What Makes Your Balance Unique? 

Without the awareness and skills to identify and process our beliefs and emotions, we inevitably end up reacting to stress, even small stressors, with maladaptive protective strategies. Understanding more about how the nervous system works and the ways we automatically respond to stress is empowering and incredibly useful.

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MALADAPTIVE PROTECTION STRATEGIES/STRESS REACTIONS

Stress Reaction Types, the 4F's (fight, flight, freeze and fawn) are primal defense mechanisms that help us survive. If we encounter a threat, like a snake, we are triggered within 100 milliseconds with the instinctive urge to 'flight' (run).​

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TODAY'S STRESS AND OUR SENSE OF SELF-WORTH
Nowadays, our daily 'threats' are less about snakes and more about our feelings surrounding our own sense of confidence and worthiness including a sense of belonging and value with loved ones, and a sense of purpose and worthiness (self-worth) overall. Imposter syndrome and relationship distress and self-berating are examples of these stressors. ​

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ADVERSE EXPERIENCES

• Variances in childhood experiences, birth order, our unique personalities and Adverse Experiences also impact the way we develop the 4F's. 

• The more stress or 'adverse experiences' we go through in childhood and adulthood (such as failures, heartbreak, abuse, sickness, loss, confusion, bullying and other forms of complex trauma, childhood emotional neglect, depression and diagnosis like AD(H)D) the more we had to 'adapt.'

• Nowadays adverse experiences are more related to imposter syndrome, feeling 'not good enough' or like an outsider because we no longer live in villages or small communities where we feel known and valued.

• Instead, our value can feel 'watered down' with millions of others.

OVER-RELIANCE ON ADAPTATIONS

• We learn a lot from adapting to adverse experiences, yet it can result in over-reliance on one or more of the 4F's (as automatic reactions).

• In our daily lives and relationships, we can get triggered (nervous system activation) and end up subconsciously over-reacting with over-developed and maladaptive stress-reaction types.

  and  It's not about what happened to you in the past, or what should've or shouldn't have happened... it's about how you had to deal with and adapt to these adverse experiences that may have impacted you in a way that is still impacting you today... as you may be stuck in maladaptive beliefs that you may not even be aware of and maladaptive protecting and getting behaviors that are cuasing havoc in some or all aspects of your life. These may very well continue to cause havoc on your future, unless you gain awareness and guidance (Wise Mind) over them in each moment.  

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As you gain more self-awareness through learning and sessions, you identify core beliefs, thought patterns, behaviors and maladaptive protective strategies that are impacting your relationship with yourself and others, your ability to self-soothe and be kind to yourself. and even your ability to accomplish goals. All-or-nothing thinking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, looping thoughts are all examples of beliefs and patterns that are out of balance, and cause havok on all aspects of life. With awareness however, you gain the ability to have Wise Mind and thus self-leadership over these thought so you may balance them out so they are more realistic.  and Your Balance Psychology Center provides DBT skills training which involves is often done in groups and is accompanied by individual treatment and coaching from a therapist.  In a clinical setting learning all the skills typically takes six months. DBT is premised on the idea that many problems are based on a skill deficit, and that by giving clients better skills they can live a happier and more productive life. socializing, work, rest, and leisure

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When you’re not balanced physically, you fall. The same goes for life. When life’s not balanced, something will take a tumble.

Perhaps your relationships will suffer, you’ll burn out mentally, you’ll fall behind in your work, or you’ll just lose any and all enjoyment of life itself.

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With mindfulness (Wise Mind) you are able to connect with your thoughts with curiousity so you may navigate all-or-nothing beliefs, limiting beliefs, inner critical thoughts, and assumptions that can cause havoc on all aspects of your life. With Wise Mind and emotional regulation skills you learn and master 'emotional intelligence' so you can access your feelings and emotions. Emotion is information and provide you with your genuine wants, desires, needs, limits (boundary needs), along with your personal values, connection needs in terms of how you want to be seen and valued by others, and your overall sense of purpose and aspirations.

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Your strengths

Your triggers

Your sensitivities

Your defenses and automatic reactions

What drives your behavior

Why you feel bad about yourself

Your underlying emotional pain

How you compensate for that

Your inner critics and conflicts

Core beliefs

Maladaptive protective and getting strategies