Last weekend I ran a stress workshop for some of my clients and shared a bit of a new approach I’ve been learning recently
Not that long ago I spoke to my clients in typical trainer speak – it was all about training more, lifting heavier, doing MORE to get results. If you want it badly enough, you’ll suck it up and do what it takes……

But for many of us that approach doesn’t always work. We might want something really badly, we KNOW what we need to do to get it but for some reason we just can’t seem to get ourself to do it. We feel like a failure and ask ourselves what wrong with us?

If you can relate to this, whats wrong’ with you is called threat and it starts with your brain
Let me explain. Earlier this year I learned something pretty special called mindmap from my own coach and mentor Dax Moy. Mindmap coaches speak a different language, the language of the brain
See most coaching approaches start with your MIND set, but you can’t change your mind set if your in the wrong part of your BRAIN

You may have heard before about the triune brain. To put it very briefly as we developed into humans we developed different layers to our brain
Our oldest brain – the reptile brain (what I also like to call the chimp – see the chimp paradox) is the original brain. It’s ONLY concern is survival therefore it reacts with fight, flight or freeze whenever it feels you are in danger
The next layer is the mammalian brain – it’s linked to emotion and concerned with social hierarchy, belonging etc
The final layer is our human brain which is where logical thought, creativity and planning takes place
Now as we developed into humans we didn’t just get rid of the other brains. They are still there and can be VERY active (So much so some of us have never met our humans….)

Anytime our brain perceives a threat whether it be physical, mental or emotional – the reptile takes over and reacts with fight, flight or freeze. There is nothing wrong with this it’s a survival mechanism to keep you safe.

Most coaching approaches work on the assumption that you are in your human brain and capable of making logical choices and responses
Yet most if us are walking around as reptiles constantly under threat (another word for threat could just be stress)

How to know if your in threat? You see the following reactions showing up

Fight
If you hear yourself being defensive –
I can’t, won’t do that, you can’t make me……

Freeze
You’re feeling stuck and not moving forward in any area of your life

Flight
You are completely avoiding something

Mindmap works on helping you MOVE out of threat by helping you find what YOUR brain needs to feel safe
The reptile brain doesn’t care what we want to achieve, how we want to feel or what we feel we need to get done. It cares about one thing and thing only – keeping you safe. Until it feels you are safe it simply won’t allow you to move forward

So if you want things to change in your life, start by getting to know your brain

And if you need some help – I can speak it’s language :)

Kat