Methods

Cross pattern movements are those that activate both sides of the body and cross the midline, thus also activating both sides of the brain, promoting healthy communication between its different parts. It may also include further top-bottom and front-back movements allowing for whole brain integration. This technique readies a person for learning.

Light holding of the frontal eminence – the slight bony protuberance on the forehead directly above the eyes and below the hairline. By redirecting the blood towards the pre-frontal cortex and away from survival mode (amygdala), this helps take the "edge" off the events being called to mind and process the emotions with the thinking brain (Think of how naturally we put our hand on our forehead when under stress).

Holding of the thumb and third (ring) fingers together. The remaining two fingers (index and middle) are then placed on the forehead at the Emotional Stress Release points described above. Similar to the way meridians channel energy throughout the body and end in the fingers, this "Finger Mode" directs energy through the body and brain to facilitate deep neural activation.

Rotating the eyes in a complete circle, first one direction and then the opposite direction. The eyes may circle more than once in each direction, the key being to notice where there may be any difficulty in movement. Lingering in the area of difficulty until it eases creates a smooth flow. This technique is derived from Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The rotating of the eyes accesses the pathways to stored memories and memory patterns that can be released and replaced.

This is where the listening skill of the trained PRT Practitioner plays a crucial role in release of the stored trauma. Negative perceptions are identified, and statements are then uniquely created to undo previously held beliefs. Since the word “feel” denotes experience, these statements or affirmations are made with the words “I no longer feel” or “I feel” preceding the perceptions that have been formulated. The felt sense of the experience resonates within the Limbic brain as though it were a reality. This is where the major shifts occur. And since we usually trust the sound of our own voice, saying the words out loud helps to access the unconscious mind faster than merely thinking them silently to ourselves.

Focusing on a new outcome based upon the positive affirmations allows the mind to supplant the old memories and to experience the benefits of new possibilities.

To give the mind enough time to permanently lodge the new perceptions, it is most

effective to process the affirmations for at least 21 days. Just as it takes time and conscious effort to create a new habit (usually about 3-4 weeks), it will take conscious repetition and work before these new patterns are fully processed and become our new natural.

This technique created and described by Eugene T. Gendlin involves several steps that teach you to listen to what your body is telling you. Through focused attention on sensations within the body and learning to find the "felt sense" of a situation or problem, focusing allows us to define, process and ultimately shift emotions that are present within our bodies, to experience release and therefore change. When our "felt sense" of a situation shifts, we shift and our life begins to shift.

Several deep breathing techniques can be utilized to alleviate stress, but more importantly, to regulate the nervous system and reconnect the prefrontal cortex to the limbic brain, allowing our center of thought and choice to work in harmony with our emotional center.

Mindfulness. Awareness. Presence.
You may have heard these terms and their power to induce change.

A first step to developing these skills is being aware of our bodies and learning to use language to describe what we feel. The Body Scan is a simple exercise to discover the language of our bodies and a powerful tool in facilitating full-brain integration.

The "Wheel of Awareness" is a metaphor created by Dr. Daniel J. Siegel. Imagining our core self as the hub and our sensory and emotional experiences as different parts of the rim, we learn to distance ourselves from our experiences and accept them in an open, non-judgmental way. This simple exercise actually changes the structure of the brain and strengthens parts of the brain essential to whole brain integration.