Understanding how our brains and bodies work together to regulate our moods is complicated. It’s hard to know why we escalate and why our bodies respond the way they do. What’s even more difficult is to understand when to implement feelings regulation strategies or finding different strategies that will work. What it comes down to is understanding our anxiety and feelings escalation, the brain’s fight or flight response, perceived/real threats, and feelings regulation strategies.
Talking about our feelings escalation and coping skills can be extremely sensitive. When we role play and improvise different parts of our brain, we are able to distance ourselves enough to discover what our brain functions do and how they escalate. Deeper in, we are able to implement difficult scenarios and have those who are characterizing the brain parts to work through problems with the use of top down and bottom up emotion regulation strategies.
We have a series that includes google slide visuals for group use. Much of it can be utilized on a zoom platform, but all of it can be utilized in person. The series includes the following:
The Improvising with the Autonomic Nervous System Series includes visuals, role plays, improv games, meditations, process questions, and activities to reflect teachings about Fight or Flight and it’s relation between the brain and body.
Session One: The Amygdala (Feelings Center)
Session Two: The Hippocampus…..and Amygdala
Session Three: The Senses
Session Five: The Frontal Lobe