Thoughts>words>actions.ROPES.Session two

ROPES Academy is currently being taught to inmates in two jails in Utah.

This is the second session in a series of ten.

ROPES was created to help participants view conflict and life from a different perspective and enhance engagement skills.

This course includes skill-based training and focuses on finding solutions to conflict-entrenched thinking processes.

THOUGHTS, WORDS, ACTIONS

THOUGHTS STIMULATE EMOTIONS WHICH THEN RESULT IN ATTITUDES AND FINALLY PRODUCE

BEHAVIOR.

Therefore, toxic thoughts > toxic emotions > toxic words > toxic

attitudes> toxic behavior.

What’s in a thought When you think, chemicals course

through your body in a complex electrochemical feedback loop.

Works Cited

Leaf, C. D. (2008). Who Switched Off My Brain? Dallas: Switch on Your Brain USA Inc.

At any one moment, your brain is performing about 400 billion actions, of which you are only conscious of around 2,000.

WHAT’S IN A THOUGHT Certain thoughts and goals make us feel good by creating

feel-good chemicals in our body

However, after an initial surge the feel-good chemicals dissipate

It’s often during these “down” times that we will behave in ways that will bring the surge of good-feeling chemicals back. Sometimes these behaviors that started as a good thing can become a bad thing with serious consequences.

Can you think of any?

Works Cited Graziono Breuning, Loretta, PhD. Meet Your Happy Chemicals. System Integrity Press , 2012

WHAT’S IN A THOUGHT

FOUR HAPPY CHEMICALS

2012 L. Breuning

Dopamine The joy of finding what you seek

Endorphin The oblivion that masks pain

Oxytocin The safety of social bonds

Serotonin The security of social dominance

Used for ROPES with permission of author

HAPPY SURVIVAL MOTIVES

2012 L. Breuning

Dopamine Motivation to get what you need even if it takes a long time

Endorphin Motivation to ignore pain so you can escape from harm when you’re injured

Oxytocin Motivation to trust others and find safety in companionship

Serotonin Motivation to get respect (thereby expands your mating opportunities and protects your offspring)

Used for ROPES with permission of author

What does the research say about negative thinking?

Works Cited


87% of illnesses can be attributed to our thought life.

13% to diet, genetics, and environment.

Studies conclusively link more chronic diseases to an epidemic of toxic emotions as a result of negative thinking.

Emotions that release a torrent of chemicals that can do the most damage are:

UnforgivenessAngerRageResentmentDepressionWorry

Works Cited


AnxietyFrustrationFearGriefGuilt

Toxic emotions can cause:Works CitedLeaf, C. D. (2008). Who Switched Off My Brain? Dallas: Switch on Your Brain USA Inc. Migraines

HypertensionStrokesCancerSkin problemsDiabetesInfectionsAllergies

Just to name a few.

What’s in a thought Medical science has directly linked emotions, such

as depression, to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease.

Studies also point to a direct correlation between

anxiety, fear, and: heart palpitationsirritable bowel syndrometension headachesheart problems

Works Cited


What’s in a thought

There is no doubt that WHAT and HOW you think affect your emotional and physical state.

YOUR MIND AND BODY ARE INTEGRALLY CONNECECTED!

The Physiology of Emotions

Every time we build a memory we have an emotional

reaction (chemicals),

no matter how small. All this

is stored in the tiny little

amygdala.

Works Cited


Our emotions are literally cellular signals (chemicals) that translate information into

physical reality.

Works Cited

Leaf, C. D. (2008). Who Switched Off My Brain? Dallas: Switch on Your Brain USA Inc

The point is:

I must do well.

You must treat me well.

The world must be easy.Demanding an unrealistic

performance from yourself and others puts your mind and body in stress mode and thus has negative effects on your health.

Works CitedLeaf, C. D. (2008). Who Switched Off My Brain? Dallas: Switch on Your Brain USA Inc

THOUGHTS THAT SABATOGE:

How do I know if this applies to me?

