Our body, and nervous system, stores everything that happens to us. It’s similar to keeping a record so that we know what will keep us alive (or hurt or kill us) in the present, so we know for the future. This dynamic presents two scenarios that need to be addressed when we start making changes.

First, our nervous system remains watchful in order to avoid the recurrence of past traumatic experiences. This is the underlying cause behind post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. Second, any behaviors or habits we have been performing regularly over a period of time have become automatic, so making any changes requires the extra effort of “retraining” the body to function differently.

For example, let’s say you’re right-handed and always open doors with your dominant hand. When you see a door, your body begins to automatically ready your right hand for action. In order to change that automatic neurological response, you would have to consciously shift your attention to your left hand, and decide to use it instead. If you repeated this over and over again, it would eventually become automatic and you would start opening doors with your left hand every time, without having to think about it.

This process is psychological as well as physical. In the above example, your psychological thinking at first had entrained your nervous system (the physical) to react by positioning your right hand to open the door. If you stop that automatic process with your thinking (the psychological) and shift focus to your left hand, you will be creating new neural pathways (the physical) that correspond to your left hand opening the door.

The same dynamic is true of our emotions as well.

To illustrate this, let’s say that a family member, perhaps your brother, has betrayed you, and you react by getting angry. Though it may seem so, your anger is not involuntary–it is a choice. How you choose to react (the psychological) to your brother’s betrayal then creates a neural pathway (the physical) that links the response of anger to your brother.

If you live with your brother, and thus feel compelled to be nice to him or else suffer further consequences, then you end up tip-toeing around him in order to avoid conflict. We call this suppression of emotions “walking on eggshells”.

When you spend your days walking on eggshells, you create neural pathways that contain the anger reaction to your brother, any interactions with him, and to anyone your nervous system associates with him.

Release Old Patterns And Live From The Future

When our clients clean their conditions of worth, we help them release the need to walk on eggshells in order to avoid emotional triggers.

In later sessions, we concentrate on the physical area of the body in which they feel a particular emotion when guided to recreate that emotion. Once the physical feeling connected to the emotion is identified, we teach our clients to act as if they had magic gloves, and could pluck up the neural pathways which house the emotional response and say to them this:

“I understand why I created these neural pathways, however, this session is about removing those pathways that no longer serve me. So I forgive and release you.”

We then teach them to visualize throwing out those neural pathways, and release that emotional response.

We recommend clients do this practice for all triggers they identify and do not want affecting how they feel any longer. We teach them to use acceptance and forgiveness as a daily exercise until the trigger no longer effects them.

After releasing the emotion, we encourage clients to move into gratitude, and to celebrate all the positive in their lives.

Pathwaves NeuroEmpowerment™: Basic Training

The Pathwaves Basic Training Path includes 10 visits that introduce our clients to what’s possible when you take control of your nervous system, or achieve what we call NeuroEmpowerment™.

Session 1: Hello Nerves

In the first session – called “Hello Nerves” – we teach the techniques to clear the way for the transformation to come. This gives clients a taste of what it is like to experience a calm nervous system, even if it’s just for a few moments. This primes the neural pathways for a new way of operating, which continue to be tweaked and reinforced in the sessions to come.

Session 2: Calming The Reactive Mind

In the second session – called “Calming The Reactive Mind” – we lead our clients through the process outlined above to calm the autonomic nervous system and reduce fight-or-flight responses. This lays the foundation for the rest of the work we do together to get out of survival mode, and into thriving.

Session 3: Programming Sleep, Mood, and An Ambient Sound (SMASS)

In the third session – called “Sleep, Mood and An Ambient Sound (SMASS)” – we focus on training the nervous system – and all the different systems within the body – to work more in sync with each other, and specifically to improve sleep and mood.

Session 4: Changing Perspective – Be Your Own Best Friend

In the fourth session – called “Changing Perspective – Be Your Own Best Friend” – we begin shifting perspectives in order for our clients to treat themselves as their own best friend, love themselves more, and become a “Human Being” rather than a “Human Doing”. This in turn allows them to start enjoying life more fully in the now.

Session 5: Clean the “Conditions of Worth” House

In the fifth session – called “Clean ‘Conditions of Worth’ House” – we teach tools and techniques designed to release trapped emotions, such as fear, and negative belief systems which are aversely affecting the nervous system daily so they can clear the path to sustainable change.

Session 6: Sleep Deep Dive

In the sixth session – called “Sleep Deep Dive” – we help clients entrain their nervous system to harness the power of sleep for rejuvenation and reinforcing healthier ways to function.

Session 7: Mind Body Connection

In the seventh session – called “The Mind Body Connection House” – we help clients direct their bodies to release old patterns and to create new positive pathways so they can live into the future, and let go of the past.

Through the Pathwaves NeuroEmpowerment™ program, we use a proprietary form of integrative neurofeedback – what we call Neurofeedforward™ – to influence the nervous system, and recondition your responses in order to live a life that embodies love over fear. Our method has been able to effectively help more than 95% of our clients change how they feel and function, so they can live happier and healthier lives.

To help those who cannot afford the services of Pathwaves, consider donating to the Pathwaves Foundation. Please call (305) 858-6616 for more information.

If you’d like to learn how you can accelerate change through our methodology, we are here to help. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation today.

G. Cole
Founder, Pathwaves