Embodied Mindfulness for Self-Regulation
This unique mindfulness style provides an individual with a variety of embodied self-regulation skills and trauma-sensitive interventions for resolving the stress and trauma-induced programming that creates or perpetuates most chronic emotional or physical symptoms. This practice is particularly well suited to the sensitivity and needs of the highly sensitive person.
This mindfulness practice supports balancing the autonomic nervous system (ANS) that’s responsible for our physical and emotional health. A balanced ANS has a profoundly positive influence on gene expression and biochemistry, and ultimately on one’s overall health and well-being.
This mindfulness program is a collection of breathing and interoceptive self-regulation skills that can be learned with practice and individual support. Some of the skills can be applied in minutes, while other attention skills are more refined and require practice over time.
Steve has validated this embodied self-regulation approach with thousands of hours of heart rate variability studies and positive patient outcomes.
Components of the Embodied Mindfulness Self-Regulation Program
HeartMath science and techniques come from the Institute of HearthMath and their pioneering research in the field of Neurocardiology. Their research shows that the human heart is an organ of perception that has a profound influence on brain function and subsequently on our health and well-being. The image below shows how a change in heart felt feelings influences the autonomic nervous system (ANS) …. that is in charge of our organ function …. and ultimately of our overall health and well-being. This science demonstrates that with practice we can change our brain and our health.
Coherent Breath Training draws from a wide variety of science-backed breathing methods. Breathing exercises can be used to balance the autonomic nervous system, normalize oxygen, nitric oxide, and carbon dioxide levels, and to resolve many of the biochemical, neurological, and emotional causes of illness. While Coherent Breathing supports overall balance of the autonomic nervous system, other techniques will be used as well to support the specific needs of each individual.
Somatic Focusing serves as the foundation of this therapeutic program. It’s comprised of a set of inner attention skills that patients learn to do for themselves. It is a body or somatically oriented process of attuning to the nuanced subtleties of inner, bodily felt sensation, emotional experience, and the breath. The value of this more right brain attention style is that it activates the self-regulating capacities of the psyche, brain, and body to reduce anxiety, chronic muscle tension, and pain.
Somatic Focusing, which is Steve’s unique style of the Focusing process which he’s developed over the past thirty-five years, can be used to enhance both emotional and physical healing, as well as supporting the creative process. The process assists in balancing left and right brain activity, creating more synchronous brain waves, enhancing heart-brain coherence, and in creating order in the autonomic nervous system.
The original Focusing process was discovered by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in the
Steve’s experience is that these Focusing skills are more easily learned by the Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).
The Highly Sensitive Person (HSP) trait as researched originally by Elaine Aron, Ph.D. and then others offers important insight into the functioning of an often misunderstood and maligned fragment of our population. This insight helps HSPs turn their neurological sensitivity into an asset for healing themselves and others.
Bioenergetic Grounding is an embodiment practice that uses gentle exercises to release stress and trauma-induced tension to restore the free flow of natural vitality and emotional energy in the body. This form of embodied grounding supports a return from the head to the experience of present moment awareness and safety in the body.
Open Focus is the brainchild of neurofeedback pioneer Les Fehmi, Ph.D. Dr. Fehmi discovered that the stress response led to an attention style that created disharmonious brainwave patterns. In turn, these aberrant patterns serve as the underpinnings of the mental, emotional, and physical symptoms that we commonly experience as stress-induced. Most importantly, he devised simple brain exercises to reprogram the brain and relieve much pain, anxiety, and other stress-related symptoms.
Polyvagal Theory is the work of Stephen Porges, Ph.D. Polyvagal Theory gives us a clear understanding of how stress results in illness and most importantly what we can do to heal ourselves. This theory of brain, nervous system and bodily functioning reveals that a viable path to system-wide healing should begin with the brain and vagus nerve, rather than with a focus on symptoms.
Internal Family Systems was developed by Richard Schwartz, PhD. This approach shows that we’re all composed of multiple sub-personalities or parts that we routinely misidentify as ‘our’ negative feelings, attitudes, or behaviors for which we judge ‘ourselves’ harshly. As we learn to acknowledge, welcome, and love our parts their behavior changes for the better and we become freer to be our true self.
Epigenetics is the new science that validates how lifestyle … especially what we think, believe, feel and eat … drives the expression of the genes that ultimately determines our health and well-being.
Interpersonal Neurobiology is the work of Dan Siegel, M.D. Interpersonal Neurobiology helps us to understand how a change in attention styles transforms our body, mind, and spirit.
John Sarno, M.D. pioneered the discovery of MindBody Syndromes, specifically Tension Myo-neural Syndrome (TMS), has shed enormous light on the role that stress and hidden emotions play in the creation of chronic pain and illness. Dr. Sarno’s insights contribute to the theoretical foundations of this program.
Somatic Experiencing is the work of Peter Levine, Ph.D. who is a leader in the field of body oriented trauma therapy. His work teaches us how to safely experience and integrate the difficult feelings and internal states that if left unattended continue to perpetuate traumatic responses.
Centering Prayer is a silent form of prayer based on Christian contemplative practices and writings. Father Thomas Keating of Spencer, Massachusetts was a Christian monk who introduced Centering Prayer to the public in the 1970’s.
Expressing Writing and journaling practices are taught that support the resolution of the suppressed emotional energy that often underlies chronic pain and the symptoms of chronic illness.
Havening is the work of Ronald Ruden, M.D. Havening research provides a detailed understanding of how gentle, self-applied touch helps with restoring more balanced brain chemistry and with the resolution of emotional trauma.
Movement, Postures, Trigger Point therapy, and Stretching can be performed at home to reduce local muscle trigger points and to enhance autonomic nervous system balance. These procedures, which are chosen based on the specific needs of the individual, will have the net effect of reducing tension, pain, and anxiety.
The Stanford University Wise – Anderson Protocol for Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome is a
Positive Psychology is an emerging field that offers the tools and supportive science for how to change the physical structure of the brain (neuroplasticity) to enhance our health and happiness.
Energy Psychology is a combination of awareness based processes and acupuncture point stimulation that Steve has successfully integrated and tested over his thirty five years in practice. The therapeutic cornerstones of the process are Acupoint stimulation, Somatic Focusing, and HeartMath science.
Energy Psychology involves the mind (focused awareness) and the body (acupuncture point stimulation with laser, touch, or tapping) to effectively and often rapidly support healing a variety of mental, emotional, and physical issues. An article that provides a comprehensive overview and collection of research on Energy Psychology, or EFT Tapping, can be found here.
Meridian Tapping (also known as EFT and TFT) is a form of Energy Psychology and a highly researched approach to treating stress and trauma-related issues. Steve was introduced to tapping in the early eighties shortly after the process was created by Roger Callahan, PhD. He’s used this process as a staple technique in his clinic for over 30 years. Over the last few decades the process has been refined and popularized under a variety of names.
Steve Templin has validated this embodied self-regulation program through thousands of hours of heart rate variability assessments and positive patient outcomes.
“Your physically felt body is, in fact, part of a gigantic system of here and other places, now and other times,
you and other people, in fact, the whole universe. This sense of being bodily alive
in a vast system is the body as it is felt from inside.”
Eugene T. Gendlin, Ph.D. Author of Focusing
To contact Steve Templin call 863-838-2779 or email him at steve@stevetemplin.com