Ask yourself the following questions: How many “should-haves, could-have, or would-haves”

have you uttered today? How many “if onlys” were part of our inner vocab today? How many times have you replayed a conversation or

situation in your head that pained you? How many scenarios have you created of the

unpredictable future? How much time do you spend speculating about the

past? Are you forming a personal identity around a problem or disease? Do you ever make comments like “nothing ever goes right for me,”

“everything I touch fails,” or “I always mess up”

Works CitedLeaf, C. D. (2008). Who Switched Off My Brain? Dallas: Switch on Your Brain USA Inc

Making a change Consciously decide to change the way you

think. One way we can do this is to create a new narrative about our self and our life.

Consciously controlling your thoughts is not just the first step in this process; it is the main step.

Ideas to consider to change stinking thinking…

1. CHANGE YOUR WORDS

“The words you speak are electromagnetic life forces that come from a thought inside your brain and are influenced by your five senses.”

“They contain power and work hand in hand with your thought life, influencing the world around you and the circumstances of your life.

Speak positively – To yourself and others!

Works Cited


word The words we speak feed into our brain, reinforcing the

memory they came from. So..

When you make a negative statement, you release negative chemicals.

Works Cited


Negative chemicals lead to negative memories that grow stronger, eventually becoming a negative attitude.

“Talking out loud enhances your ability to think by stimulating the corpus collusum (our thinker) to function on a much higher level” (p. 112).

Works Cited


2. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT!

1. Begin to notice if your thoughts are mostly

POSITIVE or NEGATIVE

2. Ditch unrealistic thinking…I must do wellPeople must treat me wellLife must be easy

3. Make a conscious decision to accept or reject a thought.

WHAT’S IN A THOUGHTREVIEW:We experience both positive and negative thoughts and emotions.

We can curtail some of the negative emotions by learning to think positively

There are 3 common thoughts that sabotage us. Can you remember what they are?

What is one thing you can begin to do today to stop negative thinking?

SIMPLE SOLUTION

One simple solution to begin changing our attitudes and thought processes includes adopting an attitude of….

APPRECIATION TOP 10

1. Appreciation asks for nothing - gives everything.

2. It is the antidote (solution) to fear.3. FACT: It’s physiologically impossible

to be appreciative and fearful at the same time. Baker, D. P. (2003).

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APPRECIATION – TOP 10

4. It is a prerequisite to happiness.

5. During appreciation your brain, heart, and endocrine system work together and heal in harmony.

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APPRECIATION – TOP 106. Our language shapes our perception of reality

(social constructivism).

7. Positive emotions increase problem-solving and mental focus.

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APPRECIATION – TOP 108. Appreciation (even more

than positive thoughts) is an

unparalleled force for healing

the mind and body.

9. Positive attitudes, actions,

and connections influence

long-term change.

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APPRECIATION - #10

10. Truest form of appreciation is GIVING to someone else (aka – altruism).

Altruism is appreciation in action. It creates oxytocin (we’ll study this more in later sessions)

Studies show happy people are altruistic. The experience of giving takes you outside

yourself and pulls you away from your own:

ProblemsFearsSelf-involvement

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Altruism – Cont’d Altruism (giving) bonds you with other people.

It empowers you to love others even when they don’t love you. Anyone (most people, in fact) can hate a hater!

When you give to someone else, you are the one who feels best. Giving is getting.

Next week we’ll begin class by stating one thing we appreciate.

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WHO AM I?

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I AM THE FACE OF ALTRUISM

What do you appreciate today?

THE END

I HEART

RESOLUTION

www.iheartresolution.com

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WORKS CITED Baker, D. P. (2003). What Happy People

Know. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Graziano Breuning, L. P. (2012). Meet Your Happy Chemicals. System Integrity Press.


Health & Medicine

Thoughts>words>actions.ROPES.Session two