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Book RealitiesRita McInnesRita McInnes joins Ian Hooper to discuss the amazing landscape and the dark traumas that inspired her incredibly beautiful new novel, 'Wake the Dust' and how the setback of not being permitted to use copyrighted poetry, spawned a whole new volume of original work and a character that has come into her own! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2024-04-1139 min
I-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessInterview with writer and psychologist Rita McInnes discussing I-brainmapIn this lively and informative discussion*, writer and psychologist Rita McInnes explains I-brainmap**, developed in her clinical practice. I-brainmap™ is a practical process for working with-and-through traumatic and overwhelming experiences that have become imbedded in the body-brain.
I-brainmap describes how the brain-body-mind becomes Stuck on Stress (SoS brain), with practical techniques and approaches to move through stuckness towards integration and change.
** Rita McInnes, I-brainmap, freeing your brain for happiness, now available in audio
* with Chris Ashmore Media2023-04-0246 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessINTRODUCTION – PrefaceIntroducing the brain, the characters, Jack and Mary, and I-brainmap, a process and technique for practical brain change, with
an invitation to curiosity, as you listen and engage with this material.2023-04-0206 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 1 - Meeting the yellow-eyed wolfIn this chapter I describe my experience of traumatic and overwhelming events that have shaped my life. It was these events
that kindled a fascination for, and deep exploration of, the impact of trauma on the brain-body-mind. My passion for this work culminated in the development of the I-brainmap, and this book.2023-04-0245 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 2 - Introducing the I-brainmapThis chapter describes how I developed I-brainmap in a clinical setting and its practical application outside therapy. You’ll
meet Jack and others to discover examples of how the I-brainmap is introduced and works in a clinical setting.2023-04-0240 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 3 - How I-brainmap works and when it doesn’tThis chapter provides some of the fundamentals of I-brainmap, and relevant brain functions. It describes how I-brainmap works
and some of the pitfalls in the use of I-brainmap.2023-04-0233 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 4 - Meeting MaryMeet Mary, your other companion on this journey through I-brainmap. In this chapter I chat to Mary to explain the relevance of
I-brainmap.
2023-04-0217 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 5 - Brain BasicsThis chapter explores brain functions and structures relevant to I-brainmap, including principles of brain change such as
bottom-up, brain change.2023-04-0209 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 6 - Fight, flight, freeze and appeaseThis chapter outlines the body-brain’s survival response to threat, and describes how the system can become Stuck on Stress (SoS brain).
(Chapters 6 - 14 outlines each section of the I-brainmap. You can access a copy of the I-brainmap here.)2023-04-0232 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 7 - TriggersIn this chapter I describe some of the common ways the brain-body-mind is triggered by things that are linked to previous experience. Triggers can be internal or external.2023-04-0222 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 8 - Stuck in old memory maps: Hippocampus, lost in actionIn this chapter I explain the glitch in memory, associated with traumatic and overwhelming events, which can make some memories, or experiences, difficult for the brain to integrate.2023-04-0225 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 9 - The gesture of integrationThe gesture of integration offers a way of explaining the process from activation to integration using the hand, showing the dynamic relationship between big brain and lower brain function, in a simple way.2023-04-0220 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 10 - Primary ActivationThis chapter describes the experience of activation as it relates to brain function. It provides a list of experiences frequently reported by clients that are associated with activation. Here I introduce the most challenging principle of I-brainmap; that we are not trying to stop activation, but to change our relationship with it. Activation is the brain-body attempting to integrate an overwhelming experience or memory, and trying to stop it gives the brain the message that it is still a potential threat.2023-04-0225 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 11 - Secondary ActivationSecondary activations are typically patterns of behaviour, or habits, in reaction to primary activation. Although initially adaptive, over time they can become mis-adaptive, when we lose our capacity to choose alternative behaviours.2023-04-0239 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 12 - Making meaningThis chapter explains the usual process of meaning making brain function that can perpetuate the activation cycles, through our beliefs and expectations, and the stories we repeatedly tell ourselves.
2023-04-0219 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 13 - The Integration Zone or I-ZoneThis chapter describes the process of brain integration in greater detail, while identifying helpful attitudes, and potential challenges, to allow you to more effectively shift, attune and move towards the Integration Zone, or I-Zone.
2023-04-0237 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 14 - Orientation and the AND pathwayThis chapter explores Orientation and the And Pathway in greater detail and their importance in brain integration and sustainable change. The practical application of Orientation and the AND pathway through I-brainmap is outlined.2023-04-0237 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 15 - Introducing the AIRs Technique: Applying the I-brainmapIn this chapter I explain and unpack the application of the AIRs protocol, during activation. AIRs is the practical application of the principles, brain processes and experience described in the I-brainmap. Moving through the AIRs sequence during activation promotes AND pathways and brain integration.
(Chapters 15-20 outlines each element in the AIRs sequence in greater detail. You can access a copy of the AIRs protocol here.)2023-04-0227 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 16 - AH! Awareness as it HappensAwareness as it happens is the first principle of the AIRs sequence, like an Aha! This is Activation. Initially recognising and naming Activation as it happens is the beginning of integration, through awareness.
2023-04-0225 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 17 - Interrupting the pattern or habitIn this chapter, the second principle of the AIRs sequence, Interrupting, is explained, especially how interrupting is different to stopping activation. In this chapter I provide multiple ways you can experiment with interrupting the activation loop, until you begin to develop your own techniques.
2023-04-0231 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 18 - ReorientingReorienting applies the function of orientation, which is central to integration and sustainable brain change. It invites an orientation to sensory detail, which is the primary language of the lower brain, survival brain, which has been running, and re-running, the activation loop.2023-04-0227 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 19 - Soothing the lower brainIn this chapter I discuss the importance of approaching your experience of Activation with kindness. This is to remind you that the part of the brain that is caught in activation is like a frightened child lost in a nightmare. So, be gentle.
2023-04-0216 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 20 - Finishing I-brainmap with AIRsThis chapter highlights some of the important principles that can be lost in translation into practice. One of the main challenges is the speed that activation is triggered and how quickly we become caught in established loops. It takes time and practice to learn any new skill and to change old habits. Go gently.
2023-04-0240 minI-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessCHAPTER 21 - Sustainable happiness and creativityIn this chapter I explore the qualities of happiness and creativity as inherent brain states occurring when the brain is functioning optimally, and able to return to homeostasis or wellbeing, ease and presence, when it's no longer fighting for survival, aka Activated.
2023-04-0226 min
I-brainmap, freeing your brain for happinessEPILOGUESo, it’s goodbye from me. Thanks for journeying with me through I-brainmap.
May your brain be happy and may your curiosity never fade.2023-04-0207 min
LOL my praxisAusten's Pearl NecklaceEpisode Notes
Welcome back! This week we're chatting with Jane Austen and K-pop superfan, Dr Rita Dashwood. Rita is currently a postdoctoral research fellow on the Romantic Ridiculous project at Edge Hill University. When not reading books, Rita likes to write them and is currently working on her first novel - a YA fantasy about queer witches. In this week's episode shots are fired at our guest from episode 13, Dr Andy McInnes who suggested Austen would have voted for Brexit. We get to the bottom of her Brexit-voting ways, find out what her position would be on t...2022-02-1059 min