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sleeping knew that mania was one of the listed side effects of SAMe and combined with my |
preexisting anxiety it was unbearable went off the drug As the mania went away the |
depression crept back in along with all the previous muscular tension The experience showed |
me that serotonin does not fix or heal the brain It just alters it temporarily Similarly it does |
not fix trigger points or heal chakras It merely subdues them allowing our behavior to be less |
affected When went off SAMe noticed my body trembled It was substantial and realized |
had to do something about it |
Dont Let Yourself Tremble |
In the last chapter mentioned a friend of mine who was a drug addict She had a small kitten |
that she played roughly with She would squeeze it and tease it and swing it around Some |
aspects of this play were pleasant to watch at times but other elements bordered on abuse |
At one point she asked whether thought she played too roughly with it The kittens |
interminable trembling answered her question for me With beautiful pained eyes this little |
furball was constantly glancing around skittishly It shuddered even when standing still startled |
at every sound and grew into the most nervous cat have ever seen The truth is the owner |
herself trembled and probably wanted her small friend to share her weakness |
Muscle trembling is a sign that an animal is under duress It is related to the startle |
response discussed in Chapter and similarly signals submission It results in a shaking |
quaking and shuddering that makes us feel weak in the knees Chronic distress and social |
defeat cause trembling to become more pronounced It is quite common for the runt of the |
litter to tremble because it rarely wins in competitive play and often has the lowest serotonin |
of the group Trembling destroys fluid measured movement as well as timing and rhythm |
It occurs all over the body not just in the voice and hands Dormant or partially contracted |
muscles frequently tremble because those muscles can neither relax nor fully contract |
making them susceptible to shaking involuntarily between these extremes |
When a poorlysocialized Chihuahua is placed among bigger dogs it tends to tremble more |
than usual We are all shaky Chihuahuas whether it is perceptible or not Also we tremble for |
the same reason to keep others from being threatened by us Trembling goes on in the |
background and usually becomes apparent under duress by old age or after a heavy workout |
You may think you dont tremble but may notice it when performing small fluid movements |
like knitting This is why urge you to spend time focusing your awareness on trembling in an |
attempt to get ahold of yourself Working out with light weights Chapter and performing |
antilaxity while slow breathing will firm your grip |
The slower you move the easier it is to iron out trembling flinching and startling |
Mosh Feldenkrais the founder of the Feldenkrais exercise method propounded the idea that |
practicing slow movement is essential to grace and psychological wellbeing This general |
philosophy dates back hundreds of years to Taoist and Buddhist monasteries and the art of tai |
Chapter Serotonin Optimism and Cooperation |
chi Tai chi is a superb practice that will smooth your movements and help you tremble less |
Some forms encourage you to move mindfully as a needle in cotton and develop the ability |
to leverage joints using coordination and relaxation rather than tension strongly encourage |
you to take a tai chi class even if you do it from home using free internet tutorials |
Serotonin Exercise Take a Class in Tai Chi |
Sign up for a tai chi class or simply follow a beginners instructional tutorial video on the |
internet Practice the movements and motions while trying to move as smoothly and |
gracefully as possible Your motions should feel relaxed fluid frictionless and occur at a |
constant rate It can help to act as if there is a slight resistance to every movement as if you |
were in a pool of water When you stop bracing notice how you can move more steadily |
Sense your body and be present within it |
You should be able to concentrate so deeply on even tensionfree movement that your |
stream of thought evaporates To do this you must activate very primitive brain structures |
Every second of mindful nontrembling movement teaches them that slow steady |
movement is safe and wont be misconstrued by others as an attempt at intimidation |
Remember that prey rush Predators do not rush because they do not feel threatened or |
pressured Move at an unrushed pace that is selfdetermined and centered on unshakable |
inner confidence While you practice use the tenets of diaphragmatic breathing optimal |
posture and antirigidity |
As you become better at diaphragmatic breathing you will become more aware of your |
preexisting tendency to tremble Focus selectively on each tremor you notice and try to soothe |
it Certainly dont incorporate trembling into purposive movement Dont allow your fingers to |
fumble as you use your phone button down your shirt or zip your purse Slow down every |
movement and engineer it for precision Hurried hasty movements require bracing ruining |
composure and finesse It takes patience to eliminate trembling and establish flowing dexterity |
Imagine moving like a sloth slowly deliberately and mistakefree Just like paced breathing |
irons the apneic disturbances out of your diaphragms tidal range slow purposive movement |
will iron the discontinuities out of your actions |
Use Dominant Gestures |
Dominant people with high serotonin naturally use commanding gestures Dominance is |
conveyed preemptively by actions indicating strength comfort and fearlessness Simply |
practicing and automating these gestures will increase your nonverbal dominance thereby |
increasing your serotonin Lets get into the specifics Dominant people have towering posture |
whereas submissive ones try to hide their height Dominant people lean toward others and |
approach others directly rather than haltingly and uncertainly Dominant people initiate |
increased proximity more handshaking and a higher frequency of touching So put your arm |
around people touch their hands slap their knees rest your arm on their shoulders and strike |
their backs when you embrace them |
PROGRAM PEACE Self Care Exercises to Reprogram Your Mind and Body |
As far as general posture we have already discussed retracting the neck flexing the glutes |
pressing the hips forward and looking upward among many others When standing place your |
feet at least shoulder length apart and dont fidget Refrain from folding your hands in front of |
you placing them in pockets or using them to cover your genitals Because submission is |
conveyed by the lack of hand movements and hidden hands gradually work more hand |
gesticulation into your speech |
Bring your hands into full view dont brace them in contorted ways and never worry that |
the position of your elbows wrists or fingers will be taken as offensive Finding a comfortable |
place for your hands can be difficult The key is not thinking about it or whether people will |
perceive it as uppity or proud They are your hands If other people dont like how you are |
holding them thats their problem |
a de |
TS is Ys Nt I |
Ilustration Positions for the hands while standing A Holding the fist B Holding the hand C Hands on |
the hips D Hands supporting neck retraction E Hands behind the back F Hands simply dangling at the sides |
G Kelly Starretts position to train pulling the shoulder blades together scapular retractionshoulder packing |
Another technique to increase your nonverbal dominance is reducing reassurances such as |
excessive nodding Dont stop nodding altogether but reduce how quickly and how often you |
do it Definitely smile at people and laugh at their jokes just dont do it too much Excessive |
smiling and laughter directed at anothers efforts at humor are submissive And use the optimal |
smile and laugh discussed in previous chapters Nonverbal tics rapid blinking prolonged tilting |
of the head touching the back of your neck wringing the hands coughing artificially and |
scratching imaginary itches are all nervous behaviors meant to fill space when you dont know |
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