Deborah Sandella

In other words, day and night dreaming are both emotionally beneficial.

The Prince and the Stone offers a metaphor for how easy it is to build layers of protection in an effort to avoid discomfort. We do this all the time. Sometimes the original event is minor, and we add a thin layer. Other times, the issue is unbearable and has built up over time. Accommodating the weight is burdensome and significantly interrupts normal life. The good news/bad news of it is that the layers create distance between us and the perceived danger, and the distance creates an illusion of greater safety. The same distance, however, prevents us from confronting and resolving the root problem, so we suffer indefinitely.
When we bravely dive into our layers, we shift from a fear-based state and activate our inner self-healing system. Once you know what's really happening inside you, you can mobilize your innate resources and use them to solve the problem quickly

Following the bombing, a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found: “Acute stress symptoms increased with each additional hour of bombing-related media exposure via television, social media, videos, print, or radio.”

It's worthwhile to keep track of how much exposure to media stories of trauma you can manage before it sends you over the edge. Notice when you need to turn the radio and television off and do something soothing

The first and immediate thing to do when you find yourself stuck in terror is to breathe!

Being guided in detailed and unfamiliar ways of breathing successfully engages the rational mind, which accelerates relaxation. The left brain becomes present when there are instructions unfamiliar enough to capture its attention and simple enough to be easily done. You now have the emotional and rational parts of the brain working together to solve the problem

Your body loves to have your attention, the way children love to be the apple of their parents' eye. When you connect with your body in this way, you create an intimate relationship with yourself—an inner experience of being seen and heard. Who doesn't want that? Still, we tend to look for it from others.

Well-known author Brené Brown has shared how “being seen” as your authentically vulnerable self rather than trying to be perfect is key in developing a feeling of worthiness to be loved.

When you consistently see and hear yourself, you develop a confidence that is unshakable. You aren't dependent on others for reassurance, rather you can actually feel security in your own body

Once you have new positive feelings, you can help them stick in body memory. Ruth has anchored her new dancing image with her boyfriend (who is now her fiancé) by first sensing all the details and then imagining being herself in the image instead of watching it. Looking out of her new eyes, Ruth viscerally feels the romance and satisfaction of moving together as one. She rests in it until it feels complete—a new experience is anchored in the body