RESOURCES FOR INDIVIDUALS
There are many meditations and guided imagery resources available online. The following were chosen because I find Daniel Siegel’s science based approach a good fit for me. Feel free to search for alternatives if the following don’t suit you.
A simple five minute breath awareness exercise is sometimes all we need to get centered and in to a place of openness and flexibility. Brain wise it helps us bring online our middle pre frontal cortex where we are able to be less reactive (increase our ability to pause), to be calm, flexible, empathetic, compassionate and make wise/thoughtful decisions. [Learn more.]
Daniel Siegel developed this meditation out of science based understanding that as we focus attention (increase awareness) on each of the ways which the neural networks send and received information, we exercise the part of our brain responsible for Body Regulation, Attunement, Emotional Balance, Response Flexibility, Empathy, Self-knowing, Awareness, Fear Extinction, Intuition and Morality. As we practice awareness through this meditation we develop the middle prefrontal cortex so that it is more likely we can keep it online when our environment becomes more stress inducing. [Learn more.]
Daniel Siegel developed this Healthy Life Platter from research identifying what the mind needs for healthy development. It is good for us to be reminded of healthy choices available for brain growth and practical ways that we can invest towards balance. This is a great resource to print out and hang somewhere to be a reminder of the importance of investing in your personal health. [Learn more.]
This is a inventory that I use often in therapy to increase self-awareness and help move individuals to a place of empowerment. The way I use this Inventory is as follows.
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Quickly scan through all the needs listed and place a mark next to any that stand out as particularly relevant (or lacking) in your life currently.
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Go back through all the needs you identified and choose the top three as defined by the highest priorities currently.
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Write each of these three needs on a separate piece of paper followed by
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A detailed memory of a time in your life when that need was being met.
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And a vision of what it would look like if that need was being met now. Be specific!
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Now choose one of the three needs listed that you have the most power to change this week. Write down a detailed description of what you are going to do to achieve the goal of meeting this need. It is important to understand that this exercise is NOT about how to get others to meet our needs. You don’t have any power over others so the focus needs to be on how you can focus on what you DO have power over and how you can get your needs met. [Learn more.]