Status Updates From How to Do the Work: Recogni...

Signs that Lauren is having a hard year include the fact that the only books she can finish are self help books with a side of hippie dippie hoohaw.

Give your inner child the gift of acknowledging its wounds… Your inability to change, the ‘stuckness’ that we discussed. Your inability to move forward or make change isn’t about you, it’s an extension of the conditioned patterns and core beliefs you developed in your childhood.

Placing hope onto external figure. The wounded inner child carries these compulsions into adulthood. We carry this powerlessness, hoping that others will change our circumstances and make us happy, externalising quick fixes and daydreaming of alternate realities. We seek approval from others so that we will feel good about ourselves.

Oh, the inner child chapter is killing me… our romantic partners or those very close to us tend to activate our inner child wounds at the most intense levels.

What are those? The consistently unmet emotional, physical, and spiritual needs from our childhood expressed through our subconscious that continue to impact our present self.

When we emotionally react, we are doing it from that wounded place.

‘Survival brain’ is hyper focused on perceived threats; sees the world in black and white, and is often obsessive, panic driven, and prone to circular reasoning.

I feel like every paragraph I’m underlining something or stopping to think about it. I haven’t been able to focus on a book lately but I’m finally getting into this and it’s chef’s kiss 🤌🏼

"To truly actualize change, you have in engage in the work of making new choices every day. ....you must being by being an active daily participant in your own healing."

Personally agree with some of her perspective so far, but certainly some problematic views that should definitely not be applied to the masses along the spectrum of mental health. I left off only at 28% but so far, while I personally appreciate the emphasis on self empowerment and not playing the victim, I think the self healing aspect could be very damaging to someone who should be seeking a professional.

Amazing read

Trauma occurred when we consistently betrayed ourselves for love, were consistently treated in a way that made us feel unworthy or unacceptable resulting in a severed connection to our authentic self. Trauma creates the fundamental belief that we must betray who we are in order to survive.

I'm not usually one for self-help books; in the past when I've tried to read a few they always felt a bit preachy, or unrealistic, or just not applicable to what I'm looking for. This one caught my eye because it seems to focus on a more personalized approach to change so I hope it lives up to the hype

Really good insights on why we do / think the way we do. Author is a psychologist and explains in terms easily understood by non-clinicians.

Chapter 7

Good book, lots of great info. I’m usually cautious about “self help gurus” but I feel like there’s a lot you can take that will work for you, and leave what you don’t think applies or doesn’t fit with your personal views.

Ch. 8 ego stories: emotional addiction and ego threats/death. Tie to Kiely’s racism as addiction and the egocentrism of GAA, Crank, and Heroin

❤️

Ch 4 offers strong points about outrage/anger/disturbances as addictive as well (“emotional addiction”), making connections to the anger and division marking 2016-2022 interpersonal social interactions

Ch 4 great for discussing fight/flight/freeze and psychosocial reactions to stress and trauma

Lots of lessons on how things stick with us and shape our perceptions of the world for years. Heavy read, but incredibly impactful

Heavy

In addition to consuming nutrient-dense foods that make you feel your best, adding fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, and kimchi, to your diet can also be helpful, as they are rich in naturally occurring probiotics.

The quickest way to improve your gut health - is to eat whole, nutrient dense food. The direct line between the gut and the brain makes each meal an opportunity for healing and nourishment.

Even though our nervous system reactions are automatic, there are ways to improve your bagel tone, manage your trauma-conditioned responses to stress, and return more quickly to the open, loving, safe space of social engagement mode.

The beginning of the book has introduced me to methods on how to work on your consciousness and how to start the journey of self-work.

OPE! She just mentioned Gabor Mate’s work! (And ancestors!) Add absolutely to drugs work.

Ch 1 GREAT for discussing indigenous/holistic healing and culture, holistic models of health vs diagnosis models of health, interdisciplinary criticality, and the Cartesian split.


Great for both drugs class and teaching Firekeeper’s Daughter.

…….

When we feel safe, it is reflected in our eyes, our voice, and our body language. We are fully present, and there is a lightness and ease in our manner. This sense of safety is passed onto others in a process called co-regulation.

Nervous system dysregulation is self-confirming. While it is activated, anything that doesn’t confirm your suspicions (a friendly face) will be ignored by your neuroception in favour of things that do (stray laugh when you felt was directed at you).

Really liking this. It’s about to expire (library nook)…so I’ll have to wait for it again to finish.