Integritus Prime

As someone who copes with hyper vigilance daily, I am always on the lookout for tools. I purchased a book recently that really breaks it down in a way that I find resonant and actionable. The book is called The Secret Language of the Body: Regulate Your Nervous System, Heal Your Body, Free Your Mind, by Jennifer Mann and Karden Rabin.

In it, they provide an overview of how to listen to the Breath, Actions going on in and with the body, Sensations, and Emotions – BASE. I want to share this, because so much of the time we are caught up in the mind. We might be anxious and overthinking. Intrusive thoughts may be causing havoc, disrupting our concentration, and increasing stress.

Interestingly, human evolution shows, as the authors describe, the autonomic nervous system was there long before the brain developed. So, calming the nervous system is a critical way of controlling our stress. Of course, techniques that calm the mind are also important, but when we are coping with triggers, trauma and harmful coping mechanisms, it helps to listen to and calm the nervous system.

Here is what the BASE framework asks us to consider listening to:

1. Breath: consider where you can feel your breath – in the belly, chest, lungs or nose. Become aware of the speed and and how deep your breath is, and how comfortable or uncomfortable it is.
2. Action: tuning into the body, you can become aware of your posture – is it tense, upright, or slouched? You can consider potential movements, such as the desire to fidget, and you can notice if you have high energy, or if you are feeling fatigued.
3. Sensations: notice if you are tingling, or have a burning sensation, then notice where it’s located in the body, and how intense or stuck it feels.
4. Emotions: You can identify the emotion, e.g. sadness or anger, and its location e.g. in the heart area or jaw or tension in the lower back. You can notice if the emotion is still, stuck, spreading or moving.

The BASE technique allows you to be present to what is happening inside you. This gives you clues as to how you are doing.

Consider your own practices for stress reduction and how often you use listening in the above ways. See if you can increase your awareness and listening, focused on the body and breath, not so much analysis with the mind. I tried it and so far it has given me breakthrough results.