We pre-wrote this letter to land today because right now, right this very minute we are drinking fresh-squeezed juice and swirling our footsies in the oceanwater pool at Pura Vida.
It's day 3 of our NeuroMagnetic Besties Retreat in Yelapa Mexico and today we're coaxing our nervous systems to allow our wildest dreams to unfold instead of working against them.
Why in the world would one's nervous system fight against getting the good things in life?
Well let's check it out.
What do you want?
Go ahead, shout it out to the screen.
More cash?
More time?
More fun?
Big love?
Deeper intimacy?
A promotion?
To write a book?
What do you want?
(Literally say it out loud.)
Now here's why you don't already have it —
your two amygdala have determined that this thing could be threatening to you in some way.
What?! Whyyyyyy?
How could more cash be a problem?
Why would more time be a bad thing?
Don't ask us! Ask you!
You could play Worst-Case Scenario...
What bad outcomes might arise if you get what you want?
Here's an example:
If I have more cash, the worst case scenario is that...
I'll spend it
And worst case for that is...
I'll buy stuff I don't need
And worst case for that is...
I'll have to deal with all this extra stuff
And worst case for that is...
I won't deal with it
And worst case for that is...
My house will look like a hoarder's
And worst case for that is...
I will be embarrassed to have anyone over
And worst case for that is...
I'll stop having people over
And worst case for that is...
I'll be alone a lot
And worst case for that is...
My mental health will decline
And worst case for that is...
I won't be able to work as much
And worst case for that is...
I'll lose my job
And worst case for that is...
Then I can't pay for my expenses
And worst case for that is...
I lose my house
And worst case for that is...
I have no friends because I stopped having them over, so I'll just be out on the street alone
It might take you a few painful minutes to play this "fun game", but your amygdala clocked it in a millisecond:
more cash = potential misery
But of course that's not actually true. More cash could be fantastic! But just to stay on the safe side, your nervous system will go ahead and send you into Survival Mode any time the subject comes up. That way nothing bad will happen to you...
And Survival Mode is only good at keeping us alive, not at helping us get what we want!
That's why today on our gorgeous retreat we're re-training our brains to untoggle our dreams from Survival Mode.
And we thought you might like to join us with an easy next step.
Ready?
Step 1: Go ahead and claim your desire one more time out loud.
(It's okay if your heart rate goes up or your armpits get sweaty)
Step 2: Now "talk" to your amygdala.
Amygdalae don't speak in words – so stop talking to them!
Instead use your senses. If you can use all 5 senses to describe your current world, your amygdala will chill out and stop sounding the alarm.
Name (out loud) 5 things you can see that are orange
Name 4 things you can touch that are fuzzy
Name 3 things you can hear that are lovely
Name 2 things you can smell that are sweet
Name 1 thing you can taste that is yummy
If necessary, repeat.
Step 3: Enjoy the de-activation.
Congratulations!
You took the first step to retrain your brain to stop fighting against what you want!
We can retrain our brains for anything with a little support!
Keep practicing engaging your five senses every time you think of the thing you want, and we'll check in with you to see how it's going when we get back!
Sending you power and presence from Yelapa!
ps. Want to go on retreat from the comfort of your own home? Email us at love@centerforemotionaleducation.com and we'll put you on the waitlist for our deluxe home retreat package – it includes everything but Mexico!