Why Slowing Down Can Help Trauma Healing Move Forward How to respond to overwhelm and internal conflict in ways that prioritize safety, stability, and capacity. Core Concepts: Monitoring for Safety…
Skills often become more effective with practice. That’s why it helps to practice a skill over time before deciding it doesn’t work for you. Practice has a second benefit. When…
The earlier in a situation you’re able to use skills or strategies, the more likely they are to help. As distress increases, the nervous system has less ability to use…
Routines can improve how your system functions because they reduce uncertainty. Predictable patterns help parts of the system know what to expect, which can make situations feel more manageable. When…
Sometimes, it’s what you don’t do that has the greatest impact on how your system functions. Certain patterns can increase stress, internal conflict, or dysregulation, even when they are intended…
When you are dysregulated, decision-making is often not the most helpful place to focus. Dysregulation can affect your ability to think clearly, weigh options, and access your usual skills. Decisions…
You may have been taught to push through problems: “Try harder.” When you feel overwhelmed, your instinct may be to do the same. But in the case of overwhelm, pushing…
Being caught between two different desires about how to proceed can be difficult. In dissociative systems, this often means that more than one part has a different goal. It can…
There are two situations when “doing less” can help you move forward more effectively. The first is when parts of your system are opposing an action. Often, it is the…
When everything feels overwhelming, the goal is not to solve everything—it’s to help your system feel a little more stable first. Start by slowing things down and reducing the demands…