuLlV3FQ

and more via DARPA https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2015-10-05

Frequently Asked Questions


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivering
http://sethlyon.com/no-exercise-heals-trauma/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/beautiful-grief/201108/heal-the-trauma-then-the-grief

gut-brain – https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/09/your-gut-directly-connected-your-brain-newly-discovered-neuron-circuit?fbclid=IwAR0snXZUuEsDtURNtTT4bnE_sV4f7BC1euQufDv3C8nImiJOY1NUg63grfI

hormones/internal chemicals and exercise
https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/professional/expert-articles/5593/exercise-and-hormones-8-hormones-involved-in-exercise

Fighting Monkey – on theory and practice.

variation in experience – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnylM1hI2jc&fbclid=IwAR0AQVUYnxcj-ufEa8jA__tEs-lZeYBD6GedFg_lHb5Koop9p5p0CBv30Ks

vo2/mitochondria info
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/vo2-max

How VO2 Max Training Makes You a Faster Cyclist — The Science Behind It

science experiments and plants – https://bioneers.org/natures-intelligence-interviewing-the-vegetable-mind-robin-kimmerer-and-monica-gagliano/?mc_cid=78b13bfed8&mc_eid=2a70841f5e

agency/sickness – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6IL8WVyMMs
https://journals.lww.com/md-journal/subjects/Complementary%20and%20Alternative%20Medicine/Fulltext/2018/05250/Exploring_synergistic_effects_of_aerobic_exercise.14.aspx
https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/exercise-increases-productivity/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/depression/in-depth/depression-and-exercise/art-20046495
https://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/exercise-depression#1

The Mental Health Benefits of Exercise


https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061101151005.htm
neuroscience “brain changing effects of exercise
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00086/full
https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20061103/exercise-fights-fatigue-boosts-energy
whole body overview of exercise.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/exercising-to-relax

 

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/08/170825124902.htm
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00059/full

electricity and the body: http://www.graduate.umaryland.edu/gsa/gazette/February-2016/How-the-human-body-uses-electricity/

How fast-slow various parts of our bodies change:
3 min video – Your Body’s Real Age
https://io9.gizmodo.com/scientists-discover-parts-of-our-bodies-age-at-differen-1449085569

How Old Are The Cells in Different Parts of Our Bodies?


https://www.quora.com/How-old-are-the-atoms-in-my-body

vagus nerve – https://www.arcvic.org.au/34-resources/402-vagus-nerve-exercises
vagus nervew – https://upliftconnect.com/12-ways-unlock-powers-vagus-nerve/
Effects of sitting meditation and/or mindfulness practice – effects of meditation:

WHY WE NEED MORE THAN TALK THERAPY
* “To Heal Trauma, Work with the Body” – Jennifer Sweeton Psy.D

Click to access MindfulnessWell-Being.pdf

Click to access MechanismsofMindfulnessLR.pdf

https://bigthink.com/videos/daniel-goleman-superhumans-the-remarkable-brain-waves-of-high-level-meditators
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/

 

PROCRASTINATION
https://bigthink.com/evan-fleischer/procrastinators-brains-are-different-than-those-who-get-things-done
https://thebestiarybell.wordpress.com/2015/09/26/yeah-yeah-yeah-i-know-its-good-for-me-but/

 

seeing the forest for the trees – https://hbr.org/2014/08/schedule-a-15-minute-break-before-you-burn-out

on cognitive heavy work hours – the need for breaks:

https://open.buffer.com/science-taking-breaks-at-work/

https://www.bustle.com/p/5-reasons-to-take-a-break-while-youre-working-according-to-science-8530003

TRE video (great tho it is without science evidence) – https://vimeo.com/282828088?fbclid=IwAR0ns6EJoHRuF-I7Af_z6dB4UtfrjAqSvtBEXdu9t2ediw8KaczrRXS9e1s

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnagi.2017.00059/full – dance for general health

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100416144617.htm – dance for seniors

need/positive effects of being in nature: https://www.businessinsider.de/why-spending-more-time-outside-is-healthy-2017-7?r=US&IR=T

Are you occasionally asking yourself, how does this person next to me seem?
Do you feel necessary to others? – https://theconversation.com/heres-a-mental-health-workout-thats-as-simple-as-abc-98124

* Physiological Effects of Slow Breathing – US National Library of Medicine
sapolsky – stress, trauma, brains.

We are organisms. Our cells and systems are continuously in conversations within us, with other people and the environment. We are wonderously complex – and continuously effecting one another.  Neuroscientist Francisco Varela notes, “it is a deep co-implication, a co-determination of what seems to be outside and what seems to be inside. In other words, the world out there and what I do to find myself in that world, cannot be seperated. The process itself makes them completely interdependent …”

chemical and electrical synaptic connections – https://cbm.msoe.edu/markMyweb/ddtyResources/documents/synapseTypes.pdf AND https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3708

Click to access synapseTypes.pdf

 

 

* First meeting/Consultation – sliding scale $20 – $60 – 1 hour.
Here we do not dive into practice. Rather, this is a time to ask all the questions you have about my work, feel how it is to be with me, tell me about your situation. If you are interested but not quite ready to start a session, this might be a more gentle step. Here is a guide to the sliding scale:
$20 – $35 – you are struggling to make ends meet. **
$35 – $45 – you have a steady income, stable housing, a small entertainment/sport budget.
$45 – $60+ – you are a homeowner; you take vacations.

*Session Rate for One-on-One – sliding scale $40 – $70 – 1.5 hours
People usually find it most helpful to set up a weekly meeting when trying to establish new habits, learn new skills, navigate difficult pasts. That said, you are welcome to arrange sessions as it fits with your life. Here is a guide to the sliding scale:
$40 – $45 you are struggling to make ends meet. **
$45 – $60 you have a steady income, stable housing, a small entertainment/sport budget.
$60 – $70+ you are a homeowner; you take vacations.

* Session Rate for Couples/2 people
– sliding scale $70 – $130+ – 1.5 hours
$70 – $90 – you are struggling to make ends meet. **
$90 – $110 – you have a steady income, stable housing, a small entertainment/sport budget.
$110 – $130+ – you are a homeowner; you take vacations.

* CANCELLATIONS
I do not request a deposit but I ask that you agree to pay a cancellation fee of $20 if less than 48 hours notice is given.

** If you cannot afford these rates, please consider what works for your budget and let me know. There is a possibility that an advertising related trade is possible. In any case, I will do my best to find a solution with you.